Agrarian Antiquities with "Its only Money" cache by MikeOtt
Agrarian Antiquities with "Its only Money" cache
by MikeOtt
Photos by Runfrog, PRM, and Wahkegan
Our Featured Geocache site for this month was chosen for two reasons. First, it is a fun challenge with a bit of a surprise in the cache container. Second it exemplifies good site design where the area surrounding the hiding spot presents its own unexpected reward.
The cache is located in White Clay Creek State Park. This is a mammoth area that begins in Delaware then ambles on over into Pennsylvania. There's a wealth of terrain types and trails to be found here. Mike Ott, who lives almost in the park, knows this area perhaps better than anyone. So it is to be expected that Mike would place several caches here. For this one Mike takes you to an area of the park not visited all that often. And, when it is, folks tend to overlook what can really be found here.
Mike explains, "The site was a farm in the 1800's, part of the DuPont Game Preserve from about 1930 until it was sold to make an addition to White Clay Creek State Park. There are still the remains of many deer stands (set out in straight line) from when the DuPonts had their annual hunts.
The cache requires a climb of an almost 200 foot high hill to get to the upper field where there are two small ponds, and ruins of the old farm. Also close by is the original "Mystery Structure" that no one (including Delaware State Archeologist) has been able to identify its purpose. I later found a second very similar structure just over the border in Pa and made a cache there, too."
A careful inspection of the area leads to several discoveries. The ruin of a barn, farmhouse, spring, and a barely standing spring house are here in addition to that mystery structure. If you walk around the property you'll also discover what's left of the farm fields and two ponds. Nearby can be found deer stands (all in a row!) that give evidence that this area was once a private game preserve.
As noted earlier, there are numerous trails throughout White Clay Creek State Park. And, as can be expected, you have your choice of several ways to get to the cache site. Mike suggests, "The fasted trail to the cache (Twin Ponds Cut-off) is about 4 years old and was built with the help of Friends of White Clay Creek State Park, including myself." The David English Trail is another option. Either way, though, you will be hiking up one of the larger hills in Delaware so be ready for a climb.
Now that we've discussed the general area of hiding place, let turn our attention to the cache itself.
You'll notice from the title of cache that the Agrarian Antiquities are only part of this adventure. The cache has its own special title - "It only Money". There's a kind of pun working here. This is a themed cache. In case you are not familiar with themed caches, here's what they are. In a themed cache all the items found in the cache container have something in common. Geocachers are expected to bring something that also has this feature so that the items in the cache continue to be of the same type. In the case of this cache - that something in common is that the cache box is actually a cash box. It's full of coins!
Mike explains,"I got the idea of the cache just containing money, mostly very low value foreign coins from a cache in Tennessee, so it was my first themed cache." Checking the logs for this site shows that there must be a lot of foreign coins coming into this area. Visitors are having no problem bringing coins of this type to leave in the cache container.
In just a few weeks this cache will be marking it's third anniversary. It went up on April 13, 2003. Since then 73 geocachers have make the hike up the hill and found the cache. They also left such things as, Mexican coins, Euros, A Disney Dollar, Chinese paper money, 25 centavo note, a coin from Peru, coins from Australia and India, and a Russian dime along with many others. Also left here from time to time are travel bugs.
From that hint you can guess the size of the cache container - its listed as a size 3. But where, in all this decaying real estate is it hidden? The log entries indicate that this is the real challenge of the day.
Weird Travels notes, "best hiding spot, yet. Blended right in, couldn't see it but from a certain angle." Brianslost adds,"Neat cache. Never would have found it without the clue."
Virtually every geocacher has added a compliment or two in their entry. Many cite the cleverness of the hide but most also comment on the way this site introduced them to a part of Delaware history they didn't even know existed.
We invite you to come join the 73 folks who have already discovered this site so you, too, can discover a part of Delaware's history while seeking the cache - or should that be cash?