This geocache is located at the historic Jacksonville Dam. The dam was placed in service in 1912 and was used for several decades before Jacksonville found an alternative source northwest of the reservoir. A pipeline brought water past the dam and down to the large storage tank in the Britt woods. The reservoir water remained as a ready source in case it was needed for fire. Jacksonville eliminated the need for the reservoir water when it tied into the Medford water system in the 1950’s. The quality of the dam and reservoir (with no maintenance) diminished for decades. The gate tower, which held the crank for opening the valve for the outlet pipe, collapsed into the reservoir. In 1955, a flood covered the outlet pipes with trash and apparently jammed the gate valve. The dam was officially abandoned in the 1960’s when the concrete step gates were removed from the concrete spillway.
In the summer of 2015, work was completed on the dam to "notch" the dam, remove the remainder of the failing spillway, reconstruct Jackson Creek, and restore the area with natives. Since removal, trails, viewing stations, signs, kiosks, restrooms, and other facilities have been added.
While the cache isn't far from the parking there are miles of trails to enjoy and things to see. Enjoy the cache and enjoy the history and all that has been done in Forest Park!