GCT2KA Big Barn (Traditional Cache) in Ohio, United States created by goltzene

This cache has been archived.

BrindleDog: I am archiving this listing due to lack of response from the cache owner, several weeks
after archive notice.

To the cache owner, this cache page can in some circumstances be unarchived by emailing the
reviewer through Geocaching.com and affirming that the cache is in place and
in a condition to be found again. The period from the time of archival for
which unarchival is possible is [b]not[/b] indefinite.

BrindleDog
Geocaching.com volunteer cache reviewer

GCT2KA ▼

A cache by goltzene Message this owner

Hidden : 1/15/2006

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

This is an ammo can located in John Bryan State Park. John Bryan is the most scenic state park in western Ohio. The park contains a remarkable limestone gorge cut by the Little Miami River which is designated as a state and national scenic river. A portion of the gorge itself is designated as a national natural landmark.

John Bryan
In his day, he was labeled an eccentric. Today, some of his ideas would be considered visionary. His legacy is one of the most exquisite gems in the Ohio State Park system.

John Bryan, the namesake of John Bryan State Park, was a wealthy businessman from Cincinnati who bought more than 500 acres of farms and scenic woodlands in Greene County in 1893 to craft his idyllic retreat, Riverside Farm. The “farm” encompassed the breathtakingly beautiful gorge carved by the Little Miami River and the surrounding ridges and valleys harboring majestic trees and exceptionally diverse communities of plants. John Bryan bequeathed his beloved farm to the state of Ohio upon his death to be cultivated as a forestry, botanic and wildlife reserve park and experimental station.

Big Barn

    Though he was an accomplished inventor, poet and conservationist, John Bryan was a controversial figure whose quirky personality and unconventional views on politics and religion earned him notoriety in his lifetime. His peculiar mixture of showmanship and stewardship kept Riverside Farm in the news. He made headlines for his whimsical ambition to build the world’s largest barn. With great ceremony, the cornerstone was laid in August 1897 for the four-story structure, which measured 206 feet long, 120 feet wide and 76 feet high when it was finally completed. Still not satisfied, Bryan tacked on a supersized addition a few years later. If you look in the field next to the cache site you will still see some of the foundation stones. At the cache site itself there are many remains of the structure.

    Some of John Bryan’s other goals were more practical. He was particularly fond of trees, and he enhanced the rich natural diversity of the area by planting numerous native tree species. He developed his own method for processing the plentiful limestone and marl deposits in the area so that they could be applied as a soil additive to improve the fertility of poor clay soil. He demonstrated his green thumb by treating the poorest field on his farm with the lime and planting alfalfa. The alfalfa harvest was spectacular, and the Ohio Alfalfa Growers Association was so impressed with Bryan’s achievement that hundreds of association members gathered at Riverside Farm in 1914 for a convention.

    One of John Bryan’s last ambitions was to create a zoological preserve. Bryan brought a small herd of elk to his farm in 1917. He had also hoped to reintroduce the extirpated black bear, and stock the woods with black fox and antelope, but his plan was never completed. He died in Cincinnati in 1918. John Bryan’s last will and testament granted Riverside Farm to the state of Ohio provided that no religious services be held on the property and that no wellbehaved person be excluded because of race or color.

This cache placed with permission from the State of Ohio Parks.
Please observe all the park rules!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ovt Onea Ovt Gerrf

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)

This cache has been archived.

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Big Barn Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

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