There are 50 geocaches hidden within 16 state parks and state historic sites in the Saratoga/Capital District region, and geocachers finding them all will be eligible to enter their names in a drawing for valuable prizes. If you are interested in taking up the challenge, you can pick up a geocache passport at any of the participating parks and sites, or download the passport at www.nysparks.com.
This cache contains a unique stamp which must stay with the cache. Use this stamp to stamp your passport. This stamp is NOT a trade item. The items in the cache are park souvenirs and do not need to be replaced with a trade item.
To reach this cache, drive along Cottrell Road in Walloomsac and you’ll come right near the cache as you drive along. If you stand at the cache and face towards the river and the cornfields beyond, you have the view of Lieutenant Colonel Baum’s troops, who led the British forces during the Battle of Bennington on August 16th, 1777. While this seems like a safe vantage point, imagine the British forces’ surprise when the American militia men, led by Colonel John Stark, surround them. In the battle, Colonel Baum is killed. Despite reinforcements arriving to assist Baum’s remaining men, the day goes to the Americans, who receive a stroke of good fortune when Colonel Seth Warner’s Green Mountain Boys arrive in the nick of time. The Americans’ win at the Battle of Bennington, actually held here in Walloomsac, prevents the British from gaining much-needed supplies from Bennington. The British loss of troops and supplies and the boost to the morale of the Americans help set the stage for the Americans’ win at the Battle of Saratoga, considered the crucial turning point in the Revolutionary War.
To learn more about the Battle of Bennington, visit the display within the Historic Site, located at the top of the hill on the other side of Route 67. Battle Commemoration events happen each summer on the weekend closest to August 16.