This cache was created as a Girl Scout Gold Award in 2014. This is a multi-stage cache that will take you through 100+ years of education in Branson. At each location there will be a question and the answer will become part of the final cache coordinates. The final cache holds a log book as well as some bling. There are 13 stops for the cache. 13 were chosen to represent the 13 years that someone spends in secondary school and 13 years that a girl or boy can spend in scouts. At the end you will find the PIRATE’s hidden treasure. Be sure to check out the pictures of all the old & new schools.
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Little is known about the first Branson school other than it was located about a quarter mile east of STOP 1, on West Highway 76. It was constructed of logs and burned about 1895. There are no known photos that exist.
- STOP 1 (cir.1895): N 36° 38.477 W 93° 14.786
The board of education made plans to build a new school on an acre donated land. Volunteers had the building finished and ready for school to open in 1895. The school served all of the children of the area, including the town of Branson, and at one time enrolled almost 100 children. When Branson built its first school in town, it was designated District No. 18 and this school became officially known as Old Branson. It operated as an independent district until 1926 when it consolidated with Branson. However, enrollment was increasing too rapidly at the Branson Elementary School that classes were continued in the old school. In May 1932, the Old Branson School closed its doors after thirty-eight years. A replica of the school stands here now and a small park has been created. {Bonus: there is another geocache located at this sight.}
STOP 1 QUESTION: What type of school house is this? How many “rooms” did it have? Your answer equals D.
- STOP 2 (1905 & 1907): N 36° 38.587 W 93° 13.488
In 1905 classes began for Branson students in a frame building located where you currently are. Although there is no record of the number of students attending, the growing enrollment forced the board of education to plan for additional space within two years. A bond issue was passed in the spring of 1907 to build an addition. However, the board changed its plans and constructed a separate concrete building to which additional rooms could be added. The contractor pushed to complete the building for the 1907-08 school year. They continued to use the old building and one room of the partially completed new building until the Christmas holidays. In January 1908, they were able to begin classes in the new building. The district’s ever increasing enrollment would be a problem for the next twenty-five years. Within five years the board would be making plans for another new building. These building no longer remain, however the land still belongs to the City of Branson and you can clearly see what towers overhead now. Make sure to pay attention to how many stars stand by the Branson name.
STOP 2 QUESTION: How many floors of windows are there in the tower? Your answer equals K.
- STOP 3 (1913): N 36° 38.511 W 93° 13.271
Several activities were taking place in early 1913 which would provide direction for the Branson schools. The school board decided that the original site of the school was not large enough to handle the expansion that was needed. It was time for a high school, and a plan was submitted to the Missouri Board of Education. The state approved the plans for a two-year high school (Job school) with two more grades to be added within four years for a full four-year high school. The board purchased a full city block. The board required the contractors to finish the building by September 1, and by June 1 the work was started. The site was described as “central and ideal. The building will face the east and set back in a grove far enough to allow it to be beautified by a fine lawn.” A crew of about twenty men worked to have at least four classrooms finished by the September deadline. The plans included four rooms and three cloakrooms on the first floor and three rooms and two cloakrooms on the second floor. The school opened on schedule September 8, 1913. The first graduating class of the two-year Branson High School graduated in 1915. Since there was no auditorium or gymnasium, graduation exercises were held in the Presbyterian Church, which is located a block to the North. This building served as a school from 1913 until 1931. It stood vacant and abandoned for several years before being razed. A small park remains here now.
STOP 3 QUESTION: Take the number of tables minus the number of trees that are within the fence. Your answer equals M.
- STOP 4 (1922): N 36° 38.520 W 93° 13.299 {note – you can walk to this one}
As the town’s population and the school’s enrollment kept growing plans were approved for a new school in April 1922. The current campus provided plenty of space for the new structure and initial plans called for wrecking the current school and salvaging materials and interior equipment. Fortunately these plans were not carried out because the building was needed for nine more years. Ground was broken in mid-July 1922 for the new school. The one-story native cut stone building contained eight classrooms a library and accessories room, and the superintendent’s office. The restrooms were in the basement. Every effort was made to “conform with modern standards” such as “windows will be only on one side of each room thus permitting of a seating and lighting arrangement which modern practice accepts as the least injurious to young eyes.” An impressive ceremony was conducted on August 31, 1922 to lay the cornerstone of the new Branson High School. The school year began in 1922 with students attending classes in the old building until the new one was completed later in the fall. It took ten years, but finally in May 1923, eleven students graduated from Branson’s four-year high school. For several years the Branson district encouraged students who lived out of town to enroll in the high school program. No tuition was charged, and room and board was offered by local residents for a reasonable cost. When school opened in 1925, enrollment exceeded the previous year’s total with 247 students registered. The school building was only two years old and filled to capacity. During the 1926-27 school year a telephone was installed in the superintendent’s office and the school was connected to the new city water system allowing additional drinking fountains to be installed. In 1929, classroom space at the Branson central school was overcrowded, and as the size of the elementary cases increased, the situation became critical. In August 1929, the board purchased a five-acre tract of land in the Thompson Addition just south of the central school. On September 5, 1929 Branson enrollment was 275 and there were no extra seats in any room. Activities in the Branson area were adding to the concerns about growing enrollments. Road crews were busy building and paving roads in and out of Branson and plans had been finalized for a new Highway 65 bridge over Taneycomo. A new school was needed.
STOP 4 QUESTION: Thinking back to a couple of stops ago…how many stars were by Branson on the tower? Your answer equals: A
- STOP 5 (1931): N 36° 38.384 W 93° 13.309
On June 18, 1931 citizens gave overwhelming support for a new school. Within a month construction began. Besides the obvious need for more classrooms, an auditorium and gymnasium were included in the plans. The contractor’s use of local labor helped ease the area’s unemployment and in six short months the building was ready for dedication and occupancy. A ceremony was held on December 21, 1931. The seating capacity for the auditorium was about 600. The bleachers would seat approximately 350 and two hundred folding opera chairs could be arranged on the gymnasium floor. When students returned from the Christmas holiday the high school classes occupied the new building, and the elementary grades moved in to the “old” high school. In only twenty-six years, the district had built and occupied five building. In the spring of 1932, commencement ceremonies were held in the new auditorium. By 1935 over 400 students were enrolled. Each year new records for enrollment were set. On October 27, 1939, Branson held its first Homecoming with a parade and afternoon football game. Branson beat the previous year’s league champions, Marionville, by a score of 31-8. The 1939-40 school year was an exciting end to a very tumultuous decade. The building of another high school, the Great Depression with a threatened financial collapse, the drought years of the mid-1930s and the continual increases in enrollment. In less than fifty years, the district had seen children attending classes in sever different building and enrollments increasing from a few dozen to over 450. Not only did the school district survive – it prospered. An addition in the late 1940s increased the number of high-school classrooms. The school board at the time insisted that a fire wall be built between the old and new sections. On February 4, 1958 just before 9am a fire began in a dressing room behind the stage in the auditorium/gymnasium. All the students were evacuated safely. At first the fire did not appear to be very large, then it rapidly spread until it stopped at the fire wall. One girl ran back inside to her locker to get a new coat she received for Christmas. She was near the outside door when air exploded and blasted through the building. She was severely burned and died four days later at Skaggs Hospital. The building was renovated to house the junior high school. The facility now is occupied by K-Life.
STOP 5 QUESTION: Take the number on the ground in front of the steps, plus the number of steps, divided by the number of medallions on the building above the door in the bricks. Your answer equals E.
- STOP 6 (1954): N 36° 38.394 W 93° 13.364
In 1954 a new Elementary School was built between the old school and the high school building. It was dedicated in March 1954. For once, elementary students and teachers were able to more into a brand-new building instead of a hand-me-down as in the past. There were classrooms for Grades 1-6, special education, art and music. There was also a large multi-purpose room that served as a cafeteria and a meeting place for various groups. Most of the classrooms were filled to capacity at the time of the move to the new building. When more students arrived with Table Rock Dam families, a few classes continued to meet in the old 1922 building. Several additions were made to this building after the high school fire in 1958. In recent years this building has housed many different area organizations. It is now home to Christian Action Ministries (C.A.M) and a community free clinic.
STOP 6 QUESTION: Count the number of entrances into the school and add that to the middle digit of the address on the building. Your answer equals C.
- STOP 7 (1959): N 36° 38.536 W 93° 13.360
After the high school burned in 1958, a decision was made to construct a new high school. The new high school design was built around a central courtyard. The gymnasium was in the south wing, classrooms and laboratories in the east and north wings, with administrative offices in the one-story section in the front. The cafeteria was on the ground floor of the east side. There were two small parking logs, adequate enough for faculty, staff and basketball fans as only a few students drove to school in 1960. Although constructed for a High School, it has also been home to Junior High; elementary grades 3-6;a kindergarten building; Special Services District offices; Title Preschool Program; and an Alternative High School throughout its life as an educational facility. The building was vacated by the school district in 2008. It was sold to the City of Branson in 2011. On February 29, 2012 the Branson “leap day” tornado damaged the north wing and it had to be torn down. The future of the building is currently unknown.
STOP 7 QUESTION: Take the number of the street you are on plus the number of handicapped parking signs plus the number of flag poles. Your answer equals G.
- STOP 8 (1974): N 36° 39.998 W 93° 13.159
In 1974 as enrollment numbers increased so did the need for a new high school. This school moved away from the location of the current schools. In addition to a new school a football field was also constructed. This campus became the Junior High School in 2002 when the newest high school opened.
STOP 8 QUESTION: The Junior High school “motto” revolves greatly around one number that is proudly displayed out front of the building. What is this number? Your answer equals J.
- STOP 9 (1994, 2001): N 36° 39.592 W 93° 14.664
In 1994 two buildings were constructed to house 3rd thru 6th grade. Each building housed 2 grades each. In 2001 a third building was constructed for grades K-2. When the new intermediate school was opened all students in grades 5-6 moved there and this campus was home to Preschool – 4th grade.. The 2013-14 school year saw the district divide. The north half of the district moved to the new elementary school and the south side remained at the Cedar Ridge campus. This returned all students through 6th grade to this location. This location is also home to some of the district baseball fields and a track. The track is home to the annual Relay for Life in Taney County.
STOP 9 QUESTION: What is the first digit on the first building you see to the west? {Hint: primary} Your answer equals F.
- STOP 10 (2002): N 36° 41.810 W 93° 14.032
This new school was opened in 2002. In addition to classrooms, there are twelve computer labs, two gymnasiums, and an impressive theatre. In the 2003-04 school year, there were 1023 students enrolled. The 2013-14 school year brought in new facilities. A new three story freshman wing was constructed in the back of the building and an activities center was opened to the west just over the hill. It houses a gymnasium, a wrestling room and two locker rooms. From your current location, you can see out over the Branson area. This setting makes for beautiful sunsets during football season.
STOP 10 QUESTION: Take the number of yards on the field below you, subtract the large number you see on the building to your east, add the number of goal posts on the field. Your answer equals H. {Hint: this is the only answer that is a two digit number.}
- STOP 11 (2008): N 36° 42.178 W 93° 13.938
As the school enrollment continued to grow, the Cedar Ridge campus was busting at the seams. A new building was planned and built in 2008. Since the move happened in the middle of the school year, many students helped with the move. They helped teachers pack and unpack and even packed up their own desk belonging. Until 2013 this building was home to the district’s fifth and sixth graders. Now it also includes fourth grade.
STOP 11 QUESTION: Take the number of flag poles and subtract the number on the water tower. This is also the number of High Schoolers you will find at this location. Your answer equals L.
- STOP 12 (2013): N 36° 42.192 W 93° 14.079
We are now to the newest of the schools in the district. It opened for the 2013-14 school year. It houses students through third grade in the north half of the district.
STOP 12 QUESTION: Take the number on the building and multiply it by the number on the water tower then add 2. {Hint: Do not use a digit that has no value.} Your answer equals N.
- FINAL QUESTION: Remember those stars back on that water tower? Just like the stars on the Branson “strip”, the population of the Branson School system continues to multiply and now serves over 4500 students. Do get your final number, take that number of stars that you saw and multiply it by 2. Your answer equals B.
Now you should have all your answers for your final coordinates. {Note if you are sent more than ½ mile from your current location, you have entered something incorrectly.}
N AB° CD.EFG W H° JK.LMN
N ____ ____° ____ ____ . ____ ____ ____ W ______° ____ ____ . ____ ____ ____
Check your answer: The sum of all the digits in the final coordinates add up to equal the last two digits of the year the school was built that was damaged by the 2012 tornado. (19XX) (example using 1st stop coordinates: 3+6+etc, not 36+) To locate the final cache, no need to go lurking in the bushes. Simply turn into the 1st row and park. You are less that 100 feet away. The building will be to your back.
Congratulations!!
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Information provided by the Branson Centennial Museum, White River Valley Historical Society, Branson School District, and the books Hometown Branson, Early History and Branson II by Jo Stacey Albers & Dorothy Stacey. Photos courtesy of the Branson Centennial Museum and Branson School District.
Thank you to the Girl Scout of the Missouri Heartland and Boy Scouts of America Ozark Trails Council for promoting geocaching in their programs. Thank you to the Branson High School Air Force JROTC Orienteering club for maintaining this cache into the future. Be sure to visit the Branson Centennial Museum. Museum is FREE and the exhibits change frequently. There is also a cache at this location. "Time in a Bottle" N 36° 38.669 W 093° 13.105
******* This cache has been place with the permission and support of the Branson School District administration.*******