#017 - Charles St. Amand and the Circle Mystery Cache

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Hidden : 10/14/2008
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


In the early 1900s, the Key was just a mangrove island too far from the small fishing village of Sarasota to attract much attention. Today, amidst lush tropical plantings, the fresh salt air and warming sun, St. Armands is an elegant circle of fine shops, from trinkets to treasures and gourmet cuisine from award-winning restaurants. The Frenchman, Charles St. Amand (misspelled “St. Armand” on the deed), became the first resident of the Key by purchasing the 132-acre tract for $21.71. Circus magnate John Ringling purchased St. Armands Key in 1917 with the vision of a circle lined with shops and a residential area. Canals were dredged, seawalls built, streets and sidewalks were laid, and in 1925, a wooden bridge to Sarasota was completed. Sales of property boomed, but soon faded as the Depression hit hard in Florida. Unable to maintain the property, Ringling gave St. Armands to Sarasota as a gift. The dream seemed lost. For more than twenty years, St. Armands stood still. Wood rotted and vegetation grew and covered the streets and sidewalks. The bandstand sagged, then collapsed. The dream was lost. However, in the mid-1950s, the circle slowly came alive. Today, the shopping circle looks very much as John Ringling envisioned it, with palm-lined streets, tropical plantings, courtyards and patios and Italian statuary from his personal collection about the circle. The promise of greatness, the cosmopolitan shopping area and residential surroundings envisioned by John Ringling have indeed become a reality. Now, here comes now the fun part, but you do have to do something.

First you have to find out when the honorable Charles St. Amand bought property on the island. Do this task at home and when you come up with the answer - take that year and put it into this formula for the west coordinates : W082 34.(2730-yyyy)

Now you need to proceed to ground zero aka the listed coordinates for this cache. Arrived at GZ you have the choice to proceed East, West, North, or South to find the plaques of all those famous circus artists and answer the following questions:

AA = How many years did Gunther Gebel Williams spent @ the Ringling Circus?

B = How many decades did Gee Gee Engesser thrill her audiences?

C = How many sisters were there in the Christiani Family?

DD = How long was Struppi Hanneford's career?

EE = How long did Lou Jacobs work in Ringling Clown Alley?

FF = How long did Karl L. King conduct the Fort Dodge (Iowa) municipal band?

GGGG = When or which year were Arthur, Alexander, and Dorita Konyot one of the top european equestrian groups?


I assume you know the park in the center of St. Armands Circle houses the Circus Ring of Fame. That Ring of Fame is a walkway surrounding the park of plaques set in concrete memorials in the shade of Circle Park's palm trees, paying homage to more than 70 artists and entrepreneurs who represent the finest talent of the circus world. Maybe you have to go Full-Circle - maybe not. On those plaques you will find information about a lot of circus artists and after you find the correct answers to the questions above, you plug this information into the following formula for your North coordinates: N27 19.(2523-AA-B-C-DD-EE-FF-GGGG)

So you got now both coordinates for the final and now capture the prize for all you work.
Happy Geocaching!

******
Thanks to NIJIDEG for the first to find the error - May the goesenses be with him
******

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Congrats to betafunk for the FTF +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Jvyy or cbfgrq nf arrqrq!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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