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Bour Post Office was the title given to the site where John M. Bour lived on the Illinois river. He was a miner and the post office for the mining community located several miles below the area known then as Kerbyville. He was born in Lorraine, France, 1814 and came to state and county in 1852. He married Barbara Dessinger, September, 1861 and had eight children: Joseph, Frank, David, Peter, Mary, Victor, Charles and George. He is supposed to be the oldest resident of the county.
The history of early times on Josephine creek embraces a vast deal of interesting matter relating to mining and prospecting and to Indian troubles, from which the miners of the stream and Canyon creek were not by any means exempt (Josephine Creek empties into the Illinois river South of Bour Post Office). The incident of the escape of John M. Bour, Billifeldt, George Snyder and another, from Indians in the fall of 1853 is given. “The party of four stood a siege for many hours and after nightfall left their cabin and getting past the savages, found safety in another camp.” Also noted was “At Pearsall bar, on the Illinois, and about fifteen miles below Kerbyville, Mr. Tedford was mortally wounded by Indians, and Rouse, his partner, severely cut with an axe.”
Census of 1860 reads:
Year: 1860 State: Oregon County: Josephine
Post Office: Kerbyville Page No: 18 Reel no: M653-1055
Division: Deer Creek Precinct Sheet No: 213A
Enumerated on: June 14th, 1860 by: Daniel Lonergan
Last First Age S Occupation BirthPlace
Bour J. M. 46 M Miner France
Laurel Cemetery in Cave Juncion is where some of the family was put to rest:
Bour, Barbara, d. 1/1/1891, Wife of John M Bour, Aged 60 yrs
Bour, John M, b. 1828, d. 1897
Bour, Charley, b. 18(64), d. (1897)
Bour, Victor, b. 18(70/1), d. (1898)
Bour, David, b. 1866, d. 1945
Bour, George, b. 1875, d. 1953
We made this a letterbox hybrid in honor of the one time Post Office. You can find this letterbox through www.letterboxing.org. The trail in is 4WD recommended, I would say 4WD ONLY but I have seen some non-4WD vehicles down in this area before. You can take and old road and an old trail to the cache or bushwack your way down. For details on the trail see the letterbox site. Campsite located down by the river at this spot too. Terrain rating of 3 for the vehicle you drive in here! Once on foot it's not bad at all.
Larger small sized cache. FTF prize and the first stop of one of our geocoins.
Congrats to IVHS76 as the FTF!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
qrnq ybt