CJS - Friends of the Rappahannock #1 Traditional Cache

Over four hundred years ago, Englishman John Smith and a small crew set out in an open boat to explore the Chesapeake Bay. Between 1607 and 1609 Smith mapped and documented nearly 3,000 miles of the Bay and its rivers. Along the way he visited many thriving American Indians communities and gathered information about this “fruitful and delightsome land.” In December 2006 the U.S. Congress designated the routes of Smith’s explorations of the Chesapeake as a national historic trail—the first national water trail.

Are you ready to follow in the wake of Captain John Smith? Visit sites along the National Historic Trail and learn about the native cultures and the natural environment of the 17th-century Chesapeake through the Captain John Smith Chesapeake Geotrail. The Trail provides opportunities for you to experience the Bay through the routes and places associated with Smith’s explorations. Caches will be located in museums, refuges, parks, and towns in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware along the rivers and creeks that Smith and his crew explored four centuries ago.

The Captain John Smith (CJS) Geotrail launched June 4, 2011 with over 40 caches within Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. A trackable geo coin will be awarded to the first 400 geocachers, while supplies last, for locating at least 15 CJS caches. To be eligible for the coin, geocachers must download a passport from either the CJS Geotrail or Maryland Geocaching Society website. Geocachers must find and log at least 15 finds, record the code word from each cache on their passport and post a picture of themselve at each cache location. After discovering the 15 required caches, geocachers may have thier passports validated in person or via mail at the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Office located at 410 Severn Ave, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403. Please refer to the passport for complete validation instructions.

Participating in the CJS geotrail is fun and we hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for logging your find on this cache once you find the container.

You are seeking a traditional hide. A Lock & Lock stocked with a variety of items. Please adhere to all park rules and no night caching.
The park has requested that all cachers sign-in with the Friends of the Rappahonnock (FOR) office on the 2nd floor before seeking the cache. Cachers must park at the posted coordinates 38 18.992 077 29.138 or on the side street. Do not park on the FOR property. This facility is free of charge and is open 9:00 a.m to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and closed on Saturday & Sunday.

In August 1608, Captain John Smith and eleven men, on the second voyage around the Chesapeake undertaken that summer, entered the Rappahannock River. They met up with Mosco, the Wiccocomico man from the Potomac River that they had met earlier and who they considered to be of European ancestry to his unusually heavy beard. As earlier, Mosco showed himself to have valuable insights about the local inhabitants. Mosco was to become a wealthy man on this leg of the voyage. In a skirmish with the upriver Mannahoacs, Mosco proved himself valiant and was rewarded with a collection of arrows gathered by Smith and his men who had broken most but saved some intact for Mosco. This was a great prize as it took nearly a full day to fashion one arrow. In another skirmish with the Rappahannock Indians, four canoes were left behind, which Captain Smith gave to Mosco. Later, Mosco was given a wife as a result of an artful diplomatic maneuver by Captain Smith. It seems that shortly before the English entered the Rappahannock for exploration, the Moraughtacund tribe had stolen three wives from the leader of the Rappahannock. Being friends with Smith, and seeing that he was able to subdue the Mannahoacs, the Moraughtacund asked him to make peace with the Rappahannock. The Captain made several demands, among them that the Rappahannock leader give up his only son. The leader offered instead to give Smith the three wives that had been taken from him by the Moraughtacund. Captain Smith agreed; but, as was his privilege, he gave them away. First, he asked the Rappahannock leader to choose one; then, the Moraughtacund; finally, the third wife he gave to Mosco. With arrows, canoes, and now a wife, Mosco enjoyed a bump in status.

The Friends of the Rappahannock (FOR) was formed in 1985 as a non-profit, grassroots conservation organization. In 2004, with the help of Senator John Warner, American Rivers, and the Army Corps of Engineers, the Friends of the Rappahannock realized a long-standing goal to remove the Embrey Dam from the upper reaches of the river, making the Rappahannock, at last, dam-free. Thanks to the removal, more than 170 miles of habitat are now open to several species of migratory fish, including American shad and river herring, and to recreationalists and other river lovers.

The Friends’ goal is to maintain the water quality and scenic beauty of the Rappahannock River and its tributaries. They work with a wide variety of stakeholders, from local governments to elementary students, to educate about the river and to advocate for actions and policies that will protect and restore the values that make the Rappahannock River so special. The Friends of the Rappahannock believe that community education is an essential tool for promoting environmental awareness and protection. As a result, they lead a variety of public education programs which focus on understanding and protecting the river's unique natural, scenic and historic resources.

Thanks to Barkfeather for helping with this hide and to the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting with this project!