Shandaken Challenge - Big Indian Traditional Cache
Lilitchpin: Cache appears to have been muggled again. Thinking it is time to open the area up for other caches so retiring this one.
Shandaken Challenge - Big Indian
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is part of the Shandaken Geocache Challenge series, being released in honor of the 2008 August 23rd Shandaken Day celebration. Buried within the description you will find a bit of local history and perhaps a clue. Be sure to look for all in the series: Allaben - Big Indian - Bushnellsville - Chichester - Highmount - Mt Pleasant - Mt Tremper - Oliverea - Phoenicia - Pine Hill - Shandaken. Enjoy!
Presented by the Scouts of Pack 60, Shandaken, NY, BSA
Big Indian
Entering the Big Indian Valley from Route 28, turning onto Route 47, Oliverea Road, the traveler is greeted on the left by Aley’s General Store. Still a place to gather around the old wood stove and hear colorful stories about the “good old days”, it is presently known as Morra’s Market. A journey through this scenic area affords many beautiful mountain views, as you pass Belleayre, Balsam, Eagle, Big Indian, Fir, Spruce, Hemlock and Panther Mountains, finally reaching Slide Mountain, the highest peak in the Catskills at 4,204 feet above sea level.
From Thomas Ehrenreich's Railroad Extra Website:
"Big Indian" was a stalwart red man of this locality, seven feet in height. His tribal name was " Winnisook." Like all bad Indians who got the chance, he fell in love with a pretty white maiden of the adjacent plains, named Gertrude Molyneaux. But she finally married Joe Bundy, a rival suitor of her own race. The alliance proved unhappy, however, and the young wife was tenderly reminded of what might have been had she married the gallant and dusky warrior of the woods. This feeling finally culminated in a transfer of her affections and person to him. But the climax of Joe Bundy's revenge soon came. While with a company of marauders on a foray of cattle-stealing from the Dutch farmers, Winnisook was seen by the outraged husband, who promptly drew his trusty bead and inflicted a fatal wound, remarking to his comrades, "I think the best way to civilize the yellow serpent is to let daylight into his black heart." The dusky giant was afterward found dead standing upright in the hollow of a big pine near the spot. His faithful widow, upon learning of the tragedy, hastened to the scene, where she fell upon the body in frantic grief, and spent the rest of her life near Winnisook's grave. The stump of the old pine is said to have been covered by the railway embankment.
The cache is a pretty easy find but rated a 2 as it can be a very public spot and will be hard to be stealthy if anyone is around. The cache is your basic ammo box. Initial goodies in the cache include a supply of Shandaken Challenge wooden nickels for the first few to trade for.
Congrats to ARKVILLE for being the first to complete the challenge!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Lbh ner ybbxvat sbe n 50pny nzzb obk oruvaq fbzr ebpxf
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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