Cottonwood Steam Power Traditional Geocache

This is a disguised bison tube hidden in plain site.  I know, we all hate magnetics that are hidden on large chunks of iron, but it really is out in plain sight if you look in the right place.

Be sure to read the bit of history explaining why this object came to be where it is.

This cache is located in a maintained picnic and camping area along the Cimarron River in the Cimarron National Grasslands.  The Cimarron National Grasslands is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

DO NOT READ THE HINT UNLESS YOU ARE TOTALLY DESPERATE.  It is a serious spoiler.  Comments regarding the difficulty level will be helpful.