Activities

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Apr 17/2010

Geocache Activity 634

FIND 576

IDENTIFICATION

GC218GR

Sulphur Springs

N 49° 36.231 W 114° 24.955

Difficulty 1; Terrain 1.5; size regular Creator: Elementry Date First Hidden: 11/21/2009 Date Last Found: 3/21/2010
Crowsnest Pass

Description
Sulphur Springs. For a first in more ways than one. The site of our first cache is only a short distance from the first building erected in the Crowsnest Pass. It served as a hotel for those coming to "take the waters" of the spring. In the early 1880's William Samuel Lee discovered a Sulphur Spring at the foot of Turtle Mountain. He laid claim to the spring and surrounding area as he believed the spring had curative powers. Mr Lee erected a log building and ran a hotel until he sold the rights to a Mr Gibeau who operated it until 1905, when he sold it to the Coal Co. The Company built a larger hotel on the north side of the railway. This three storey hotel had suites, rooms and a bar, poolroom and steam rooms in the basement. In 1917, the federal government took over the Sanatorium (now famous for its sulphur baths) and converted and redecorated it into a hospital for returning soldiers suffering from tuberculosis. The Sanatorium was eventually scrapped and Turtle Mountain Playground was build on parts of the old foundation. The site of the Hotel is now a vacant lot with no hint of the important part it played in the history of Frank, but the Spring still reminds everyone who drives on Highway 3 when the wind is blowing the wrong way. A pull out exists on either side of the highway no need to park on the shoulder. (In winter months they only clean the westbound side pull out).Enjoy the short walk to this cache and view and smell the past like in no other place. ENJOY.

Hint You might want some nose plugs.it sure smells like eggs.

Comments

PLANNING

This morning I planned to attend a photography field trip in the Crowsnest Pass. I then thought I would try to combine this with some geocaching in the same area. There are a number of new caches in this area and since it is almost an hour and a half drive to get here, I wanted to make the most of the trip. This time I was going to focus on the Bellevue area. I am slowly working my west through the Pass. Since I had no sense of how long the photography field trip would last, I decided to make notes for only 4 caches in the immediate vicinity of the field trip.

OUTCOME

The photography field trip took a break at noon for lunch. I decided to leave the group at that point and spend the afternoon geocaching. This was my third search. Time of find: 1:50 PM.

I parked in a large parking area and then walked across the highway and over the mainline CPR railway tracks. I could see some turquoise water nearby and could smell the sulfur. I followed an animal trail around a rocky bluff to the shore of the pond and then headed a short way up a hill to a group of spruce trees. I searched around there for about 10 minutes without seeing anything and then returned to the shoreline. This time I headed for a rock outcrop and noticed a slight cave. Removing the few rocks revealed the cache container.

Here is my posting to the geocaching.com website:

I had no idea this sulphur spring was in the Pass. We have done some more reading about the Sanitorium on my return home. A great location for a cache. TNLNSL. TFTC.

Here are a few photos:

sulfur springs area

cache location

container

looking back toward highway

I am now 3/3 for today.

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GC218GR	Sulphur Springs	N 49° 36.231 W 114° 24.955
	Difficulty 1; Terrain 1.5; size regular Creator: Elementry Date First Hidden: 11/21/2009 Date Last Found: 3/21/2010	Crowsnest Pass
Description	Sulphur Springs. For a first in more ways than one. The site of our first cache is only a short distance from the first building erected in the Crowsnest Pass. It served as a hotel for those coming to "take the waters" of the spring. In the early 1880's William Samuel Lee discovered a Sulphur Spring at the foot of Turtle Mountain. He laid claim to the spring and surrounding area as he believed the spring had curative powers. Mr Lee erected a log building and ran a hotel until he sold the rights to a Mr Gibeau who operated it until 1905, when he sold it to the Coal Co. The Company built a larger hotel on the north side of the railway. This three storey hotel had suites, rooms and a bar, poolroom and steam rooms in the basement. In 1917, the federal government took over the Sanatorium (now famous for its sulphur baths) and converted and redecorated it into a hospital for returning soldiers suffering from tuberculosis. The Sanatorium was eventually scrapped and Turtle Mountain Playground was build on parts of the old foundation. The site of the Hotel is now a vacant lot with no hint of the important part it played in the history of Frank, but the Spring still reminds everyone who drives on Highway 3 when the wind is blowing the wrong way. A pull out exists on either side of the highway no need to park on the shoulder. (In winter months they only clean the westbound side pull out).Enjoy the short walk to this cache and view and smell the past like in no other place. ENJOY.
Hint	You might want some nose plugs.it sure smells like eggs.
Comments