Montgomery Corner Traditional Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is located on the northern face of Hightower Bald, Georgia's 4th highest peak. The closest trail will only get you to within about 1/2 mile. After this a good ol' bushwhack straight up the mountain is required! But don't worry, there's plenty of laurel to hold onto!
If you come in from the north look for the 30 mile post. You should be getting warmed up by then!
If you experience your GPS acting strange while attempting this cache, just remember the story below and what a hard time those fellows had trying to find the 35th parallel. What's a few feet anyway, right?
Now remember to be careful, tell someone where you are going, and please look at the hint pic!
The Montgomery Corner Story
The 1802 Articles of Agreement and Cession between GA and the U.S. defines GA’s northern boundary as the 35th parallel. NC and GA argued over the location of the 35th. GA insisted that it was further north and created Walton Co. in 1803. This spurred the brief “Walton Co. War”. Then, in 1807, Commissioners from GA and NC agreed to locate the 35th and mark the boundary. They met and discovered that the 35th was in fact much further south. They could not come to an agreement as to the location of the 35th but did agree that GA had no right to establish the county of Walton.
After NC declined GA’s attempts to form a new commission, GA asked the U.S., in 1810, to appoint someone to run the dividing line. After no response, GA hired Andrew Ellicott to locate the 35th and thus the true corner of GA, NC, and SC. Unfortunately, GA didn’t agree with Ellicott’s calculations and refused to pay him. Later, in 1813, commissioners from NC and SC marked a large rock on the Chattooga river bank with the inscription “Lat. 35 AD 1813 NC+SC.” The commissioner’s rock is just south of the rock marked NC-GA by Ellicott.
Finally, in 1818, a commission from GA and TN began marking the boundary between those states. Two important members of the commission were James Camak, Mathematician, and Hugh Montgomery, Surveyor. One year later, in 1819, a GA, NC commission began marking a line from “Ellicott Rock” due west for 30 miles. They set up a rock, at the 30 mile point, engraved upon the north side “N.C.N.L. 35”, which stands 661yds due north of the eastern point of the boundary line ran between GA and TN commonly called Montgomery’s Line and creating Montgomery’s Corner.
Eight years later, in 1826, James Camak discovered, while marking the GA-AL line, that he had made a mistake locating the 35th in 1818 citing poor astronomical tables and instruments for the error in which GA lost 51 sq. miles of territory to TN.
GA still claims the 35th as their northern boundary, as they should.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
ebpx perivpr arne urer
Treasures
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