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NOTICE
The time has come! Eight years ago the Prairie Winds Caches were published for "Best of the Bad" Mega, and 2 cache owner groups have been maintaining them. It is time to archive the series, but we would like more people to receive a Prairie Winds coin first.
NOTE: All the Prairie Winds caches will be archived as of the 8th of September, 2020.
The new requirement is: You must have logged, as found, at least 20 Prairie Winds caches to earn a Prairie Winds geocoin. Once you qualify (before September 8, 2020), contact cache owner at lthbridge@gmail.com to receive a coin.
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Unique Bit of History
The Milk River area has the unique distinction of being under eight different flags throughout its history.
Everyone is familiar with the Rocky Mountains as the continental divide where rain that falls on the east side of the mountains ends up in Hudson’s Bay. The other continental divide is the Milk River Ridge across southern Alberta. Rain that falls on the south side of the ridge drains to the south into the Milk River then the Missouri, the mighty Mississippi and eventually into the Gulf of Mexico. In the early years, the river, not the imaginary 49th parallel was used as the boundary between Canada and the United States.
The rock cairn, located at the Milk River Campground, was built as a Centennial project in 1967 by Alva Bair, Lawrence Halmrast and John Kolesar. In the picture, the eight tall flags represent the history of the area and the shorter flags in front represent Alberta (blue) and Milk River (green, white and gold).
The following information is from the Town of Milk River’s web site.
http://milkriver.ca/tourism/history/under-eight-flags
Under Eight Flags
1803: President Jefferson of the United States authorized the Louisiana Purchase, the land on which the town of Milk River was later to raise became American territory. But this was not the first claim to the yet unexplored region; in fact lying north of the 49th parallel and within the area of the Mississippi-Missouri river systems, Milk River is unique in Canada. There could have flown over this land at various times no less than eight flags representing six governments and one great company.
1682: The French explorer La Salle claimed the whole Mississippi system and the land which it drained for King Louis XIV of France and named the area Louisiana.
1762: The secret Treaty of San Ildefenso France abandoned the still largely unexplored region to the Spanish Empire.
1800: Spain ceded the region to Napoleon who intended to establish French rule firmly but was unable to do so.
1803: The territory was acquired by the United States for a payment which eventually totaled $27 million.
1818: A Convention signed between the United Kingdom and the United States established the boundary of British North America as far as the Rocky Mountains along the 49th Parallel, cutting of the extreme northern area of the Mississippi-Missouri system. By previously granted license the newly-acquired territory came under the administration of the Hudson's Bay Company.
1869: Following the formation of the new Dominion of Canada in 1867, jurisdiction over the western territories previously administered by the Hudson's Bay Company was transferred to the government in Ottawa.
1945: By Order-in-Council the Canadian government declared the Red Ensign to be the distinctive Canadian flag.
1965: By Proclamation of Queen Elizabeth II, the Maple Leaf flag was declared the official flag of the Dominion of Canada.
In this area you will find a camping area as well as access for canoe or raft to the Milk River.
To LOG this MULTI you must take a careful look at the cairn. There is a slight difference in the rock flowers on either end of the cairn. Count the petals of each flower, determined the difference, use that number in both parts of the formula as follows to locate the cache. Add .00___ to N49 08.760 Subtract .00____ from W112 05.047 Watch out for stray golf balls as you search for the second part of this multi ;-). Bring your golf clubs and visit a great little golf course.