A Prospectors View Traditional Cache
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size:
 (regular)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
A short hike with a view back in time
The year is 1876. A doctor with a good eye for minerals spots an
interesting ore specimen on the table at the home of a sick
prospector. So began Pyramid City. Two miles above Pyramid City was
a smaller camp, called either Jonesville or Upper Pyramid. The
cache is located on a hill next to this settlement.
The life of a prospector was full of difficulty and uncertainty. A
single rock might be the only thing keeping food on his table, and
finding another one like it his only hope for next meal. Every so
often a prospector would make a strike that would make them a
decent living, or even make them very rich. But don’t confuse
a prospector with a miner. Many times a prospector would simply
sell his claim and move on.
A prospector would comb the hills and valleys looking for
indications that there might be valuable ore at or below the
surface. They might dig for some time, find a piece of promising
ore, and move on to the next claim. They would catalog their claims
and file them. If the ore that they mined turned out to have
promising yield, they had some choices. They could develop it into
a mine by getting some local investors involved. They could simply
sell it to an investor for a price that they would derive from how
many feet they claimed the vein ran, and how much each foot was
worth.
This was all very hard work. Take for example this cache. When you
get to the location, look around. You won’t see much, and in
the mid 1880’s when this area was being actively mined, there
was scarcely more. The Jones & Kincaid mine produced between
1877 and 1885. The area had a store and hotel, and various stone
homes. You can see two very old cabins right from this location.
They are worth checking out. You can also see an old stone cabin at
the cache GCK09A, Uncle Toms
Cabin about 1.5 miles eastward.
To your North is the incredible Pyramid Lake. Imagine sitting here
130+ years ago, looking for your next strike. Take in the sights
and sounds. Feel the dirt. Get the cache.
Historical information thanks to the excellent book
"Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps" by Stanley Paher.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
50 pny nzzb pna ng gur onfr bs gur gerr.