You should be familiar with the
projection feature on your GPSr to find the stages of this
multi-cache! The coordinates at the top of this page are not
the actual coordinates of the cache but merely the
coordinates for the entrance!
Forty different nationalities were represented among the miners
of Campo Seco during the early years, making it perhaps the most
cosmopolitan of all the mining camps in the Gold Country. The area
was first prospected by Mexican miners in 1849, and by the
following year quite a camp had grown up around them. It was due to
the severe scarcity of water that the place got its name, Campo
Seco, meaning "dry camp" in Spanish.
The camp is located on Oregon Gulch, which was named for a group
of prospectors from Oregon who worked the area during 1849. By
1854, the town had three hotels, two churches, several saloons, a
brewery, livery stable, smithy, restaurant, post office, stores,
and many homes and orchards. Most of the buildings were of wood and
up to this time the camp had not suffered a serious fire. The fire
of 1854 nearly wiped out the entire town. As the placers were still
producing—a ninety-three ounce nugget was found that year—and
several hard rock mines were in operation, the town was rebuilt.
Most of the stone structures remaining today date from after this
fire.
Note: There is only a log sheet in the container, so
bring your own writing utensil.
Visitors 