Gold in the Hills Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This Cache is located on a well maintained dirt road There's a good chance of seeing deer, elk, bears, Moose and other wildlife.
Once filled with mining activity, the Rimini mining district, which would eventually support more than 100 mines and is one of the oldest mining districts in Montana, the Lee Mountain Lode was first discovered in 1864 and the Eureka Mine in 1865, followed by numerous others. However, transporting the ore was difficult, so the district wouldn’t boom until 1885, when a Northern Pacific spur line was constructed to the district. At that time, a number of new mines were developed.
By 1890, Rimini was called home to about 300 people and included several hotels and stores; a school; saloons, gambling houses and pool halls; livery stable; physician’s office; church; several boarding houses; and a sawmill. By the following year, the district was shipping some 400 tons of ore per week to the smelter at Wickes. By 1928 the district reportedly produced up to $7,000,000 in various ores, including silver, lead, zinc, copper, and gold, most of which occurred prior to the turn of the century.
Today, Rimini has a growing population of year-round residents and many summer people who utilize both new and old buildings as retreats. The town continues to display a number of historic buildings, some which have been preserved or restored, while others look much as they did decades ago. Some of these include Rose Wilson’s store, the Red Mountain Tavern, an old livery-garage, and the restored 1904 Rimini School-Community Center, which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
About a mile downstream there is a nice picnic area, if you have time, a gold pan and a shovel, this is a good spot to still find gold.
This cache was included in the initial Helena Geo Tour (May 2014-May 2016).
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Hafperj gur yvq.