This is our first hide so I hope you enjoy it. Also bring along a bag and throw a few pieces of garbage away along your search. Earth will smile upon you! It appears that from time to time people throw a wrapper or other odd things into the area.
When I was a teenager a friend and I used to explore the caves and mines here in Dubuque. This is one of the areas where we found some old mines. No climbing or spelunking required. Space allows for small trinkets which should be included.
Some interesting background on the mining here (for you history buffs). Mining is Dubuque's oldest industry. Much of the richest LEAD-bearing ore was found within a few miles of Dubuque. The bluffs were found to contain four layers. These layers are clay soil, shale, galena limestone containing lead, and blue limestone.
Mining was first successfully carried out by Native Americans who later brought many of the first white miners to this are of the country. There was so much lead-bearing ore here that even the most crude methods used in mining were still successful .
Native Americans used exposed deposits called "float" to lead them to vast underground quantities of lead. The natives worked with a variety of tools, including sharpened sticks and antlers, long before white traders supplied them with shovels and picks.