Legend of Lachlan
A
Memorial Cache
The site of this cache is closed each
year from November 15 through April 15 to protect sensitive wildlife habitat.
This is
the final destination of a series of nine caches that highlight a remarkable
event in the history of Park City. For
complete details of the hike, see Mystery
of the PC Blue 1.
Please
read the full account of these events included in the cache listing for Demise
of the PC Blue.
Below is
Seawind’s
original text of Legend of Lachlan:
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Ten
months after relating the historical account of the PC Blue, I was still
pondering the unsolved mysteries uncovered. In June of 2016, my interest
spiked upon making another amazing discovery. On an older map of the area
that I happened to come across (probably from the 1970s), my focus was on the
area of the wreck. I was amazed to see the words "Lachlan Hill" marked on
the map very near the crash site. Lachlan Arnold was the name of the
driver of PC Blue on the night of its last fateful run. This could not be
a coincidence.
As
related in my earlier account, Lachlan Arnold returned to Park City after the
crash, but disappeared without a trace a few months later, leaving a whole
series of unanswered question behind, not the least of which was what became of
the over one million dollars worth of cash and silver ore that were being
transported the night of the crash. Time for deeper investigation.
I spent
the next six days in a concentrated search for information which included
visiting several historical libraries, intensive Internet searches and
interviews of local residents. I learned very little more than what was
previously related, with one important exception: Lachlan Arnold was
buried at the top of the hill on the side of which the crash occurred, and just
a few hundred feet from that site. Beyond that, no one could answer how or
when he returned to Park City after his disappearance, and nothing at all as to
what became of the valuable cargo.
Just as
I had done previously when searching for the crash site, I became obsessed with
locating the grave of Lachlan Arnold somewhere near the top of Lachlan Hill.
Unfortunately, there is no clear summit of that hill, and the "top" of it
encompasses a very large, fairly level and very much overgrown area.
Nonetheless, I was determined, and my persistence paid off.
Early on
the morning of June 30, I came across what is unquestionably the grave site.
It is clearly marked, and very surprisingly, the marker is in pristine
condition. Someone knows about the burial location and must care enough
about Mr. Arnold to keep it maintained, although it is still in a very overgrown
area. I can only imagine that many years ago, at the time of the burial,
it was much less overgrown. Incredibly, it is at the edge of another of
the mysterious pits, albeit a much smaller one than the site of the crash.
This was
a remarkable discovery. The only answer it provides, however, is that
Lachlan Arnold did in fact return to Park City at some point, and evidently
eventually passed away there. It does nothing but intensify the original
mysteries, however, so we are left with our imaginations to determine what may
have occurred, both the night of the crash and over the many years since.
The
coordinates of this cache will take you to the final resting place of Lachlan
Arnold, and you can see for yourself this amazing and historical site.
Although Lachlan was always under a very heavy cloud of suspicion regarding the
missing cash and ore, I somehow have become very fond of him and just can't
picture him as criminally involved somehow. If I am wrong about this, then
his latter years must surely have been spent in tremendous comfort and luxury
based on the value of his original cargo.
This
concludes your historical tour of the crash site of the PC Blue and the grave of
Lachlan Arnold. I hope you will enjoy pondering the history as much as I
have. If you are so inclined, please include your thoughts in your log of
this cache. On your way back down, think about the huge truck barreling
through the snow on that frigid November night, over the very terrain you are
traversing, and of its final, fateful plunge into the mysterious pit.
Rest in
peace, Lachlan.