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This cache was placed at Copper Park on Main Street in Copperopolis, CA. We have been coming to "Copper" for many years. This cache was handcrafted for us by my dad, specifically for this location. We hope you enjoy the hunt along with the history. Starbucks gift card for FTF.
Congratulations to blindbutnowisee for the FTF!
Copperopolis History
Originally known as Copper Canyon, Copperopolis was established in 1861 when copper was discovered here. Known as "Copper" to the locals, Copperopolis was a thriving copper mining town during the Civil War, and provided most of the metal needs for the Union Army. At its historical height, the number of residents living in Copperopolis was over 4,000, about the population today. Copperopolis no longer holds claim to any working mines, but historical artifacts from this era can still be seen alongside buildings that have been restored, as well as in this Park.
BLACK BART, Infamous Bandit
Born in England in 1829 as Charles E. Boles, the legend of Black Bart begins on Funk Hill, just outside of Copperopolis on July 26, 1875, when he robbed the Wells Fargo stagecoach strongbox containing $160. After 26 successful robberies throughout California and Oregon, it was his return to Funk Hill that would end the legend where it began. After being shot on the hand during the robbery attempt, Black Bart was tracked down and arrested in San Francisco. Although he pleaded guilty to the robbery and was sentenced to six years in San Quentin, Bart always denied that he was either Black Bart or Charles E. Boles. After being released early for good behavior, Black Bart disappeared. Rumors persist that Wells Fargo paid him off so that he would forever leave their stages alone.
STAGE COACH ROBBERIES
Black Barts stage robbery career lasted just over eight years. It started on July 26, 1875 and ended with the final robbery on November 3, 1883. Black Bart was arrested on November 12,1883 in San Francisco by detectives Harry Morse and James Hume. Believe it or not, Morse had lured Bart to the Wells Fargo office where Hume was waiting. Black Bart was credited with 28 robberies. Just 18 days after his last robbery, Bart had been captured, tried, convicted and sentenced. On November 21, 1883 Charles Boles, aka Charles Bolton, aka Black Bart entered San Quentin prison.
1) July 26, 1875. Calaveras County at Funk Hill; Wells Fargo box and mail.
2) December 28, 1875. Yuba County, four miles from Smartville. Wells Fargo box and mail.
3) June 2, 1876. Siskiou County, five miles north of Cottonwood; Wells Fargo Box and mail; a nighttime robbery.
4) August 3, 1877. Sonoma County, four miles from Fort Ross; Wells Fargo box and mail; first poem left here.
5) July 25, 1878. Butte County, one mile from Barry Creek Sawmill; Wells Fargo box and mail; second poem left here.
6) July 30, 1878. Plumas County, five miles from LaPorte; Wells Fargo box and mail.
7) October 2, 1878. Mendocino County, twelve miles from Ukiah; Wells Fargo box and mail.
8) October 3, 1878. Mendocino County, ten miles from Potter Valley; Wells Fargo box and mail.
9) June 21, 1879. Butte County, three miles from Forbes Town; Wells Fargo box and mail.
10) October 25, 1879. Shasta County, enroute to Buckeye; Wells Fargo box and mail; nighttime robbery.
11) October 27, 1879. Shasta County, twelve miles from Millville; Wells Fargo Box and mail.
12) September 1, 1880. Shasta County, near Last Chance Station; Wells Fargo Box and mail.
13) September 16, 1880. Jackson County, Oregon one mile from California line; Wells Fargo box and mail; nighttime robbery.
14) September 23, 1880. Jackson County, Oregon three mile from California state line; Wells Fargo box and mail.
15) November 20, 1880. Siskiyou County, one mile from Oregon border; Wells Fargo box and mail.
16) August 31, 1881. Siskiyou County, ten miles from Yreka; Wells Fargo box and mail.
17) October 8, 1881. Shasta County, fourteen miles from Redding; Wells Fargo box; nighttime robbery.
18) October 11, 1881. Shasta County, at Montgomery Creek; Wells Fargo box.
19) December 15, 1881. Yuba County, four miles east of Dobbins; Wells Fargo box and mail.
20) December 27,1881. Nevada County, at Bridgeport; Wells Fargo box and mail.
21) January 26, 1882 Mendocino County, six miles from Cloverdale; Wells Fargo box and mail.
22) June 14, 1882. Mendocino County, two miles from Little Lake; Wells Fargo box and mail.
23) July 13, 1882. Plumas County, five miles from LaPorte; Bart shot; nothing taken.
24) September 17, 1882. Shasta County, at Bass Hill; Wells Fargo box and mail.
25) November 23, 1882. Sonoma County, five miles from Cloverdale; Wells Fargo box and mail.
26) April 12, 1883. Sonoma County, five miles from Cloverdale; Wells Fargo box and mail.
27) June 23, 1883. Amador County, four miles from Jackson; Wells Fargo Box and mail.
28) November 3, 1883. Calaveras County, at Funk Hill; Wells Fargo box and mail; Bart shot.
There was another robbery they tried to pin on Bart, but he did not do it.
July 22, 1880. Sonoma County, three miles from Henry's Hotel; Wells Fargo Box and mail.
On the fourth and fifth robberies Black Bart left behind poems.
At the fourth robbery:
"I've labored long and hard for bread,
For honor and for riches
But on my corns too long you've tread,
You fine-haired sons-of-bitches.
Black Bart, the P o 8"
At the fifth robbery:
"To wait the coming morrow,
Perhaps success, perhaps defeat
And everlasting sorrow.
Yet come what will, I'll try it once,
My conditions can't be worse,
And if there's money in that box,
'Tis money in my purse.
Black Bart, the P o 8"
BLACK BART THE LEGEND ENDS
The legend ends, or begins to end, right where it began on a mountain pass called Funk Hill in Calaveras County, four miles outside of Copperopolis, California, on November 3, 1883.
It was early morning when 31 year old stage driver, Reason E. McConnell (Mac to his friends) pulled up to Reynolds Ferry Hotel on the Stanislaus River. He had been to the Patterson Mine near Tuttletown and picked up 228 ounces-nineteen pounds-of amalgamated gold worth $4,200. Also in the Wells Fargo strong box was $550 in gold coins and $64 in raw gold. For security, the strong box had been bolted to the floor of the coach for the trip between Sonora and Milton. 19-year-old Jimmy Rolleri came out of the hotel, run by his mother Olivia, and gave Mac a bundle of mail. Mac had previously told Jimmy he had seen a lot of deer in the mountains on these early morning runs. Jimmy said he couldn't go hunting because he didn't have any ammunition. Mac had told Jimmy he would buy him some ammunition and bring it on his next run, Mac had the ammunition with him this morning. Jimmy thought that the storm the previous night may have driven deer down from the high country so he wanted to ride along with Mac to do some deer hunting. Mac agreed. Jimmy got his well-worn .44 Henry rifle, some money to pay Mac for the ammunition, and climbed aboard the Mud Wagon. Mac started the four horse team off toward Funk Hill.
The coach was half-way up Funk Hill when Jimmy Rolleri said to McConnell, "I'll get off here and work my way around the hill." Jimmy jumped off the coach to start hunting and McConnell continued up the hill. McConnell was rounding the head of Yaqui Gulch, close to the top of the ridge, when a hooded figure with a shotgun jumped out in front of him. It was Black Bart.
Bart was jittery because he saw Jimmy get off the stage, as he had been watching the whole time. He asked McConnell where the man went that jumped off. McConnell quickly replied it was a kid looking for stray cattle. Bart told McConnell to throw down the the strong box. McConnell said he couldn't because it was bolted to the floorboards. Bart told McConnell to get down off the stage and unhitch the horses. McConnell said the brakes on the stage wouldn't hold if he got down and the coach would roll down the hill. Bart said, "It won't roll down the hill if you put rocks behind the wheels." McConnell said, "Why don't you do it?" The robber told him "Get down from there and do it quick." McConnell knew the robber was clearly getting agitated, and he meant business, so McConnell took no more chances and followed orders. He got down and put a rock under the wheel and started to unhich the horses, all while having a shotgun squarely aimed at him. McConnell was leaving, leading the horses up the hill, when Bart started hammering away at the strong box with his hatchet. McConnell stopped to catch his breath at the top of the ridge, about two hundred yards from the coach. He could not see the robber but he could hear him hammering and prying on the metal box. McConnell caught sight of Jimmy coming around the hill, still hunting. He knew with Jimmy's gun they could capture or kill the outlaw. He waved and got Jimmy's attention and signaled him to come around out of the robbers sight. Jimmy thought McConnell had sighted a deer. Mac quickly explained to Jimmy the situation and they started toward the coach. They were about 100 yards away when Bart, having finally broken into the strong box, jumped out of the coach and spotted Jimmy and Mac. McConnell***, who had taken the rifle from Jimmy, fired at Bart twice as he started to run away. He missed. Jimmy, however, being a very good shot said, "Here, give it here, I won't miss." Jimmy took the rifle and fired just as Bart was entering a thicket. They saw him stumble as the bullet found its mark. Running to where they had last seen the robber, they found a bundle of mail he had dropped, and scattered further on was more mail that had blood on it. McConnell then hitched the team back up, picked-up the broken treasure box and the tools that Bart had used to break into the box, and put them in the coach. McConnell then continued on to Copperopolis and reported the robbery. A posse comprised of Well Fargo agent W.H. Case, Billy Fagan, Milton Curry and Jimmy Rolleri went back out to the site. They searched the site for evidence and eventully found the vital evidence that was the undoing of Bart. Found: a travel worn leather valise containing a case for a pair of field glasses, a belt, a razor, three soiled linen shirt cuffs, two paper sacks containing crackers and sugar, and two empty flour sacks. Also in the bag was an old handkerchief in which was knotted a handful of buckshot. Before nightfall Calaveras County Sheriff Ben Thorn** had reached the scene and began a search for additional evidence. That night they returned to Copperopolis with Wells Fargo Agent Case having custody of the evidence they found. Wells Fargo Chief Detective James Hume had been notified and was on his way as was Special Agent John Thacker. Joaquin County Sheriff Tom Cunningham and Tuolumne County Sheriff George McQuade had been asked to watch out for Black Bart.
It took Bart about half an hour to break into the Wells Fargo strong box. He said by the time he had it open he was so exhausted that a ten-year-old boy could have captured him. When Bart got out of the stage, he had to start running because McConnell started shooting at him. He was so tired, and carrying that heavy sack weighting nearly 20 pounds, Bart could only run at a dog-trot. After running about a quarter of a mile he stopped, too tired to run any farther. His hand hurt and was bleeding heavily. He wrapped a handkerchief around the wound to help stop the bleeding. Bart found a rotten log and stuffed the sack with the gold amalgam into it. He kept the $500 in gold coins. Bart buried the shotgun in a hollow tree but threw away everything else except what he needed to get by. At one cabin along his escape route he stole a hat to replace his derby. Bart tried to avoid people but on Monday, near Bear Mountain, he accidentally stumbled into "Old Martin" the hunters cabin. He asked for false directions and was on his way. On Tuesday he arrived in Sacramento, having traveled almost 100 miles through the rough California mountains. Bart went to the barber shop and got a shave and a hair cut. Then he went to one of the better tailors and got measured for a suit of clothes, bought a ticket for the train to Reno, wandered around town for a while, then caught the train to Reno. He wrote two letters, one to his landlady saying he would be back in a few days and to hold his lodgings and one to his laundryman, Thomas Ware, to hold his laundry. He stayed in Reno a few days and then returned to Sacramento to pick up his clothes. On Saturday he returned to San Francisco and slept at the City-Front Lodging-House that night. The next day when it appeared that everything was normal, he returned to his residence at the Webb House and went back to his usual habits and enjoying the good life.
Days later in a meeting in Mr Case's office the importance of the dirty white silky hankerchief**** became clear when the laundry mark was noted in the corner. Black Barts days were numbered. But, the meaning or purpose of the buckshot is unknown.
Without too much trouble, the Calaveras County sheriff located the woman who had sold Bart his provisions, along with two other men who'd seen a stranger matching the highwayman's physical description. But the clue that broke the Black Bart case was a laundry mark on that abandoned handkerchief: FXO7
Ninty-one laundries in San Francisco. One week of searching & in the California Laundry the name and mark are matched. When booked he signed his name "T.Z. Spaulding." He entered his place of birth as New York in 1832. He was a dapper old fellow and didn't look like the evil creation of the wild legend.
His annual average "income" amounted to $6000. That's a tidy sum for that day and age.
Wells Fargo detective James Hume and his agents traced the mark through the 91 San Francisco laundries to find that the handkerchief belonged to Charles E. Bolton, a respectable mine engineer who was staying at Room 40, 37 2nd Street, San Francisco. Hume had him arrested and in his report recorded that Black Bart was, "A person of great endurance. Exhibited genuine wit under most trying circumstances. Extremely proper and polite in behaviour, eschews profanity."
He was sentenced to San Quentin Prison for six years but it was shortened to four years for good behavior. Reporters swarmed around him when he was released. They asked if he were going to rob anymore stagecoaches. "No gentlemen," he smilingly replied, "I'm all through with crime." Another reporter asked if he would write more poetry. He laughed, "Now didn't you hear me say that I am through with crime?"
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Qehz k 2, GBGG znl uryc.