The Great Watauga Train Wreck Mystery Cache
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The Great Watauga Train Wreck
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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Little math will be involved in this 3 stage puzzle cache. Bringing a calculator with you will help make this more enjoyable.
**** Congratulations to mpaintball for FTF ******
Below is a little history on Watauga, the railroad depot, and the Great Train Wreck.
Many years prior to the white man, Cherokee Indians first settled in Watauga, meaning village of many springs. They were in search of the bountiful game, fertile fields, and clear spring waters. Around 1843, hardy settlers from Tennessee first arrived in the village.
In 1877, the first Texas & Pacific Railroad line came through the settlement known as Watauga, which served as a service stop for trains before they reached Fort Worth. The railroad depot was built parallel to Denton Highway on the east side of the track behind the small shopping center. Besides the depot, there was a well and water tower on the west side of the track to service the steam engine.
Now Watauga was connected to Fort Worth and the rest of the country by railroad. In 1909, the train depot burned to the ground. It was 1911 before the depot was rebuilt, and it was enlarged with cattle pens. The depot was a one-story frame passenger and freight depot with a metal roof
The "Great Watauga Train Wreck" occurred in 1918. According to Marie Cade Wathall, who was working as the telegraph operator that night, a Katy freight train had stopped on the tracks near Big Fossil Creek Bridge. Dispatchers at the Cotton Belt Crossing sent a warning down the line that there was a train standing near Big Fossil Creek and for all trains to wait. A Katy passenger train did not heed the warning, and the two trains hit head on. A fireman was killed when he jumped from the train down a steep embankment in an effort to avoid the collision. Both trains were knocked off the tracks. All of Watauga, young and old, came to help in any way possible. They searched for injured, called for assistance, and brought buckets of water to put out the grass fires started by the wreck.
In 1929, the railroad depot was retired from service. The depot was moved to Hodge causing growth to come to a standstill in Watauga. Hodge was a town in Fort Worth, north of the Stockyards.
The train depot brought life to Watauga and then took it away after the depot closed. Watauga dwindled to a small town of 300-400 people, mostly farmers, from the Depression and through World War II.
Now to the cache.
Note: You may need to bring a calculator to make this a little easier.
First Stage:
The coordinates will take you to the Watauga Public Library.
The Library Hours are below:
Monday - Noon – 8pm
Tuesday – 10am – 6pm
Wednesday – 10am to 6pm
Thursday – Noon – 8pm
Friday – 9am – 5pm
Saturday – 9am - 5pm
Sunday – Closed
In side the Library, you need to find a clock that was hung in the Watauga Train Depot and is still in working order. You need to find on the clock plaque and the YEAR the Seth Thomas clock hung in the Watauga Train Depot.
Second Stage:
Latitude (North) = 32 degrees 52.xxx where xxx = YEAR - 1336
Longitude (West) = 97 degrees 15.xxx where xxx = YEAR - 1457
Final Stage where you will find the cache.
Find the date on the plaque next the second stage. Format the date to ‘YYYYMMDD’.
Then subtract 16787770 to get the Latitude (North). Example 3255123 = 32 degrees 55.123N
Then subtract 10324816 to get the Longitude (West) Example 9720123 = 97 degrees 20.123W
FTF gets a Texas scratch off lottery ticket.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)
Treasures
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