***************************************************************************
NOTICE
The time has come! Eight years ago the Prairie Winds Caches were published for "Best of the Bad" Mega, and 2 cache owner groups have been maintaining them. It is time to archive the series, but we would like more people to receive a Prairie Winds coin first.
NOTE: All the Prairie Winds caches will be archived as of the 8th of September, 2020.
The new requirement is: You must have logged, as found, at least 20 Prairie Winds caches to earn a Prairie Winds geocoin. Once you qualify (before September 8, 2020), contact cache owner at lthbridge@gmail.com to receive a coin.
***************************************************************************
The large structure near you is not what it seems. With a lot of creativity, this building is being “re-purposed” to suit the needs of the current owners and their guests.
The original building was built in 1917 by Alfred Henry Hirsche and his wife Carrie Michelsen Hirsche. All the lumber and supplies were ordered from the T. Eaton Company and it arrived by rail as a kit, to be put together on site. At the time, the Hirsche family owned 2.5 acres of land at this location as one of the early homestead lots of Stirling. As people settled in the Agricultural Village of Stirling, they build a family home, a barn and other outbuildings as needed within the village according to a Mormon design called the “Plat of Zion”. The whole settlement idea was that families would have better support, be closer to church & schools if they all lived in one area and then farmed the area around the village. Each lot was fenced and livestock were part of the community. During the day the cattle were herded north towards Stirling Lake, now called Michelsen Marsh and then brought home in the evening. Pigs, chickens and other livestock, gardens and fruit orchards were all part of each homestead.
This beautiful, 95+ year old, structurally sound, 2 ½ story building with a hip roof is very typical of the era. The main floor was for the livestock, the large second floor was for the storage of all the hay needed to feed the animals all winter. The small box shapes on the roof are called “cupolas”. According to My Penguin Dictionary of Architecture “ a cu•po•la is a dome, especially a small dome on a circular or polygonal base crowning a roof or turret". In this case, the square cupola provided ventilation to the hay loft.
To reach the cache, park on the street and walk to the cache. This cache is placed on private property with the support of the owners. Please respect the landscaping and watch for muggles!