This cache is part of the Valley Cities GeoTour 2019. If you are participating in the GeoTour, be sure to record each cache's code word or punch in your series passport to verify your visit. There are 40 caches placed throughout the four cities to take you to a variety of interesting or beautiful locations, and provide you with fun and informative geocaching experiences.
Before 1906, the White River joined the Green River near Auburn, and the combined river (under the name "White") joined the Black River at Tukwila, forming the Duwamish River, which emptied into Elliott Bay at Seattle.
In 1906, a great flood diverted the White River southward into the Stuck River then into the Puyallup River, which empties into Commencement Bay at Tacoma. The White River remains a tributary of the Puyallup River today.
The Green River no longer receives either the White River or the Black River. Its retains the name "Green" up to the site of the former Black River confluence, where it becomes the Duwamish.
Since the mid-nineteenth-century arrival of non-Indian settlers in the White River Valley (also known as the Green River Valley), the White and Green rivers have undergone many changes. Annual floods motivated farmers to destroy the White River channel, and a major flood in 1906 changed the river's northwestern flow to Elliott Bay to a westward flow to Commencement Bay. The Green River, which used to merge with the White, now flows toward Elliott Bay in the old White River channel. The completion of Mud Mountain Dam in 1948 and Howard A. Hanson Dam in 1962 have eliminated all major flooding in the valley, and have changed the course of development therein.
Years before settlers arrived along the White River in the 1850s, the White, Stuck, and Green rivers ran their natural course. The White River ran westward along the southern border of what would become King County. Near what would become Auburn, it merged with the Green River, which flowed roughly parallel to the White River through the mountains, but much farther north.
The Stuck River separated from the White River a few miles south of the confluence with the Green River. Muckleshoot Indians remembered when the Stuck was just a brook that could be stepped over during low water. The tiny Stuck River closely followed the path of the White for two miles, before flowing west down the Puyallup Valley towards Commencement Bay. In some locations the two rivers were separated by only a few hundred feet.
For centuries, Native Americans lived seasonally in the river valleys, and used the surrounding territory for fishing, hunting, and gathering plants they cultivated. The first non-Indian settlers came to the valleys to farm. The soil was rich and the crops abundant, but farmers were soon plagued with annual floods that sent water spilling in every direction.
2019 is the first year of a formal GeoTour for the expanded geocaching adventure in the cities of Auburn, Kent, Renton & Maple Valley, Washington. Auburn Parks, Arts and Recreation, auburntourism.com, visitkent, the Port of Seattle and the WSGA are stakeholders in this GeoTour. There are 10 caches placed in each city. The geocaches highlight some scenic ourdoor area, park, trail, or general area of interest in these cities. We hope you enjoy visiting the area, learning about its natural beauty and interesting outdoor areas. You can visit the website for information about lodging discounts, restaurant, brewery and other discounts that are available while you are visiting our area, Valley Cities GeoTour.