The cache itself is a camo ammo can located just off of the road. amd includes some swag, a log, and a short history of the schoolhouse. It is on our property so make sure and put it back exactly where you found it. The schoolhouse is on private property so please DO NOT trespass! We have attached a short history of our farm if you would like more information and a picture of the original farmhouse, located about a mile southeast of the cache. History of the French Speaking Settlement in the Cottonwood Valley THE BICHET FAMILY Claude Francis Bichet was born near Dijon, France, February 11, 1872. At the age of 14 or 15 years he enlisted in the navy and served for 15 years. It was customary in the French navy at that time to teach each man some trade. Francis Bichet learned the trade of a "saboteer" - a wooden shoemaker. His pay while in the navy was one cent a day. It is not likely that he was married until after his discharge in 1841. Between the time of his marriage to Sophia Jacques and 1858, the year in which he migrated to America, Francis Bichet worked for a farmer near his home for one dollar a week. After his day's work in the fields he went home and made wooden shoes. When he had a wagon load he sold them in the near-by city of Strasburg. His fondest dream was to bring his family to America. Many times while he had been in the navy he had visited New Orleans, New York and other seaport cities in the United States and he had made up his mind that he would return there to live. Finally he andhis wife decided they had enough money for the trip and they left France on February 2,l858. In the group were Claude Francis Bichet, his wife. Sophia, their only child, Alphonse, a lad of 12 years, Mrs. Rosalie Dumartinot and her eight-year-old son, Joseph. After five weeks in the steeraqe they arrived in New York. Here a French agent sent them on to St. Louis where they were to be further advised about a place to settle. From st. Louis they were sent to St.Joseph, Mo. upon their arrival they learned of the Chase county settlement. Mr. Bichet spent his last two hundred dollars on an old wagon and a span of oxen. They set out on the trail to central Kansas. The first night out one of their oxen wandered off or was stolen. They tried to find it but encountered so much difficulty in making themselves understood that they decided to go on with the one remaining. Mr. Bichet tried to adjust the yoke but it hung down and choked the ox. The only solution was for someone to walk beside the ox and carry the other side of the yoke. Mr. and Mrs. Bichet took turns carrying it all the way to the present Bichet farm, a distance of 180 miles. Upon their arrival at the small French colony they found a large group of Cheyenne Indians camped on the land they wished to settle. Contrary to their expectations, the Indians were friendly and even helpful. The Indians stayed on their land for nearly a year before moving west. Until 1862, the Bichets lived in a dugout on the banks of the river. Then they built a log cabin which is still a part of the present house. Originally the cabin was covered with walnut siding cut on the farm. Alphonse Blchet, while not a carpenter by trade, must have been very handy with tools. The paneled doors, window frames, and fireplace mantle and trim were attractively finished and have endured all these years. In 1875, a two-story stone addition was built. In an article on the history of Marion County, John Madden wrote that "The farm house of native stone at the end of a great drive of trees, is a memorial to the Bichet family." Today the house stands as sturdy and as beautiful as it was when it was built 140 years ago. Many of the cottonwood trees planted by Claude Francis Bichet along the drive leading up to the house are still standing and have grown to an enormous height. During the early days, the Bichet home, even when it consisted of one room with a loft overhead, was the first stopping place of many of the French people coming into the valley. This must have taxed their hospitality, but each newcomer found a cordial welcome at the Bichet place. As soon as he was old enough, Alphonse Bichet started "working out." His first job was at French Frank's ranch and trading post on the Santa Fe trail. For wages he recelved a bushel of corn meal each month. After Francis Laloge and Peter Martin sold the ranch, Alphonse worked at other jobs on the trail. He also did some government scouting. On March 18, 1875, Alphonse was married to Mary Stewart at the home of Mrs. Tamiet, the French milliner at Marion Centre. The big house was not built until later in the year, but he brought his bride home to live with his parents in the tiny cabin. Mary Stewart was Irish and she never learned to speak French. The elder Bichets did not know a word of English but the three soon learned to understand each other perfectly. In 1883, Alphonse Bichet decided to retire from farming. He moved into Florence, taking with him his parents and his own family, which now consisted of his wife, two daughters, Laura, born in 1876, Amelia, born in L878, and his son, Fred A., born April 11, 1880. Claude Francis Bichet died January 18, 1886, at the age of 74 years. Sophia, his wife, lived nearly 20 years longer. She died July 9, 1905. After his father's death, Alphonse moved back to the farm for a few years. Alphonse Bichet was a progressive farmer. As early as 1881 he was experimenting with Clawson wheat. It proved to be a good producer in the Cottonwood valley and many of his neighbors bought their seed from him. Alphonse was a Republican and took a prominent part in the political affairs of the county. He made many trips from Florence to the county seat to attend Republican committee meetings and rallies. He was a charter member of the Masonic lodge at Florence. As he grew older, Alphonse Bichet suffered greatly from rheumatism, the result of exposure in pioneer days. In 1923, they moved to San Diego, CA, where Mr. Bichet died January 21 , 1929. He was brought back to Florence and buried beside his parents in Hillcrest Cemetery on September 15 of that year. In an address at the memorial service, John Madden paid tribute to his old friend. "Alphronse Bichet was a man of superior build, very active and strong, a handsome blond man. He was a welcome guest in the home of every settler, good natured, kindly, very considerate of the needs and wants of his neighbors. He was loved by all. He was always ready to face any danger that menaced the people of his little frontier. He was a general favorite of the young men of that period. They all knew he was ready to meet any emergency and to saddle and ride at any hour of the day or night to protect the community from raiding bands of Indians, or lawless white people... He was to my mind a fine type of Frenchman." Mary Stewart Bichet died July 31, 1940, at her home in San Diego. She was 81. When the estate was being settled after her death, Fred Bichet bought his sisters' share of the farm. In attempting to clear the title, he found that the patent for the 40 acres in Chase county had never been recorded. It was necessary to get a copy of the original patent from Washington before the land could be transferred. The fact that this farm has been in possession of one family continuously since 1858 is an unusual record for land ownership in this part of Kansas.