Benton is a small, friendly community nestled in the beautiful, serene Southwest Wisconsin countryside. It lies in the heart of America’s dairy land, with its gently rolling hills, lazy streams, and fertile soil. Steeped in the rich traditions and culture of the early lead miners, it owes its very existence to the mining industry. Benton was originally known as “Cottonwood Hill,” named for the large number of cottonwood trees that grew here. In 1845 the name was changed to Benton in honor of Thomas Hart Benton, senator of Missouri. This cache starts in Village Park.
To find the cache you have to answer three questions and insert the answers in the following coordinates.
N 42 34.(A)(B)7
W 90 22.(C)87
You can find the answers in Village Park
Question one: On the “Welcome to Benton” sign are two mining tools. Which of the following tools is NOT on the sign?
Answer 1: Shovel (A = 0)
Answer 2: Gad or Crowbar (A=1)
Answer 3: Pickaxe (A = 2)
Question two: In Village Park you can find a large silver colored school bell, donated in memory of Frieda Wright. The school bell originates from which local community?
Answer 1: Leadmine (B = 0)
Answer 2: Benton (B = 1)
Answer 3: Hazel Green (B = 2)
Question three: When was the first village school (which is now a museum) built?
1.1849 (C = 4)
2.1850 (C = 5)
3.1851 (C = 6)
The cache is located within a short walking distance. Restrooms are available in the park. Enjoy, PJM.
After finishing the cache you might want to take some time to visit St. Patrick’s church and the grave site of Father Mazzuchelli across the street from the park. (Since the church grounds are private property it is not part of the cache.) The history of Benton is notably entwined with that of Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, the highly respected pioneer priest who established 40 parishes and built 25 churches in the area, including Benton’s St. Patrick Catholic Church and New Diggings’ St. Augustine. Father Mazzuchelli, who served St. Patrick for the last 15 years of his life, died in 1864 and is buried in St. Patrick Catholic Church Cemetery. In 1993 Pope John Paul II declared Father Mazzuchelli venerable, the first step to possible canonization as a saint. The Mazzuchelli Gravesite and the Mazzuchelli Rectory Museum stand on the church grounds. Should Father Mazzuchelli become a saint (Saint Samuel!), his gravesite will become a national shrine and will be visited by people around the world. Thus the name of the cache….
**Congratulations to Kirk F.on a well-deserved FTF, (Labor Day) Monday, September 1, 2014 at 1:40 PM**