This cache was placed with the permission of the Jones Historical Society.
Imagine this area as it was over a century ago...cross timbers with pine oak, meadows, wild horses and bison. This is what Washington Irving saw in 1832 when he camped here with Captain Jesse Bean and the U.S. Rangers. Irving, best known for writing "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", described his western adventure in another book titled "A Tour of the Prairie". This account describes the capture of wild horses. He wrote:
"The capture of the wild horse is one of the most favourite achievements of the prairie tribes; and indeed it is from this source that the Indian hunters chiefly supply themselves. We tried our hand at the hunting maneuver, which is called ringing the wild horse. This requires a large party of horsemen, well-mounted, forming a ring of two or three miles in circumference, so as to surround the game. This has to be done with great care, for the wild horse is the most readily alarmed inhabitant of the prairie, and can scent a hunter at great distance, if to windward. The ring being formed, two or three ride towards the horses, who start off in the opposite direction. Whenever they approach the bounds of the ring, a huntsman presents himself and turns them from their course. In this way, they are driven back at every point, and kept galloping round and round this magic circle, until being completely tired down, it is easy for the hunters to ride up beside them, and throw a lariat over their heads. The prime horses of the most speed and courage are apt to break through and escape; so that, in general, it is the second rate horses which are taken. Nothing surprised me more, however, than to witness how soon these poor animals, thus taken from the unbounded freedom of the prairie, yielded to the dominion of man. In the course of two or three days, a mare and colt went from rearing, kicking, and struggling to get free, to going with the led horses, and became quite docile."