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A Prospectors View Traditional Cache

Hidden : 11/02/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size:   regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

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.

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)