C&S Silica Branch #2 Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is another cache in series of caches started by Grand High Pobah that are dedicated to Fallen Flag railroads. Fallen Flags are those railroads that no longer exist either through abandonment or corporate takeover. This cache is near one of those historical railroads.
The Denver, South Park, and Pacific railroad was a narrow gauge line (3’ between the rails) that started life in Denver in 1874 and was headed to the mining camps in the mountains. The main route of this railroad followed the course of the Platte River through Waterton Canyon and eventually over Kenosha Pass.
There was a branch that split off of the main line just before the line entered Waterton Canyon. By the time the branch line was built, the DSP&P had become part of the Colorado and Southern (C&S) railroad. This branch line was called the Silica Branch and it crossed the river, went back downstream a ways and then headed up into what is now Roxborough. It ended up not far from where this cache is hidden.
The old kiln that was built about 1904 by the Silicated Brick Company was part of the industry served by the railroad. It is still there behind the fire department down the hill to the west of the cache site. The railroad also ended near there. If you know where to look, you can see parts of the old railroad grade. It is fairly easy to spot on the satellite photo of the area.
The brick company chose this site to take advantage of the mineral resources of the local area such as limestone mined from the Niobrara Formation directly east of the site. The limestone was burned to form lime in the brick kiln. The other key ingredient was silica mined from the Dakota Hogback. The heat source for the operation of the lime kiln and the brick plant was coal mined from sources in the Laramie Formation approximately one mile east of Silica. Bricks from this company were transported by rail to Denver and used in numerous homes there. Construction of the railroad branch line began in September of 1908. It was a narrow gauge line almost 4 miles long terminating at Silica. The brick company lasted less than 10 years but clay and silica was mined in the area until the 1960's.
The railroad branch operated intermittently until 1940 when it was abandoned and then dismantled in 1941. All of the remaining brick-related buildings were demolished over time, except for the kiln.
The cache is on the small side of small and therefore can hold only very small items such as the marbles I initially put in it. As a bonus, there is a benchmark about 20 feet from the cache and you can log that too.
Since this is a #2 cache, there must be a #1 - GC1HYPR.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Raq bs pbapergr.