{"id":144414,"date":"2024-12-04T08:30:14","date_gmt":"2024-12-04T16:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/?p=144414"},"modified":"2024-12-03T14:29:05","modified_gmt":"2024-12-03T22:29:05","slug":"torontos-first-post-office-geocache-of-the-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/torontos-first-post-office-geocache-of-the-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Toronto&#8217;s First Post Office \u2014 Geocache of the Week"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"cache-of-the-week\">\n<dl class=\"list__basic-info\">\n<dt>Letterbox Hybrid<\/dt>\n<dd><a href=\"https:\/\/coord.info\/GC7HT4Z\">GC7HT4Z<\/a><\/dd>\n<dd>by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/p\/?guid=e651f5c5-850e-4b6a-a27e-117780021b18&amp;wid=100ab6c9-d62a-46b4-a418-821ae59c311d&amp;ds=2\">yellow.warbler<br \/>\n<\/a><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<dl class=\"list__rating\">\n<dt>Difficulty:<\/dt>\n<dd>1.5<\/dd>\n<dt>Terrain:<\/dt>\n<dd>1<\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<dl class=\"list__loc\">\n<dt>Location:<\/dt>\n<dd>Ontario, Canada<\/dd>\n<dd>N 43\u00b0 39.111&#8242; W 079\u00b0 22.221&#8242;<\/dd>\n<dd><\/dd>\n<dd><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<\/div>\n<p>\ud83d\udc8c We just got a letter! We just got a letter! We just got a letter! I wonder who it\u2019s from?<\/p>\n<p>Welcome to Toronto&#8217;s First Post Office and Geocache of the Week (<a href=\"https:\/\/coord.info\/GC7HT4Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GC7HT4Z<\/a>)! A little museum tucked away in the heart of Toronto. Here, you can step back in time and even hand-write a letter to a loved one with a quill pen and seal the envelope with red wax after signing the logbook.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_144417\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144417\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-144417 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-656x875.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-656x875.jpg 656w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/jovenBB-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-144417\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by jovenBB.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Built in 1833 by James Scott Howard (then Postmaster of York), this building functioned as both a post office and his residence. All 9000 residents received mail from the &#8220;Duke Street&#8221; post office the next year to announce its official incorporation.<\/p>\n<p>Over the next 140 years, this building underwent a series of transformations, serving various purposes. It fell victim to a fire in 1978; however, reconstruction efforts included updates to restore the interior to its original state. In 1981, the building became a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/National_Historic_Sites_of_Canada\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Historic Site of Canada<\/a>, a testament to its enduring legacy. On its 150th birthday, it was re-opened as a museum and a functioning post office.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_144420\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144420\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-144420 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AriMAraQua-656x875.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AriMAraQua-656x875.jpg 656w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AriMAraQua-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AriMAraQua-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/AriMAraQua.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-144420\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by AriMAraQua.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This geocache is located inside the building and can be accessed Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday, 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_144425\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-144425\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-144425 \" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-656x875.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"667\" srcset=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-656x875.jpg 656w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3-4-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-144425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Image by trailcruising3.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>CO <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/p\/?guid=e651f5c5-850e-4b6a-a27e-117780021b18&amp;wid=100ab6c9-d62a-46b4-a418-821ae59c311d&amp;ds=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">yellow.warbler<\/a> has crafted specific steps and posted them on the cache page. Follow the paper trail of particular steps to find this Letterbox Hybrid:<\/p>\n<p>1. Look for a plaque with historical information about this site at the posted coordinates. What kind of roof is a later edition?<br \/>\n2. Take the number of letters in this word and walk that many steps westward. You should find yourself in front of a set of stairs leading inside the building.<br \/>\n3. Just after you enter, against the left wall, look for somewhere you might want to throw all your bills and junk mail and set them on fire; don&#8217;t worry; the flames have long been put out, and you can open the little black door and instead find a cache.<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 480px;\" class=\"wp-video\"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');<\/script><![endif]-->\n<video class=\"wp-video-shortcode\" id=\"video-144414-1\" width=\"480\" height=\"856\" loop autoplay preload=\"auto\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"video\/quicktime\" src=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3.mov?_=1\" \/><source type=\"video\/quicktime\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3.mov?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3.mov\">https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/trailcruising3.mov<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>With the cache in hand, it&#8217;s time to test your calligraphy skills! A quill and ink wait on the nearby table for all geocachers to use to sign the log.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I have been eyeing this cache for quite some time. After a trip to the oddities and curiosities expo, we took a detour to this amazing historical post office! It happened to be a paper craft fair, and I couldn&#8217;t be more delighted!&#8230; Thanks for this super cool cache in an excellent location! Stamped a bunch of postcards too \ud83d\ude42 weeee happiness&#8221; &#8211;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/p\/?guid=5d45dd73-719d-4e54-a35d-38b607251fd6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UnicornPoopy<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<hr \/>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Continue to explore some of the most amazing geocaches around the world. Check out all of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/tag\/gotw\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Geocaches of the Week<\/a> on the Geocaching blog. If you would like to nominate a Geocache of the Week, <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/a\/geocaching.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSftPv_ptrr1vlCHRHyMwx61OXpJFJMFqh3elcWH0Xcq6ew4ww\/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fill out this form<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Letterbox Hybrid GC7HT4Z by yellow.warbler Difficulty: 1.5 Terrain: 1 Location: Ontario, Canada N 43\u00b0 39.111&#8242; W 079\u00b0 22.221&#8242; \ud83d\udc8c We just got a letter! We just got a letter! We just got a letter! I wonder who it\u2019s from? Welcome to Toronto&#8217;s First Post Office and Geocache of the Week (GC7HT4Z)! A little museum tucked&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90,"featured_media":144429,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10,125,127,1192,1899,1902],"series":[],"class_list":["post-144414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geocache-of-the-week","tag-canada","tag-geocache-of-the-week","tag-gotw","tag-ontario","tag-toronto","tag-torontos-first-post-office"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/d3mo08i005h0zn.cloudfront.net\/blog\/uploads\/2024\/12\/75356226641__3473ACF1-27A2-42AB-9818-DAB2DC53A084-scaled-e1733264699305.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/feed\/podcast\/inside-geocaching-hq-podcast","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"7N9xMsW9e1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/torontos-first-post-office-geocache-of-the-week\/\">Toronto&#8217;s First Post Office \u2014 Geocache of the Week<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/www.geocaching.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/torontos-first-post-office-geocache-of-the-week\/embed\/#?secret=7N9xMsW9e1\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Toronto&#8217;s First Post Office \u2014 Geocache of the Week&#8221; &#8212; Official Blog\" data-secret=\"7N9xMsW9e1\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n\/* <![CDATA[ *\/\n\/*! 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