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History Happened Here: Visit "Princess - 1900 - South" and access the wonderful Princess Mining Ditch trail, maintained for years by Kanaka, but developed, lengthened and expanded by the BLM in 2011. 2018 and the Carr Fire burned everything. 2021 saw all the brush collected for burn piles and fire prevention. The cash was relocated slightly creek-side of the posted coordinates.
Mining in this region began in the 1850’s when Pearson Reading, made the second discovery gold discovery in California at the site of the geocache “Reading’s Rainbow”. In 2005, Kanaka helped place the first cache on this trail, which they had maintained for years, Princess - 1900. Fast forward to 2011 and the BLM’s grand plans for 19 miles of expanded trails that will connect the Princess Ditch, Swasey BLM, and Whiskeytown park Princess - 1900 - South is at the southwest trailhead of the Princess Ditch trail. In 2011, you can travel the trail from this spot towards Whiskeytown Park. 2011, the developed trail ends at end of Muletown road’s pavement, the site of the cache, Go Dog Go!. Some of the history of this trail: The Princess Minind Ditch parallels, slightly above, the “old ditch” built in ~1850. The Princess Hydraulic Mining Company, of Leadville, Colorado, in 1900-1901, constructed the Princess Ditch. The ditch, 14 miles in length, with a capacity of 1500 Miner's inches of water, conveyed water from the South Fork of Brandy Creek and Boulder Creek to the Hope Consolidated Placer Mine in the Horsetown District. A siphon 2000 feet in length, composed of pipe 24 and 22 inches in diameter, with a capacity of 2400 miners inches of water, conveyed water from the west side of Clear creek to the East side. The remnants of the siphon are located south of the confluence of Salt Creek and Clear Creek in the Whiskeytown Recreation Area. The ditch, 5 foot wide at the top, 3 foot wide at the bottom and 2 1/2 feet deep had an average head of water at the mines of 150 feet and usually in sufficient quantity to work six months each year. Construction was $30,000. At the park end of this trail is the cache Go Dog Go! on the site of the home site of the Machado family. Frank H. Machado was born December 4, 1883 to Manuel and Emily Freitas Machado. Manuel came from Portugal in 1865 and after several years of successful gold mining, sent for his sweetheart, Maria Amelia Emily. They were married and built a home in Muletown. At this location, four children, Manuel, John, Mary and Frank were reared. They raised goats, cattle, chickens, ducks, turkeys and pigs. There was a large vegetable garden and a small orchard. Their main source of income was from hydraulic mining and cattle. The children used to like to hike to Piety Hill, which was near Igo, as the Chinese there were very friendly to the children and gave them firecrackers and candy. They attended school in Centerville, a three and one-half mile hike over Mule Mountain. Enjoy the history as you travel the trail. The cache is a metal water bottle, thanks Desert (B) Rats. Please replace with care so natural camo will remain effective. An FTF Bandana awaits. Carpe Diem, Carpe Geocachiem. . . MtnMike
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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