“COLORADO SPIRIT QUEST”
The Colorado Spirit Quest is a series of Caches placed by many individuals, near cemeteries and historic sites in hopes of paying respect to the many pioneer ancestors that have ‘walked’ before us.
There are hundreds of cemeteries in the rural and mountain communities across Colorado. This series will introduce you to many of them.
The cache pages will provide a virtual history tour of the cemeteries and tombstones.
COLORADO SPIRIT QUEST is not affiliated with any other ‘Spirit Quest’ group. Special thanks and credit are given to SixDogTeam who started the Indiana Spirit Quest in 2004. The idea has rapidly spread into many states.
The CSQ endeavor is an enormous and relentless task. It cannot be accomplished by just one or two people. This project will only flourish if there is a multitude of volunteer cachers willing to place these caches.
After locating the cache container, take some time to reflect back on the lives of those pioneers and the effort it took to make Colorado such a great state.
If you are interested in joining the “Walking Through History Clan” contact may be made by sending an e-mail to the owner of “Colorado Spirit Quest #1 – Mountain Passage”. Use the ‘Send Message” link at the center of the page of their profile.
Each person that places a CSQ cache is responsible for its maintenance.
REMEMBER:
If you are APPREHENSIVE about cemeteries – AVOID this series.
Thanks to the volunteers: Greasepot, Taylorgeotracker, Ivy Dog Parents, Team Boogity3, Grand High Pobah, Boborr 80909, Imusttravel2000, Buzz Lightyear I, Sandhill 49er, MrVolkswagen, Isisfan, rockymtn8iv, Fork-L-Man, Outdrlvr201, Condor1, 2Cachedivers, arthurat, smilz787, Kyotmoon, Mountain Roamer, SugarPug, Team Tiger Pride, ernie66, drnetwork, Team w-bar-v, Dynamite Rabbit, DustyKat, mtnbirders, RustyBeerCan & Marma, grymreaper, nteclpr, Moose1 & Mama Moose, Joe Friday, 3cacheteers, Dasha Aussies, KB0UMW, hiking_fool, tripping, res71cue and 1Mrs1Ogre, and nickgatt, kingbee, The misgnoners, rbradu, shashyaz&foxy, Bugranger, Lyonden ut., Any Direction, Sewnssew, The Meandering Monkeys, Charlie-n-Geri, skibum1, gooftroop 4, animjason, momcheers and Cap'n Ron.
New Clan members are always Welcome
* * * * * * * *
This area was originally called
Dead Mexican Park.
It is now known simply as Mexican Park
The story goes like this:
In 1913 three sheepherders were camped here.
One man went into Columbine to get their payroll, and proceeded to lose it all gambling.
He came back to camp and shot his two Mexican partners in their beds.
He then ate supper,
and afterwards set the camp on fire.
The fenced area marks the spot where the bodies were found and memorialized.
The murderer was apprehended,
spent 5 years in prison in Canyon City and,
when he got out,
returned to sheep herding,
only to be found dead laying in his campfire years later.
Please note:
There is no reason to go into the fenced in area. The cache is accessible from outside.
On your way in and out, look around for a man on horseback and a round topped camper trailer.
Sheep herders still work flocks on this open range during the spring and summer months.
In addition to Sheep,
you may also see any of a plethora of wildlife including:
Elk, Deer, Moose, Fox, Eagles, Hawks, Grouse, Coyote, Skunk, Racoon, Porcupine and Squirrels.
There are also many spectacular views and in the
Fall the colors of the flora are spectacular.
Mexican and the surrounding parks provide year round playgrounds for geocachers and outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds.
In the spring and summer there is
Hiking, Camping, Mountain Biking, and Off Road adventures to be had as well as taking in the grand views and visiting historical sites like the
Mexican Park Memorial
that this cache is named after.
There are also Abondoned Cabins such as the nearby
502.1A Crane Park Cabin (GC6Q8XT)
and various old School sites like the
Turner Sawmill & School - RCSH #39 (GC6Q8Z1),
the Pine Grove School - RCSH #40 (GC9ZZN9)
and
School - RCSH #37 (GC9Z8Z9).
Bring a picknick and take a break at
555 Day Spa on Whiskey Creek (GC79F4J)
or one of the many other creeks that meander through these areas.
In the Fall, in addition to the above activities, there is Hunting.
In the Winter Snowmobiles, Show shoes, and Cross Country Skiing take recreating to an all new level.