Pica Crossover Station
The Pica Crossover Station was a water stop for the Santa Fe Railway, 16 miles west of Seligman, just to the south of Route 66. Legend has it the stop was actually named Picacho until 1907 when it was shortened. Trains could not get sufficient water at Seligman, so would only take on as much as needed to get to the required stop at Pica. The water was particularly needed for the climb to Yampai Summit about 4 miles west of Pica.
When grabbing this geocache, check out the large prairie dog burrows throughout the area. You may even have some 'yell' at you! They are harmless, but be careful to not step into a hole!
This cache is located on Arizona State Trust Land. The State Land Department has no problem with geocaching, but we ask that participants observe the following: A Recreation Permit is required to legally access State Trust Land. These permits are easily obtained by using the following link to obtain a permit application - (Arizona State Land Department's website)
When we first visited Pica around 2010 there were still many of the old buildings as seen in the pictures. Those are gone today. What remains are three large water tanks. The smallest was reportedly a chemical tank where minerals were precipitated out of the local water prior to storage in the larger tanks for steam engine use. At one time there was also a small tourist camp close by, Pica Camp, to the north of Route 66. It was available for campers traveling the Mother Road, much like Hyde Park a little further west on Route 66.
There is something strange about where the cache is hidden - can you figure out what?
