Old Dallas Townsite Waterpipe Cache Traditional Cache
Old Dallas Townsite Waterpipe Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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Cache is within a foot or two of stroller &
wheelchair-accessable paved pathway: the Uncompahgre RiverWay. The
parking area is in a no-fee access location for Ridgway State Park,
north of Ridgway in Ouray County. This cache can also be accessed
from within two of the main (fee) parking areas of the park if you
are already fishing, camping, or boating there.
No-fee parking area coordinates: N 38:11.067' W 107:44.765'
(elevation 6980'). Parking area is small gravel lot off of Ouray
County Road 24, just off Highway 550 (between Ridgway State Park
main entrance and the town of Ridgway) where Dry Creek (from the
east) and Dallas Creek (from the west) flow into the Uncompahgre
River.
The paved walking & bike-path is part of the Uncompahgre
RiverWay that follows the old 1887 narrow-gauge Denver & Rio
Grande Western railroad bed right-of-way.
From the no-fee parking area to the Dallas Day-Use area of Ridgway
State Park lies the old townsite of Dallas, now just a meadow with
an apple tree or two. Dallas was incorported as a town in 1889
though it had been settled since the early 1880's. Originally
called "Gold City", by 1888 it had been renamed "Dallas" and more
than 17 houses, a hotel, a railroad depot, and a grocer had been
built on the east side of the Uncompahgre River. Only two years
later in 1890, the buildings of Dallas were being dismantled and
moved a few miles south to the newer booming town of Ridgway
(originally called "Dallas Junction") where an already existing
railroad bridge (over the river) ensured Ridgway's selection as the
origin point for a new railroad branch, the Denver & Rio Grande
Southern, that would carry freight & passengers to Durango. You
will find this old placename of "Dallas," in honor of George N.
Dallas, the Vice-President of the United States between 1845 &
1849 (under Pres. James K. Polk) repeated on trails, passes,
irrigation ditches, creeks, and roads throughout Ouray
County.
Along this portion of the walkway you will see an old 9-stave
wire-wrapped waterpipe, about 10-12" in diameter, a typical wooden
waterpipe from the 1880's. There are miles of such waterpipes still
in existance throughout Ouray county, especially below-ground in
the mines. Most of the pitch & tar sealer on this pipe has
weathered away. Part of the waterpipe has been stabilized down
along the ground, but you can still see where it was mounted above
shoulder level in many places. You can even look into an open
section of pipe! The pipe branches toward the river at one point
and you can see the trestle that carries the flume over the river
to the other side.
CACHE is a small 2" x 3" container with a sliding lid -- you will
need to bring your own writing tool (a pen or pencil). Sorry - but
there is no room for travel bugs. BEWARE of bicycling geo-muggles
when retrieving & replacing cache.
They can ride up quickly and quietly! Please be stealthy!
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Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Irel fgebat zntargf !