This cache visits the site of the Baldoon Mystery. The coordinates
will take you to two plaques describing the Mystery and the
founding of the Baldoon Settlement. Information from these plaques
will lead you to the cache site located in the adjacent Roberta
Stewart wildlife area. Beware the black headed goose that roams
these parts. Disturbing it could disturb more than the goose.......
The Baldoon Settlement was founded by Scottish settlers,
displaced during the Highland Clearances, on land granted by the
fifth Earl of Selkirk. The area, on the Chenal Ecarte (named by La
Salle during the voyage of the Griffin), was chosen for its fertile
soil and the natural defences that would keep out American
invaders.
Mr. John McDonald, son of an original settler, acquired a piece
of land which was coveted by others. Headed by an old woman, they
approached John with offers to buy the land. He refused their
offers. And so the mystery of the Baldoon began:
Strange things started happening on the McDonald farm. Strangers
were heard marching through the kitchen in the middle of the night.
Unseen persons threw bullets and stones through windows until every
window in the house was broken. A visitor was standing in the
kitchen and was hit in the chest by a stone. He picked up the stone
and threw it in the river. Minutes later the same stone
mysteriously dropped at his feet. Fires would start mysteriously
and crops on the farm failed. In short, life for the McDonalds
became total misery.
Convinced his family had been cursed John travelled to Long
Point to consult with a famed witch hunter whose daughter was said
to have the ability to read moonstones. She told John that if he
used a silver bullet to shoot the goose with a black head that had
been seen wandering his farm, his troubles would end. He fashioned
a silver bullet and hit the goose in the wing. Soon after the old
woman was seen with her arm in a sling. His problems were over.
Most people believe that this ended the supernatural events that
occurred in this area or did it...........
To find the location of the cache you'll need to
collect the following information from the two plaques
|
The last digit of the year that Selkirk sold the
property |
= A |
|
The number of Scottish emigrants divided by
10 |
= B |
|
Add 7 to the number of flagpoles beside the
plaque |
= C |
|
Add 1 to the day in September the settlers
landed |
= D |
|
The 3rd digit of the year the settlement was
established |
= E |
|
Add 5 to the number of z's on the Mystery
plaque |
= F |
|
Add up the numbers and check that the
total |
= 38 |
Now go find the cache at N 42°36.ABC W
82°28.DEF
Many thanks to Firebird who suggested this cache
site and got me searching for more details on the Baldoon Mystery.
You can read more about it at the Wallaceburg
Museum web-site or visit to see some of the press cuttings
dating back to the time the events occurred.
