GC1WBZ9 Traditional Cache 10-stamp Mill at Quartz Creek
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular Regular | Difficulty: 4 out of 5 | Terrain: 4 out of 5
By: soonercache @ | Hide Date: 07/25/2009 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N38° 34.527 W106° 32.817 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
Not Recommended at night  Not Available during winter  Not Wheelchair accessible  No Drinking water nearby  No Public restrooms nearby  No Telephone nearby  No Picnic tables nearby  Not Stroller accessible 
Take CR-76 from Highway 50 to Pitkin. At mile marker 12, park at the pullout which provides access to a fisherman's trail.
Since you are so close, start with the Roosevelt mine (The Hidden Roosevelt Mine (GC14FHK)). From the mine, continue out the "door" and make your way NW to an old road bed. Following the road, you will soon arrive at the 10-stamp mill that once supported the Roosevelt mine.

As background, a stamp mill consists of a set of heavy steel stamps, loosely held vertically in a frame, in which the stamps can slide up and down. They are lifted by cams on a horizontal rotating shaft. As the cam moves from under the stamp, the stamp falls onto ore below, crushing the rock, and the lifting process is repeated at the next pass of the cam.

Each frame and stamp set is sometimes called a "battery." Mills were categorized by how many stamps they had, i.e., a "10 stamp mill" has 10 stamps. This particular mill had 10 stamps arranged into two, 5-stamp batteries. This mill used water to drive the mill so exploring the area reveals the various man-made paths used to deliver water from nearby Quartz Creek.

The Roosevelt mine was opened in 1907. Accordingly, this structure has stood approximately 100 years and is in pretty good shape and provides a good educational experience. Care should be taken, however, because the structure is in a state of decay.

Note: We have already lost one cache at this location. Please conceal the cache as you found it.
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 Hints

Beneath the mill you will find a large diameter, metal pipe. At the end of the pipe (closest to the Roosevelt Mine), look to a corner defined by the mill and a concrete retaining wall.

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 Logs

5 Logs: Found it 5  

Found it 09/02/2018 By jdkatzer
Another great hike into history...thank you!

Found it 07/08/2018 By elko dealers
Came down from Roosevelt Mine and got a smiley on this one!! Took the easy way back. SL T4TH

Found it 07/05/2018 By magashi
fun find, thanks!!

Found it 08/23/2017 By jetmack61
Fun hike on a beautiful day!

Found it 09/18/2016 By OF-Erad
Found today on another super fun cache run with DustyKat and K9jayhawk. Thanks for placing this cache for us to find today! SL, TFTC!