This geocache is placed along a short historic trail in the Marble Creek Historic area. The trail is about a 1 ½ mile loop, but you will descend about 480 feet in elevation. Along this trail, you will come across an old “Steam Donkey.” A logging donkey consists of a steam boiler and steam engine, connected to a winch mounted on a sled called a donkey sled. The donkeys were moved by simply dragging themselves with the winch line, originally hemp rope and later steel cable. They were used to move logs, by attaching lines to the logs and hauling them. You will also be able to see the remnants of an old splash dam (small dams that stored enough water to “flush” logs down small streams to rivers), springboard notches (used by loggers to balance on while they sawed down trees), and the site of an old logging camp.
Old timers say that Hobo Creek was named after an early homesteader named "Hobart." Homestead records indicate that a homesteader named Herbert lived in the area. Local officials said Herbert “does no do much.” For this or for some unknown reason, the name was shortedned to Hobo and applied to the creek.
The Steam Donkey: Pieces of cable are scattered along Hobo Creek. “Donkey Punchers” ran the steam engine, pulling logs out of the woods to a landing. In the 1920s the area around the donkey was a clearcut for fueling the donkey and to make room for stacking logs. A second donkey was located about a mile up the creek. In 1961, it was moved to a St. Maries Park, where you can see it today.
Camp 5: This logging camp was one of 15 Rutledge Lumber Company logging camps operating in Marble Creek in 1923. Many of the camps and dams built on Marble, Hobo, and Brussell Creeks were used for salvaging fire damaged timber. You can still find some of the remnants of the old log cabins in the old logging camp site.
