Spring is Here! Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Size: 
(small)
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Spring Park is located approximately 1.5 mile west of Osage off Hwy. 9. Drive around to the east side and park your vehicle near the Harry Cook Nature walking/biking trail. From there you will have a .33 nature walk along the Cedar River. The terrain on the last 20-30 feet will be a bit more challenging. The container you are looking for is a camo covered cookie tin approximately 9" high with a diameter of 4". The container has a log book and pencil with normal trading items.
Welcome to historic Spring Park! The history of Spring Park dates back to the 1800's and tells of summer camping trips and tent cities at the park. Here is a brief story of Spring Park as described in local history books.
In 1851 Leonard Cutler and his son, J.B. Cutler passed through Mitchell County prospecting. They first observed the area's beauty and suitability as a permanent settlement. In the spring of 1852, they returned and the first claims were made. Leonard Cutler staked the first claim in the county at the site of the present spring at Spring Park. The first settlers in both St. Ansgar and Osage arrived in 1853. In the early years, people of Osage went on camping trips to Nim's Ford, about 10-12 miles south of Osage on the Cedar River. Equipped with tents and provisions, the family might camp out for a week or more. Transportation was by horse and buggy and a trip of this distance was too much for daily trips. It wasn't possible to make the trip too often, and people began looking for a place closer to town where they might go camping. They needed a safe place for children, offering good water, shade, and a bathing beach. In the late 1800's Jacob Haight owned part of the land where Spring Park is now located. He lived on his farm south of the river. The spring on his land was called Jacob Haight Spring. A committee was formed to look over some of Haight's land. It was near town and had a good wagon road running out to it. The men talked with Haight and decided to buy 20 acres of land for $60 per acre for park purposes. The land was purchased on July 2, 1894.
At first, the entrance to the park was on the east. A wagon road went to the east side of the park. A wagon road went to the east side of the park. A place to keep horses was provided near the entrance. A dam was built on the river to make swimming safe for the children. When the wagon road was used, the drivers had to take their horses through the grounds, unload the tent and equipment, and then go back across the grounds to the barns. After a while, the entrance was moved to the northeast corner of the land.
In the 1890's the spring was cleaned out and cased in. An article from the local newspaper in 1897 states about the spring: "A living spring of water has been confined and its never-ceasing flow is picturesque as well as convenient to use. The water has been analyzed and found to be the purest spring water. It has medicinal values, but its great virtue is its purity. Its immense volume, unvarying flow, and icy temperature make it a great attraction". The spring has been determined to be safe for drinking, however it does has a high iron level.
Over the years, Spring Park has changed hands and in 1938 the Spring Park Association decided to deed the property to the City of Osage. The park has been well maintained as a city park ever since.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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