Over the past five years now I have traveled throughout the
State with a new perspective. Not like I used to… before I
would fly through little burgs and towns without taking a second
look. I have always traveled for work but never took the time to
“see” where I was going. I would hit a town do my work
and go back to the hotel and sit in my room clicking the clicker
until the wee hours of the morning.
Now, every new town I pass through is an awakening. I thrive on
the new treasures I see… monuments I have whizzed by a
hundred times in my life are now new nuggets of knowledge, vista
points I passed without a blink are postcard images burned in my
mind, and side streets of towns are secret treasures that only non
tourists find. Geocaching has made me stop and smell the roses.
Hopefully, this little puzzle will help enlighten you on the
County of Mono and maybe make you “stop and smell the
roses” too.
N 37° 28.ABC
A = The McGee Mountain Rope Tow #(A)4
is historical marker in the Mammoth Mountain area. The inscription
says, “The first permanent rope tow in the Eastern Sierra was
built west of this site on the east slope of McGee Mountain. This
predecessor of Mammoth Mountain ski area was constructed here in
1938 because of its dependable snow and nearness to a highway.
Prior to this facility most down hill skiing was done by use of a
portable rope tow system (a working gasoline engine, rope, and
pullies.) Dave McCoy—world class skier, entrepreneur, and
visionary, was instrumental in organizing and promoting skiing
here. The success of this rope tow motivated McCoy to move in 1941
to Mammoth Mountain. Subsequently, within a few years, the
popularity of skiing here declined and this rope tow was abandoned.
Some remnants of that first rope tow can still be seen today along
the slopes of McGee Mountain.” The marker was Dedicated
September 14, 1996 by the Bodie Chapter No. 64 E Clampus
Vitus
B = The Standard Pioneer Journal of Mono
County (the first newspaper) published its first edition on October
(B)0, 1877. It started out as a weekly, but soon became a
tri-weekly paper.
C = June Lake has a zip code in Mono County
of 9(C)529.
W 118° 34.DEF
D = Bridgeport is an unincorporated
community that is the county seat of Mono County, California.
Bridgeport is located at the intersection of highways US 395 and
State Route 1(D)2.
E = The Mono County Museum is the original
Bridgeport Elementary School, built in 18(E)0
F = California Registered Historical Marker
No. 3(F)1 is Bode. The inscription says: “Gold was
discovered here in 1859 by W.S. Bodey after whom the town was
named. Once the most thriving metropolis of the Mono Country,
Bodie’s mines produced gold valued at more than 100 million
dollars. Tough as nails, the “Bad Man from Bodie” still
carries his guns and his Bowie knife down through the pages of
Western history.”
Some other interesting tidbits about Mono County:
Located in the middle of the county is Mono Lake, a vital
habitat for millions of migratory and nesting birds. The lake is
located in a wild natural setting, with pinnacles of tufa arising
out of the salty and alkaline lake.
Mono County was formed in 1861 from parts of Calaveras
County, Fresno County and Mariposa County. Parts of the county's
territory were given to Inyo County in 1866.
The county is named after Mono Lake which, in 1852, was named
for a Native American Paiute tribe, the Kuzedika, that inhabited
the Sierra Nevada from north of Mono Lake to Owens Lake. The
tribe's western neighbors, the Yokuts, called them monachie meaning
"fly people" because fly larvae was their chief food staple and
trading article.
The County of Mono was created by an act of the Legislature
on April 21, 1861. The county seat is in the town of Bridgeport,
where most of the county offices are located in an historic
courthouse built in 1880. Its land area is 3,030 square miles, 94%
of which is publicly owned. Much of this land is contained in the
Inyo and Toiyabe National Forests. Mono County is known for its
vast scenic and recreational resources.
You can check your answers for this puzzle on
Geochecker.com.
I would like to thank bunkibones for
being my sponsor for County Line – Mono
As always, enjoy.