Powder Mill park and trail, located
by Powder Mill Lake, was named after the Acadia Powder Co. Ltd.,
which used to manufacture black powder, explosives in the form of
blasting powder and dynamite, hunting ammunition, and artillery
shells on the land around the lake. The actual name of the lake is
Fish Lake. However, at some point in the early 1900's it was
referred to as Powder Mill Lake and the name stuck. Acadia's plant
was built in 1862 to make blasting supplies for Nova Scotia's gold
and coal mines, as well as for railroad construction and
ammunition. Its main product, black powder, was a mixture of
charcoal, sulphur and saltpetre. Black powder predated the
patenting of dynamite in 1867, having been in use since around the
15th century. By 1885, the Acadia Company had expanded its
operations to also manufacture dynamite, which was then a crude
mixture of glycerine, nitric and sulphuric acid. Around 1900,
operations were extended along the shore of Powder Mill Lake to a
site known as "Fuse Factory Beach", where another company, Dominion
Electrical, made electrical detonating equipment. 19th century
black powder and dynamite making has been described as "a bizarre
and dangerous business". The Acadia powder mill was run by water
power through a series of channels and sluices from the north end
of Rocky Lake down hill to Fish Lake and across the road to the
stream leading to Gaspereau Ponds and then to Lake William. If you
walk around the mill site on both sides of Rocky Lake Drive, you
will see a series of ditches and stone walls that formed the
sluices. There are still a number of water turbine parts to be
found in the ditch banks and the foundations of the mill houses are
still visible. A notable feature of Powder Mill Lake is the deposit
of silt on the bottom, which has been measured as deep as twelve
feet in some spots. This silt is the result of many years of
depositing of sediment generated at the powder mill and adjoining
gravel quarry and cement plant. There is some record of a full
sized touring car being buried in the silt after it fell through
the ice in the early thirties. One of the streams feeding Powder
Mill Lake is known for its content of gold flakes. This gold
originated at the American Hill site and was transported to Powder
Mill Lake through the use of mine tailings as landfill. The process
of washing gold ore also deposited much gold into the stream and
lake along with the sand from the crushing operation. .
Being that this was our first Hidden
cache, our goal was to create an adventure which would please young
and old. With perseverance all who attempt it will solve this
verbose multycache. It might be indispensable to carry a dictionary
to help you solve the clues; otherwise you might need a
handkerchief to wipe up the tears. You must undoubtedly maintain
rhythm and not underestimate the mischievous perplexities which you
may encounter. A conscientious decision is to READ all clues
carefully as they are made to confuse you. In this cache is offered
quality SWAG and a good GEOCACHING experience the opposite would be
sacrilegious. Please rest assured that no trees were harmed during
the making of this cache. Ample parking is available at the
coordinates listed.
Two trail head coordinate are provided; chose them wisely... and
have fun
BROUGHT TO YOU
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