General Information
Enjoy a tour of Monroe County,
Illinois and find some caches along the way. This tour will take
you around the county to historic and scenic places. Most of the
containers are micros so if you do not like those you might want to
skip the tour. Please respect the location of some of these caches
and when parking along a roadway stay safe. The majority of the
caches are close to the road or within short walking distance. One
is a hike up a hill but I guarantee the view from the top will be
worth it.
As of this date the caches are
numbered from north to south with # 1 being the northern most
cache. Since people will be starting from different locations there
is no set route. You do not have to do these in numerical order,
and you may not want to complete all of the tour in one
trip.
Some of the placements are not the
very "exciting" type, but you will have something to look at while
there and upon completion of the tour I hope you will say it was
worth it, including the common hides. At a couple of locations if
you have not been there before you may want to include the time to
stop and stay awhile.
There is only one rule for this tour
and it is that the hours are daylight only. There will be less
problems if you follow this rule and I am sure the residents and
police will appreciate it. Illinois state law prohibits the entry
of a cemetery after sunset. Enjoy, bring your own pencil and
additional stages may be added later.
The tour
continues
Any number that is
higher than 33 was placed after the original caches in this series.
Number 34 and higher are placed in a clockwise order going SE, then
SW and ending NE. It would be logical to do them in numerical or
reverse numerical order. Enjoy your visit and respect the area you
will travel as a couple of the monuments are at the driveways of
residents.
MCT# 37 -
Hecker
The Village of Hecker
had its beginnings first as the town of Freedom, with the first
house built in 1849. Hecker, located at the intersection of
Illinois Routes 156 and 159, is on the eastern tip of Monroe
County.
In 1895, due to the
discontent of the citizens of Freedom, with the muddy roads and
lack of sidewalks, they decided to incorporate. Primarily because
of complaints by the Post Office, the village had to decide on
another name for itself, because there was another town named
Freedom in Illinois, causing great confusion.
Hecker, as it is known
today, is named for German revolutionist, patriot, orator and civil
war hero, Friedrich Franz Karl Hecker. It is believed that Col.
Hecker liked the area so much that on one occasion he stayed at a
hotel in Freedom. Because of his personality, courteous dealings
and intellect, the people of Freedom decided to name their village
after him. Hecker's letters and papers are archived at the
University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Modern day Hecker is
surrounded by fertile Illinois farm ground, with agriculture
central to its economy. Hecker's population is under 1,000
inhabitants, most residents commuting to jobs throughout the
region. The community, like other towns and villages in Monroe
County, has grown in recent years. Hecker celebrated its 100th
anniversary in 1995.