Spaulding Creek runs from Litchfield Township to Sheshequin Township and flows into the Susquehanna River north of the village of Sheshequin. This part of creek runs through Goose Hollow and is found on the road with its same name in Athens, PA, but resides in Sheshequin Township.
The cache is located near the location of a geographical feature called a confluence. A confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water and is also known as a conflux. Growing up we would swim here in the cool clean water during the hot summer days.
Just up from the location is the former site of a steam sawmill community, which was likely in operation in the early 1900’s. The population of the community is uncertain, but you can imagine it was probably sizable because of the area to be timbered as well as the general needs for operating a sawmill. A small wooden railroad was made to add in the assistance of moving the logs which were also skidded. Add in a few stables for horses and mules and for the typical places for any community such as a watering hole and you have a sizable habitation. The boiler of the sawmill was likely powered by the trees that there harvested for lumber. Imagine what would happen if that boiler blew? As if logging wasn’t a dangerous job
The area across the road from the old mill site, on the other branch of Spaulding Creek, was the former site of a Boy Scout campstire which was used for winter camps. If I would venture to guess someone in the Andaste District of the Five River Council might have more information in the archives.