Milner Dam & Recreation Area
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(regular)
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The cache is a short distance from the circular graveled parking lot where the information signs & restrooms are located.
In 1900, without any irrigation systems, the whole Magic Valley was nothing but a vast desert covered with sagebrush.
Milner Dam came about through the vision of Ira Burton Perrine. Perrine chose the site of the dam & acted as his own engineer. He got financing for the project from Stanly B. Milner, a banker & financier from Salt Lake, easterners Frank H. Buhl & Peter L. Kimberly.
Thus the Buhl-Kimberly Corp was formed in 1903 & a contract was drawn up for the construction project. The dam was formed by three earth & rock filled embankments, abutting against the river banks & two islands.
In 1905, the dam was completed. Men with mules, scrapers & lots of dynamite had also finished making the canals, so all was ready for water.
On March 1, 1905, the gates of the dam were closed & the gates to the 1,000 miles of canals & laterals were opened, & the Snake River was diverted, & that night Shoshone Falls went dry for the first time as water rushed across the desert to irrigate 262,000 acres of desert. Today it irrigates 500,000 acres of Idaho farmland.
When completed, Milner Dam raised the Snake River 38 feet to divert the water into major North and South side canals. Water from the dam is diverted into three different canal systems, that irrigate farmland on both sides of the Snake River Canyon: The Twin Falls Canal Company, The North Side Canal Company & the Gooding/Milner Canal Company.
In 1988 the dam was reconstructed to make it more earthquake proof & a new power plant was built a little downstream.
As you drive along the three canals, notice the huge mounds of rock that had to be blasted out to form the canals.
After leaving the information parking lot, where the cache is located, drive south 1/4 mile & view the Milner State Bank vault that is still standing on the west side of the road. Farther to the south & east you can enter the Recreation & Wildlife area. During the winter when no water is flowing through the dam, you can still enjoy the wildlife which includes, mule deer, tundra swans, Canadian geese, & various species of ducks. You can walk the shoreline along the river or explore the side roads. Along the River Access Road & boat ramp road you can see part of the Oregon Trail, the ruts still very visible. During the summer, the area is used for picnics & boating.
Original contents of the cache: pager-style radio w/earphones & clip on belt option, gold cowboy hat shaped pin, polished rocks, deck of cards with German Shepherds on them, paperback book, "Moth" key chain, mini wildlife puzzle, log book, 2 pencils, pencil sharpener.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur pnpur vf va n ghccrejner pbagnvare haqre n ebpx oruvaq n ovt Whavcre gerr jrfg bs vasbezngvba fvtaf & erfgebbzf.