Nearly 60 acres of land on Eighteen Mile Creek with a spectacular 50-foot gorge is being auctioned later this month.

The former Toad Hollow Boy Scout campground at 8146 Sisson Highway (Route 75) in Eden will be sold to the highest bidder Oct. 24.

"The beauty of the property lies in the creek frontage," said Cash Cunningham, auctioneer for Cash Realty & Auctions. "There are some points on the property about 50 feet looking down at the creek, others looking up at a 50-foot shale wall."

The 57.7 acres started as a campground in the 1920s, according to the auction house. It was used by Boy Scouts into the 1970s.

Cunningham said the Boy Scouts sold it in 1986 to the Linde Division of Union Carbide Corp., which had planned to use it as a retreat. The property was bought in 1987 by a couple who raised their family there and are putting the land up for auction.

The property includes three cabins and a house. It initially will be offered in two parcels, the first about 5.5 acres with a cabin, creeks, ravines and woods. The second is the main parcel, with approximately 52 acres of land, a 2,059-square-foot, three-bedroom home, two cabins, swimming pool and gas well.

Cunningham said the smaller parcel will be auctioned first, then the second. Then he will ask for bidders on all 57 acres, and if that bid is more than the first two combined, that person will be the winning bidder.

The property is assessed at $233,000, but Cunningham said an auction really is the best way to determine the market value of the property.

"We dont see this kind of land around here. Its like walking through Letchworth State Park," he said.

The auction starts at 1 p. m. Oct. 24 at the site. For more information, go to

www.cashauction.com

.