Le Trésor de La Salle Mystery Cache
SoaringEagle: Time to open the space for new caches.
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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Historic treasure hunt
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The cache is in the general vincinity but for the exact
coordinates, you will have to follow the instructions
below: |
Historical Background
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Réné- Robert Cavelier Sieur de La Salle (1643-1687) was a
French explorer who was the first European to descend the
Mississippi from Canada to the gulf of Mexico. He claimed all of
that area for France and gave it the name of “Louisiane” in honor
of Louis XIV, the
king of France at that time. What is today Texas was a part of this
territory.
His last expedition in modern-day Texas was a disaster due to
poor navigation, pirates attacks, and hostile indians, among other
things. La Salle was eventually killed during a mutiny on March 19,
1687 near modern day Navasota, Texas.
To learn more about La Salle, you can visit the
Texas
State History Museum where the remains of one of La Salle's
boats, La Belle, is on display. I also highly recommend reading
"The La Salle Expedition in Texas: The Journal of Henri Joutel,
1684-1687" from Texas A&M Press. The journal is captivating and
the historical notes full of infomation about Texas before the
major European settlements. |
The Treasure (fiction)
For hundreds of years, people have believed that Pierre Duhaut and
another member of the expedition took what was left of La Salle's
treasure and continued the exploration further west following the
“rivière maligne” (in English, the “Mean River”, believed to be the
present-day Colorado river). Being harassed by the
Ebahamo Indians, they followed a tributary, the “ruisseau du
taureau” (in English, "Bull Creek"), hid the treasure and created a
map.
A few days later, Pierre Duhaut and his partner were eventually
slain by the Ebahamo Indians.
The Treasure Hunt
I have recently acquired a very old map in French from an antique
dealer and the information matches the story of the treasure
("Trésor" in French). I have scanned a copy and here it is:
Download it and print
it. There is a good chance it could lead you to a real treasure.
P.S.: The official coordinates of the cache will lead you
to the perfect place to park to find this treasure. After that, you
will need to use the map...
P.P.S.: This cache was designed with kids in mind. It should
be relatively easy to find.
P.P.P.S.: Kids should feel free to take a gold coin even if
they don't have anything to trade. Let me know if the cache runs
out of them. |
Happy treasure hunting!
 FTF:
micawber | |
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[1] Qba'g or vagvzvqngrq ol gur Serapu. Gurer ner n ybg bs gbbyf gb genafyngr ba gur vagrearg.
[2] Pbzcner gur znc gb n fngryyvgr cvpgher naq thrff gur nccebkvzngr jnlcbvag, hfr gur qrfpevcgvba ba gur znc sbe svar ghavat.
[3] Vs lbh ner ernyyl fghpx, V uvq n erqverpgbe ng A30 22.197 J97 47.044 ohg vg vf n zvpeb va gur jbbqf. Fb vg jvyy or zhpu uneqre gb svaq guna gur pnpur vgfrys.