Major's Mistake

Easy to get to, easy to find. Any car or motor home would have no
problem with this one during the summer months. For those traveling
north and south on Highway 13 the county road connects back to the
highway on both ends so there is no need to back track.

This monument is being renovated. The original cache container was unknownly destroyed during this renovation. A brand new heavy duty one has been placed back at the new coordinates listed. This change occured 9-15-07. It's bigger, better and even more fun. This page has remained the same so all the finds and logs stayed intact.

Major’s Mistake is an interesting historical cache. The monument here overlooks a bloody battle ground. It is known as the “Thornburgh Battle Ground” The unimaginable battle was fought here during the so called “Ute Wars” starting in 1865 with this fight occurring in 1879. http://www.meekerchamber.com/historical.htm ( this account is a little hard to follow but is interesting reading, and has some nice links for those visiting this area ) This battle is also known as the “Milk Creek Massacre” ( it was known by this name until the real facts were acknowledged in modern more enlightened times, see accompanying picture upload entitled “The truth from the Indians“. ) The battle was not only the final skirmish in the Ute Wars, it was the turning point in the history of Northwestern Colorado and the eventual settlement of this country. Nathan Cook Meeker was a Greenwich Village poet and agricultural editor of Horace Greeley’s (“Go West, Young Man”) Tribune. He was appointed Indian agent for the White River Agency and attempted to convert the Utes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ute_Tribe from hunters to farmers. He forced the Utes to plow and plant their favorite pony gaming and racing tracks. The result was a massacre of Meeker and 10 male employees. Meeker’s wife and family and some other woman at the agency were taken as hostage. They were released unharmed two weeks later after negotiation by the famous and well liked Chief Ouray. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chief_Ouray It culminated with this ambush of Colonel Thornburgh’s U.S. Calvary detachment at Milk Creek on September 29, 1879. Thornburgh had been sent from Wyoming to take charge of the agency and to settle the hostilities. When the troops were about 50 miles out from the Agency, a group of Utes rode out to meet them, saying that they wished a peace conference with Meeker, and that Thornburgh and five soldiers would be allowed to come. The Utes wanted the main body of soldiers to stay 50 miles away on a hill the Indians designated. The Utes were afraid of the soldiers because they could remember real massacres of their own people in their recent past. Major Thornburgh ignored this demand and continued into Ute land. At Milk Creek, the soldiers were ambushed in the bottom land beyond the monument close to this cache by angry Utes. In the first few minutes of fighting, Major Thornburgh and all his officers above the rank of captain were killed. That was the moment when the fate of the Utes was sealed and the opening of Northwestern Colorado to homesteading was an eventuality.
I call this cache “Major’s Mistake” not only because of his foolhardy advance, but because he actually set himself up for destruction by not sending scouts ahead of his troops and taking the bottom ground through this long valley. He left himself wide open to attack from the surrounding hills, and had nothing for protection except the animals on which they rode.
In this cache you’ll find miscellaneous children’s toys. It also contains a log book and pencil. Have fun! It also started with a brand new 2007 Red Jeep Travel bug!http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?guid=95824b66-00c6-432a-b7e7-edea31b61d73