Pegleg Smith Monument Traditional Cache
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This monument celebrates a Gold Rush era con-artist named Thomas Long Smith, also known as “Peg Leg Smith". Peg Leg Smith was a prospector, wanderer and teller of tall tales who lived from 1801 to 1866. Born in Kentucky, Smith made his way West and became caught up in the fervor of the California Gold Rush. Desperate to make good on his dream, it seems Smith fabricated and continually embellished a great tale about finding pure gold nuggets right here in Borrego. In fact, Peg Leg would tell anyone he could corner about the “fabulous wealth” he had discovered in the desert hills. The problem was that Peg Leg had hidden his find so effectively that he couldn't remember where his mine was, which created a a bit of a problem for Peg Leg and any of his believers.
Peg Leg died, so the story goes, without ever relocating his Lost Mine. Of course, there is considerable dispute as to whether or not the mine ever actually existed, just as there is ambiguity as to whether Peg Leg really existed, and whether or not he actually had a peg leg. But when there is a monument, it is usually located somewhere relevant to the entity for which the monument was erected. So, if the mine ever existed, it would make sense that it was located somewhere near the pile of rocks erected in Peg Leg’s honor. The rock pile was created in the late 1940s by “Desert Steve,” who developed an appreciation for the Great Deceiver and decided to “mark his spot.” Of course, the accuracy of that marking is as much in question as the other details of this story!
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For the Ranger Rick types out there, according to detailed topographic maps the location of the geocache is about 100ft outside the State Park boundary, and therefore legitimate.
The cache is an ammo can full of gold nuggets from Peg Leg's mine, located somewhere under the pile of rocks....
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gur znvyobk vgfrys. Lbh'yy svaq cyragl bs ernqvat zngrevny gb hfr nf n ybt furrg
Treasures
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