THIS CACHE IS ONLY AVAILABLE IN THE SUMMER ON DRY ROADS!!! You can make it here with a standard vehicle, but DO NOT attempt it if the roads are wet or there is a chance of moisture -- the road quickly becomes impassible and impossible even for the most experienced of drivers! You will also want to download the geocache listing as cell service really is hit and miss in the area!!
The 21st of a series of caches planned to be hidden at or near the historic rural schoolhouses of Routt County (RCSH - Routt County School Houses). See the first cache of this series (GC6QQ71) for a complete and updated list of the ones currently available - but this list will continue to grow as there were 96 schools which served Routt County neighborhoods from 1883 until 1960 when the rural districts consolidated.
After the Elkhead Rock School closed in 1936, classes were held at the McKinley Ranch school. By 1944, the district voted to build a new building, but to do this they needed to sell or lease the land that the Rock School stands on, and sell the land that the Red Top School/Mountain View School stood on. They also decided to use all “usable material” in any buildings belonging to District 11 to build the new school. The “pink” building located here was completed in 1949 as the McKinley Ranch School. It’s also been known as the Upper Elkhead School (on Forest Service Maps) or the Bolten Ranch School as it was built on land owned by Isadore Bolten. The school closed in 1955 and the district donated the building to the Elkhead community for use as a community hall in 1959. The building has recently been restored and is still being used as a community gathering place.