The Pony Express Mystery Cache

This cache has been archived.

Nomex: The cache owner is not responding to issues with this geocache, so I must regretfully archive it.

Please note that if geocaches are archived by a reviewer or Geocaching HQ for lack of maintenance, they are not eligible for unarchival.

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Hidden : 2/18/2009
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates. Solve the puzzle below to determine the final location.

Even with the rising prices of the U.S. Postal Stamp I think it is amazing that for a little bit of pocket change you can basically hand someone a letter and they will deliver it to anywhere in the country. I hope you all enjoy this little bit of American history

The pony express was developed by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. Plans for the pony express were spurred by the impending cloud of the Civil War and the need for faster communication with California and the West. The pony express consisted of relays of men riding fast ponies or horses that carried letters and small packages across a 1,966-mile trail. The service opened officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California. The first westbound trip was made in 9 days and 23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The pony riders covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day as compared with 100 to 125 miles by the stage coaches.

Prior to the start of the pony express, there were three mail routes to California. The first was a steamship voyage from New York, then crossing the Isthmus of Panama by canoe and mule, and next connecting with another steamship run to San Francisco. This journey took 22 days but was used to carry the bulk of western mail prior to the Pony Express. The other two mail service options used wagon routes and stagecoach lines. The central route was used mainly for local mail. It ran from Independence, Missouri, along the Platte River, through South Pass, Salt Lake City, Carson City, and on to Sacramento with a total travel time of 21? days. The third option, the Butterfield Overland Mail Company route, followed an oxbow-shaped path some 600 miles south of the Central Route, taking up to three weeks to arrive in Southern California.

During the critical early days of the Civil War, the pony express helped to preserve the Union by providing rapid communication between California and Washington, D.C. Both the North and the South wanted California to join them. For the Union, the State provided needed material resources and a far-western base of operations against the Confederacy. The control of California by the South could have stalemated the Federal Government west of the Rocky Mountains where half a million people then lived.

Eventually, the pony express had more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and between 400 and 500 horses. The express route was extremely hazardous, but only one mail delivery was ever lost. The service lasted only 19 months until October 24, 1861, when the completion of the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for its existence. Although California relied upon news via the pony express during the early days of the Civil War, the horse line was never a financial success, leading its founders to bankruptcy. However, the drama surrounding the pony express made it a part of the legend of the American West.

The four questions below will revile the the coordinates to the final location of the cache.

#1. Subtract the West bound trip from the East bound trip + 1/8 of a day.

#2. A three day pony ride + 7

#3. What if the mail delivery service ended in August 24th 1862?

#4. Imagine the amount of mail that would have been delivered if we had tripled the amount of stations and 6 times the amount of riders.


Final location is:

N38° _ _ . _ _ _
W121° _ _ . _ _ __

 Feel free to contact me if you would like to check your coordinates, or you can check your answers for this puzzle on Geochecker.com.

A nano style micro cache will be awarded to the FTF if they choose to take it

Enjoy!

*** Congrats to ecrane for the FTF***

Additional Hints (No hints available.)



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