A Wee Bit of New England in Wisconsin Multi-cache
bhoernke: There is construction planned at the cache site. May enable in the future. Not sure now.
A Wee Bit of New England in Wisconsin
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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A four stage multi cache with all stages close to the road. Parking is available at each location.
In any season, a drive or walk through the historic village of Cooksville (founded 1842) in Rock County, Wisconsin, is a pleasant trip. From the Old General Store, to the 1886 Schoolhouse on the old Public Square, surrounded by mid-19th century residences and on to the old Congregational Church, historic Cooksville is a charming, quaint, well-preserved village that is a “Wee Bit of New England in Wisconsin.” The surrounding farming landscape in Porter Township is also sprinkled with other historic sites and buildings, like the old Leedle Mill Bridge (replaced 2011) and Mill site to the west of Cooksville.
Stage 1 – The above coordinates will bring you to the new Leedle Mill Bridge at the historic Leedle Mill Archeological Site. The bridge crosses the Badfish Creek at the site where an early industrial building built in 1861 once stood and where a dam once powered a saw-mill and then a grist-mill until about 1918. A few pieces of the mill’s stone foundation still remain.
Stage 2 – Read the story about Cooksville and Waucoma on the Wisconsin historical marker. This is two-villages-in-one! Use the information to get the coordinates for Stage 3. After visiting this location, you should have acquired the basic skills to find the remaining caches!
Coordinates for Stage 3
N42°50.ABC
W089°14.EFG
where
A B C = The last 3 digits for the N coordinate in Stage 2 in Reverse order!
E = What decade of the 19th century was Cooksville and Waucoma platted.
F = The number of letters in the word after filling in the blank. “________ and Gothic Revival architecture”.
G = The number of letters in the word after filling in the blank. “The _______ that time forgot”.
Stage 3 – At the last stage before the final, look at the building that was built in 1847! This is most likely the oldest operating one of these in the State of Wisconsin. With the old Masonic Lodge on the second floor, this is the commercial heart of historic Cooksville. Look at the interesting business next door. In the past, there was an opera house, several stores and a tin shop nearby, now gone, alas.
Coordinates for Stage 4
N42°50.0HJ
W089°14.KLM
where
H J = The last 3 digits for the N coordinates in Stage 3 minus X Y Z. Where
X = the first digit in the fire number at Stage 3
Y = the second digit in the fire number at Stage 3
Z = the sum of the values for all digits in the fire number at Stage 3
K L M = The last 3 digits for the W coordinates in Stage 3 plus S. Where
S = the number of letters in the sign above the door at Stage 3.
Stage 4 – This historic building was built in 1879. It was restored within the last several years. Imagine only a gravel road with no cars zooming by. Take a look around. You will marvel.
Items in original container include: Old pieces of Cooksville pottery (please take only one), mini calculator, Jeff Gordon NASCAR Note cards, Geocaching golf ball markers, coffee pot, Tupperware Bowl keychain, retractable ID card holder, car freshener, and more.
Enjoy your TRIP BACK IN TIME!
9/29/05 - changed container to ammo box
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fgntr 1:
Gur pbbeqf gb fgntr 2 ner abg uneq gb svaq.
Fgntr 2:
Ernq obgu fvqrf.
Fgntr 3:
Hfr nyy jbeqf ba gur fvta.
Fgntr 4:
Nzzb Obk