In 1843, part of the Applegate family of Missouri headed west along the Oregon Trail. Jesse and Lindsay Applegate led their families along the trail and lost two children on the journey down the Columbia River. They were determined to find a less hazardous way for settlers to get to Oregon.
They began their survey of the route in June of 1846. The trail would cross through Nevada, the North-East Corner of California and into Oregon near Klamath Falls. One of the toughest obstacles was the Black Rock Range which is North and West of the Black Rock Desert. John C. Fremont had discovered a way across that range in 1843. He dubbed his route "High Rock Canyon" after the towering rock walls that dominate both sides of the route.
It is estimated that 48,000 people used this route between 1846 and the 1860's. The discovery of gold in California diverted much of the traffic to the South. One of the traditions of the time was to mark their passage with what we would call graffiti. You can see an inscription on the rock wall not far from this cache. The settlers also made use of so called "Post Office Caves" to leave messages for those who were following on the trail. For example, the father might brave the trail in early spring in order to stake out his land in Oregon while the wife and children would come later when the weather was better.The husband could leave a message in the cave for his wife. This could be a letter on paper or it could have been written in axle grease directly on the wall.
The route across High Rock Canyon remains pretty much the same today as it was 150 years ago. The "road" is narrow and primitive (high clearance 4WD required). There are still markings on the walls and some of the aspen trees have been inscribed as well. There are several "post office caves." There is one directly above the parking area for this cache. You will need to go to your left and walk a bit to find my favorite cave where this cache is located. It isn't immediately apparent from the parking area. The coordinates are a bit fuzzy because of the steep canyon but primitive paths should lead you there. The cache is behind a large rock flake to the right of the entrance.
The terrain rating is for the drive into the canyon. This is definitely not the place for your urban SUV or mini-van.