This geocache will lead you to a beautiful and unique historic place, commonly known as the Split Rock Quarry. This area was once a munitions factory for World War I. Stone formations and limestone can be found scattered around the vicinity, as it was mined here to make ammunition to aid the allies in the war. On July 2, 1918, a fire broke out from a gear overheating in one of the main TNT buildings which lead to a tragic explosion, killing the 50 workers that were on site that day. The shock of the explosion was felt as far as downtown Syracuse. When people scrambled to put the fire out, the water pressure in the area failed. Sheer panic struck Syracuse, as people rushed from their homes into the streets to see what was happening. It is out of extreme luck that none of the other buildings caught on fire that day; it is said that if other TNT houses did, Syracuse and southern Onondaga County would have been blown off the map.
The next day, several surviving factory workers resigned. Some old homes of these workers line the two closest streets to the split rock quarry. People who frequent this area claim that it is still haunted by some of the men who died, and when it’s dark, there are rumors of strange colored lights, apparitions of men, and the sound of the motor in the stone crusher chugging away...
A memorial for the men killed from this event is located in Oakwood Cemetery, Syracuse.
This area was once prohibited to visit. Now that it was recently opened to the public, please keep in mind the following rules given by Onondaga County Parks:
People MUST stay on the Edgecliff trail, marked on the trees as an orange E, as land surrounding it is private property. (The cache will not require you to wander far off the trail).
Only hiking and biking are allowed, no motor vehicles are permitted.
Use of firearms and other weapons is prohibited.
No hunting allowed.
This area is now only open from sunrise to sunset; entering this trail after dark is strictly prohibited! (No night caching!)
This is a no maintenance trail.
There are two entrances to this trail. There is one on Kasson Rd. which has parking, and one on Onondaga Rd. I suggest the entrance at Onondaga Rd. as the walk to the cache will be much shorter than the other entrance, except there is question over whether or not parking at this location is permitted. There are new signs that say “no parking” at this entrance. You could park on a street in the neighborhood and walk over to the Onondaga Rd. entrance instead to avoid the chance of a ticket. You will have to walk up a hill to reach this cache.
You are looking for a medium-small round camo container. Be careful where you step!
I encourage people to CITO if they feel inclined, as the area could definitely use some love. Please BYOP.
(Some information included from localsyr.com and image from Onondaga Historical Society)
Congratulations to Wymfatr and magoering for FTF, and to KacheKook and CAR66 for STF!