Your memory is a bit faulty. "The Pit" was actually the very steep-walled remains of an old dredge-mining operation. In the late 19th century, big mining companies flooded large sections of land by building temporary dams, then floated dredging barges out and tore huge holes in the sediment in the Sacramento Valley floor. The dams had large sluicing operations to separate the alluvial gold that was liberated as a result of the dredging.
"The Pit" was between 20 and 40 feet deep, roughly 60 yards wide and about 100 yards long. There were several hills inside the Pit, none of which came close to reaching the height of the outer walls. Several deeper sections caught and held rainwater, so there were pools scattered randomly throughout the Pit. We gained access to the floor of the Pit by clambering down eroded gullies in the walls and following a couple of older trails- probably made by earlier groups of idiots and/or cattle.
There was abundant wildlife there- mostly rabbits and other small game but also owls and hawks. Because there was water there year-round, there were good-sized trees and lots of underbrush in some places.
In addition to shooting at targets and setting off home-made explosives, we also held at least two really epic BB-gun wars there.
Sadly, "The Pit" is no longer in existence. For those interested in searching, Google Map search for "Rancho Cordova, Ca". Find Mather Field (easy to spot). Find the extreme SW end of the flight line. Draw an imaginary line between that end of the runway and the intersection of Excelsior Rd and Westerly Dr. Just south of the creek you'll see below that line is a huge wasteland of mud and dirty water. The northernmost patches of water are roughly where "The Pit" used to be.
"The Pit" was between 20 and 40 feet deep, roughly 60 yards wide and about 100 yards long. There were several hills inside the Pit, none of which came close to reaching the height of the outer walls. Several deeper sections caught and held rainwater, so there were pools scattered randomly throughout the Pit. We gained access to the floor of the Pit by clambering down eroded gullies in the walls and following a couple of older trails- probably made by earlier groups of idiots and/or cattle.
There was abundant wildlife there- mostly rabbits and other small game but also owls and hawks. Because there was water there year-round, there were good-sized trees and lots of underbrush in some places.
In addition to shooting at targets and setting off home-made explosives, we also held at least two really epic BB-gun wars there.
Sadly, "The Pit" is no longer in existence. For those interested in searching, Google Map search for "Rancho Cordova, Ca". Find Mather Field (easy to spot). Find the extreme SW end of the flight line. Draw an imaginary line between that end of the runway and the intersection of Excelsior Rd and Westerly Dr. Just south of the creek you'll see below that line is a huge wasteland of mud and dirty water. The northernmost patches of water are roughly where "The Pit" used to be.
Bill
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!"
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