Pacolet is an old mill town in South Carolina. In Pacific Northwest terms it would be the equivalent of saying it's a an old logging town. After spending the day here, it looks like the town is trying to recreate itself as a recreation destination through paddling and geocaching, because there really isn't much else going on.
After sleeping in, and enjoying a delicious Andy and Pyper peach pancake breakfast, we decided that a quiet Sunday morning would be the perfect time to complete the Pacolet Geotrail.
Fueling up for a day of geocaching.
Geocaching is a recreational activity for finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website. It's also a good way to get outside, explore and experience new places, and have fun finding "treasure!" Sometimes an organization will create a Geotrail in hopes of luring the fanatical geocacher into its clutches. Some of you reading this may have even been coaxed by said geocacher to help complete a Geotrail or two. This geocacher thanks you for your willingness to participate on wild goose chases, uphill hikes (both ways of course), and sometimes putting your hands into unknown crevices.
The Pacolet Geotrail is completed when the geocacher finds 12 of 16 caches within the series. Upon completion, the geocacher is awarded with a special geocache token known as a geocoin. For this series you must find the cache, sign and date a log sheet, take note of the "proof" you were there, in this case a drawing, then turn in your sheet for a coin.
Pyper is a pro at geocaching, she found the first one with no problem, but still needs a little help signing the log. Can you spot the geocache in the first photo?
If this Geotrail wasn't here, I can guarantee you, we would have never know of Pacolet's existence. But Geotrails are set up in a way to bring a town's history to life. It's almost like a walking tour with a bonus treasure hunt.
We enjoyed learning about the the town's granite and textile roots.
Pyper exploring the remnants of the old Opry House, Amphitheater, roadside church, and fire engine.
Pacolet began it's modern day existence as Trough Shoals. The rushing water at Trough Shoals was first used for the operation of a mill to grind corn meal. This was built in the late 1700’s or early 1800’s.
Later on, water powered mills to produce flour, saw lumber and to gin cotton were also built on the Pacolet River at Trough Shoals. The site was used for commercial purposes for well over a half century before the textile industry came. A small community existed at the present site of Pacolet Mills before the coming of the textile industry.
On June 6, 1903, the Pacolet Mills community and many others were struck by the Great Pacolet River Flood. In just a few hours of an incredible rush of water, the Pacolet Mills Company operation was almost destroyed. The covered bridge was washed away along with a church, a cotton warehouse and its contents, a meat market, a barber shop and the post office. In spite of all this devastation, only one person lost their life at Trough Shoals. He was a mill employee and was trying to retrieve floating cotton bales from the water when he drowned.
The community lost much of its population temporarily as the people had to go to other communities to find work while the milks rebuilt. Eventually life and business at Pacolet Mills got back to normal, but then the Great Depression hit. The economy of the area did not recover until World War II. World War II brought a tremendous amount of business to Pacolet Mills and the other textile plants of the Upstate. However, there was a cloud on the horizon that most people could not have even imagined.
Later on, water powered mills to produce flour, saw lumber and to gin cotton were also built on the Pacolet River at Trough Shoals. The site was used for commercial purposes for well over a half century before the textile industry came. A small community existed at the present site of Pacolet Mills before the coming of the textile industry.
On June 6, 1903, the Pacolet Mills community and many others were struck by the Great Pacolet River Flood. In just a few hours of an incredible rush of water, the Pacolet Mills Company operation was almost destroyed. The covered bridge was washed away along with a church, a cotton warehouse and its contents, a meat market, a barber shop and the post office. In spite of all this devastation, only one person lost their life at Trough Shoals. He was a mill employee and was trying to retrieve floating cotton bales from the water when he drowned.
The community lost much of its population temporarily as the people had to go to other communities to find work while the milks rebuilt. Eventually life and business at Pacolet Mills got back to normal, but then the Great Depression hit. The economy of the area did not recover until World War II. World War II brought a tremendous amount of business to Pacolet Mills and the other textile plants of the Upstate. However, there was a cloud on the horizon that most people could not have even imagined.
The textile industry, all over the South, found itself in trouble. Competition from countries with cheap labor seemed to be the main problem. The bad news hit Pacolet Mills first in 1957 when it starting closing down mills, then it was completely torn down around 1995. The textile era at Trough Shoals had come to an end. It had lasted about 100 years.
Through the new Pacolet Geotrail we were able to discover this little bit of Southern history and more, and have a great outdoor adventure. We found the 12 caches needed to find get the Geocoin, skipping a couple caches due to the high concentration of poison ivy.
Having fun finding the geocaches, high and low, around Pacolet. On Daddy's shoulders, Pyper proclaimed, "I am SO happy!"
Heading home and crashing out after our adventure.
Parting note/joke:
We were strolling on one of Pacolet's nature trails that was surrounded by a bamboo/poison ivy grove. Upon hiking out, Pyper came up with this joke:
What's the scariest tree in the world?
A Bam-BOO!!!!
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