In 1869 the community was officially founded when the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad arrived. The community was named Red Oak Junction by the railroad on March 20, 1876. The population of Montgomery County, of which Red Oak is the county seat, tripled in size between 1870 and 1880. In 1901, the “Junction” was dropped and the city became known as Red Oak.
Chautauqua Park is a historic pavilion located in Red Oak, was built in 1908. The structure was built for about $5,200 and it had a seating capacity of between 3,500 and 5,000. The park hosted several speakers on the inaugural program. It continued to host annual Chautauqua programs until 1929. In 1972 Chautauqua Park was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Red Oak has a proud military history. During World War I, Red Oak's Company M went to the front lines with a full strength of 250. They fought at Belleau Woods, the Argonne Forest, Sr. Mickel, and Swepps. In the end, the Company suffered 160 casualties with 52 killed in action. In World War II, Red Oak received national publicity because of the large number of casualties in the European conflict. On March 6, 1943, more than 100 telegrams arrived with the news of soldiers missing in action. In April, official reports confirmed that 27 had been taken prisoner at Faid Pass.
The coordinates will take you to a memorial plaque honoring National Guard members. I thought this would be a great place for a virtual cache due to the military history of Red Oak. We thank all our military men and women that have fought for our freedom.
To receive credit for this cache take a photo of yourself or group with one of the beautiful historical landmarks located within the park. Can either be posted in the log or emailed to me if preferred.
Please be aware the park is closed from 11pm to 6am
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.