Building on Helena History 2 Multi-Cache
Hidden : 3/31/2011
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

Helena is best understood by knowing a bit about its history. Like many other towns in Montana, Helena started out as a mining town.

One day in the early 1860's, four men, rather desperate after searching throughout western Montana for gold and finding nothing, stumbled into the area that is now known as Helena. That evening, these men decided to take one last chance in mining the nearby creek. As luck and fate would have it, the men found gold and they named the stream, appropriately enough, Last Chance Gulch.

Word soon got out about the gold strike and, seemingly overnight, the small camp became a boom town. Like all mining towns, the gold soon ran out of Last Chance Gulch, and by 1883, Helena's mining history came to an end. Yet the town continued to prosper, eventually even becoming the state capitol in 1894.

The Stages --


This Multi cache will take the visitor back into Helena's mining history. It begins near the exact location the four men first found their gold, and continues "upstream", along Last Chance Gulch, through the historical district which the miner's lived, and eventually winds its way up into the nearby hills, where the last of Helena's gold was once mined.

Start at the posted coordinates and begin traveling south. Along the way, look for eight upright granite markers with bronze plaques attached. These markers are set at the actual locations of mining claims that were once worked along Last Chance Gulch. Today they will provide you with a brief history lesson, as well as the answers needed to calculate the final coordinates.

The Clues --

The number of letters in the "parentheses" = A

The year four miners attempted one last chance to find gold = BCDE

The number of different countries people migrated from that created a "true melting pot" in Helena = F

The distance, in miles, that the haul from Fort Benton to Helena was along the Mullan Road = GHI

To the nearest whole dollar (rounding up), the average worth of an ounce of gold dust in 1890= JK

The day in July 1902, that Montana's capitol building, capped with its huge copper dome, was dedicated = L

Prior to 1874, the number of times the entire town of Helena nearly burned down = M

The maximum depth, in feet, that the pool at the Broadwater Resort was = NO

The Puzzle --

N ED HA.(L-E)M(D-J)
W NJ(F-A) (A-I)H.E(J+K)B

The Terrain --

The stroll to gather all the information is about a .25 mile stretch, and is accessible year-round. The hike to the final coordinates is a moderate hike and may not be suitable for young children or people unaccustomed to hiking; it is approximately 1 mile. Please be careful when crossing Broadway and Park Ave and stay on the established trail until you are within 50 feet of the final coordinates.

Enjoy the view of the entire Gulch from this location.

The Container --

A small, round container; accessible during all seasons, but may be covered by heavy snow.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Cebfcrpg Funsgf Genvy

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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