In this part of the country, hearing the word “cut” could well make you think of a steam locomotive making its’ way through a “cut” in the hills with Casey Jones at the throttle, or perhaps of a golfer making the “cut” in a tournament qualifying round. But, no! The truth is more…well, jubilant, than that! And there’s a fair bit of local history involved:
“In Golden Pond, Kentucky Casey Jones was a legend. In a time when it was a risk to be this kind of legend, Casey Jones built an estimated 150 stills from the 1930’s to the late 1960’s. … It took revenuers more than three decades to catch Casey Jones, the king of moonshine whisky still makers “between the river”. Before he was arrested and jailed…Jones said he made stills – called “outfits” or “docks” locally – in “just about every hollow between Grand Rivers and Dover, Tennessee”. He even built one in Lyon County, directly across the Cumberland River from Eddyville penitentiary – one he admitted was “a little too close to the law for comfort”.
Jones began making stills during the hard times that followed World War I. He had never seen a still before he turned out his first one. “I made the first one I ever saw,” he grinned. Throughout his lengthy career, Jones stuck with copper as a building material. He disdained the cheaper steel because it was coated with potentially lethal zinc. “Some of the boys used steel after boiling it in lye, but I never did,” said Jones.
Using a torch, hammer, snips, crimping pliers and a soldering iron, Jones fashioned his outfits. “They’d carry me out to where they wanted the outfit built and carry me home after the job was done,” he said. Jones charged from $15 to $25, depending on the outfit’s size, and usually got a gallon or two of whisky as a bonus.
In prohibition days, when ‘shiners complained that copper coils couldn’t produce enough whisky to meet the demand, he perfected the cylindrical condenser that almost doubled production. The device proved so popular that he built hundreds of stills with two. Unlike still makers in other parts of the country, Jones preferred rectangular rather than round, mash cookers or “cans”. Also known as “coffin stills”, Jones said they’d “fit just right” in the bed of a wagon or pickup truck.
Excerpts from the Sun-Democrat in Aurora, Kentucky, June 24, 1977, written by Berry Craig. “
Today, nearby this cache, you can see an ‘outfit’ conforming to Casey’s best specifications. And 'making the cut' never had anything to do with trains or golf but with moonshine, of course!
You are looking for an ammo can.
The landowner has asked that this cache ONLY be found during these hours: M – Sa 10Am – 6PM, Su 1PM – 6Pm Outside of these hours, or if the gate is closed Please Do NOT Enter!
Congratulations to Kytravelers for the FTF!
See the rest of the CJ Trail!