This cache takes you to the Dubuque County “Proving Grounds” Recreation Area. It was newly opened in Spring 2019 consisting of 137 acres of timber, restored prairies, rock outcroppings, wildlife, and panoramic scenery.
Have you every hunted a geocache where your GPSr/phone showed that you were within 300 feet of it, but you had to hike about 0.7 miles uphill to get to it because you were blocked by a rock cliff? Well, this is one of those geocaches. Starting at the parking lot, you will need to hike about 0.8 miles up a crude road and finally along an easy trail to get to the cache hidden near the Sturman Tower. No rock climbing or extended bushwacking are required.
The Sturman Tower: The tower was erected in 1954 by John Riley Sturman (1901-1972) to improve television reception at the family home at the bottom of the northeast face of a tall limestone bluff. Over 400 feet of wire was strung through the trees by his son Richard who connected the antenna at the top to the television below. The antenna was rotated from the Sturman living room and provided excellent reception until 1962 when John and wife Lydia moved the family to Dubuque.
The tower still stands today and overlooks the Dubuque Works John Deere plant along the Mississippi River. The tower is evidence of a life dedicated to making things better. That legacy and the joy brought to others by John Sturman are celebrated by his descendants each year by a visit to the site. Those descendants encourage those who discover this place and the structure, to reflect on humanity expressed through good ideas and the will to realize them.
The cache: This cache container starts with only a logbook. Bring your own pencil or pen. Please sign the log, trade fairly, and return the container to its original location and state of concealment for others’ enjoyment.