Shake, Rattle & Roll -The Day Wells Shook Traditional Geocache
Shake, Rattle & Roll -The Day Wells Shook
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Just after 6 am, 2/21/2008, an earthquake struck the small town of Wells, NV. This cache is placed that evening as I passed though, to mark this event, and to commemorate the spirit of those who lived though it. I understand there was no loss of life in this earthquake.
The cache is a mint tin, so you will need to bring a pen to sign the log with. It was placed here as the closest I could get to town the evening of the earthquake. Parking is avalable off the main road near the cache.
The following infomation was taken from KSL Radio (Salt Lake City) and Fox 12 News (Boise ID) reports on the quake.
(KSL)
The earthquake shook part of Nevada earlier today (2/21/06) and was felt across much of the West, including Utah. It's likely been 30 years or more since an earthquake of this magnitude has originated between California's Sierra Nevada mountain range and Utah's Wasatch range. No one was seriously injured, but the damage is significant.
The magnitude of the quake, initially estimated at 6.3, was later revised to 6.0 by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. The quake, which struck at 7:16 a.m. Mountain Time, was centered in a sparsely populated area 5 miles east-northeast of Wells, near the Nevada-Utah line.
The epicenter was in an area known as Town Creek Flats, close to Interstate 80, but the damage is mostly seen in the town of Wells. In the town's historic district, some of the buildings dating back to the 1870s, of course, aren't earthquake-proof and simply crumbled.
This small town has 700 residential structures, including those in the historic district. Officials say every building in Wells has some damage, either structural or with its contents.
Kaplan says it's a shame to see historic buildings looking like this. "Well, it's a blow because we are one of the few surviving railhead cow towns, going back to the 1870s in America, that was still in its original configuration, and the buildings on Front Street took a real hit," he said.
(FOX 12)
People living in Wells say if there's anything good that came out of this event, it's that it brought them closer together. That's because at this point they're all dependent on each other at least until basic necessities are restored.
While that should happen fairly quickly, it's apparent by the looks of things that the rebuilding process in some areas will take much longer.
"It was reported by USGS, roughly a 6.3 magnitude earthquake, centered about 11 miles southeast of the city of wells," said Tom Turk, Nevada Division of Forestry. An earthquake that took it's toll on this small town, and certainly the heaviest damage was sustained in the center of Wells -- the historic district.
"This was quite an earthquake," said Gene Kaplan, the director of the Wells' historic district.
All the people we talked to are focusing on the positive, especially when it came to the quick response of emergency personnel. They said just a few minutes after the quake occurred, emergency workers were on the scene, responding to every affected person in town, insuring that everyone was safe.
3/4/08
Cacing is now where I had hoped to place it. Parking is close on both sides of the road, for cars, RV's and big rigs. Please stay on the dirt side while getting the cache. 8/11/14: container currently a nano, thanks to a cacher replacement. It will be back to a mint tin as soon as I can make the drive out
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jryy Thneqrq. Jngpu sbe genssvp. 1/9/22 abj n Uvqr-n-Xrl.