The Horsehoe Bend area of the Sultan river has so much history
that it is hard to focus on one aspect, so this cache page will
cover a bit of it all and throw in a waterfall to boot.
In the summer of 1908, Roland H. Hartley (later Washington State
Governor 1924-32), estimator, and his two young sons, Edward W.
(age 15) and David M. Hartley (age 11), compassmen, conducted a
timber cruising survey of 1157 acres in this area. Roland Hartley
documented the survey of massive old growth fir, cedar, hemlock and
spruce with photos and commentary, many of which are in the Monroe
Historical Society collection. The parking coordinates (given at
the end) are near the east side of the survey and about halfway in
the middle north to south; however, the land covered was not
contiguous.
The Hartleys Move Camp
Moving Camp on the Cascade Mt. Pack trail, passing Gus Barran’s
Ranch. Summer 1908. David has over 40# in his pack, Edward over
50#, and I over 70#. I can testify that such a load will make the
perspiration run down one’s back. This fellow Gus Barran took up
this claim at the same time John Hayman did 20 years ago, has
succeeded in making a living. He slashed and burned most all his
timber and succeeded in clearing this little patch. He sold one
little piece that he did not burn and got $4,000 for it a short
time ago. He still lives on the place. Note the smoke in the
background of the picture from the nearby forest fires. August 11,
1908.
The above photo was taken a couple of miles due west of the
parking coordinates on the west side of Woods Lake.
Photo #1501 courtesy of Monroe Historical Society.
In less than a half-mile you will leave the Hartley Survey area
and will enter the Horseshoe Bend Placer Claim, which is on the
National Historic Register. The story here largely took place on
the east side of the river. In 1884, a group of Seattle businessmen
conceived a plan to drive a tunnel between the two ends of the
Horseshoe Bend of the Sultan River to divert the river and expose
the riverbed, which they believed would be rich in gold. This was
accomplished in 1890 and gold was found, but how much I haven’t
been able to find out. The river also fairly quickly blocked the
tunnel and returned to its old channel.
Typical Forest Scene Here in 1908
August 3, 1908. Stop 128. Time 10”. Camera on LAP 125’. Two big fir
trees 30 to 40 M. Each 120 ft. Down hill looking S.W. 1 talley N.
of 1/16 corner E. of south quarter corner of 6-28-8E. You will
remember that this is a typical forest scene in Snohomish County,
Washington. From the picture one can hardly realize that those two
fir trees are 11 feet through on the stump and over two hundred
feet high.—Roland Hartley.
The above photo was taken a mile or so northwest of the parking
coordinates.
Photo #1500 courtesy of Monroe Historical Society.
As you continue you are walking through the middle of a triangle
of tunnels and aqueducts that first provide water from Spada Lake
formed by Culmback Dam on the Sultan River upriver to the northeast
to the Jackson Hydro
Project downriver from here. Then water from the hydroelectric
plant is pumped back up to Lake Chaplain to just northwest of here.
And if needed for fish runs, water from Lake Chaplain is pumped
back up to the old Diversion Dam on the Sultan River a couple of
miles upriver from the cache.
As you approach the cache you will hear the sound of Marsh
Creek Falls as it cascades into the Sultan
River across the gorge from you. Your best view of the falls
without descending into the gorge is from the area of the
cache.
You may also continue on to my companion cache,
Sultan River Gorge, which is approximately two more miles
further up the road.
Another in series of caches that focus on Monroe-area
history. Take SR 2 toward Sultan; at the traffic light just
west of Sultan turn north onto Old Owen Rd. In a short distance,
turn north again onto Reiner Rd. After several miles, turn east
onto Lake Chaplain Rd. Read the warning signs at the gate. This
area is controlled by the City of Everett (water system) and the
Snohomish County PUD (Jackson Hyro Project). It is normally
open for limited recreational use during the daytime from 6 a.m. to
6 p.m. daily but can be closed for security reasons. Dogs
are welcome as long as they are on a leash; however, no horses or
ORVs. The area is regularly patrolled, which also means you won't
see the trash dumping and shooting-up that you find in so many
other DNR areas. Not many people come here and it is a great place
to take a nice walk in the woods. Follow the road to the parking
coordinates at the gate for Diversion Dam Road at N 47 55.856 W 121
49.099. Read the sign and register; there is no fee.The walk to the
cache is about two miles roundtrip on a level dirt road. You are
looking for a flat lock'nlock box hidden along the back side of a
rotting log parallel to the road near the north end. Be careful not
to get too near the edge as the drop off is both precipitous and
undercut. Please rehide well as this is a popular stopping point
for viewing the falls. "Cache seekers assume all risks involved in
seeking a cache."