At the cache coordinates just off of East Market and south San Joaquin is a mural picturing 12 famous figures from Stockton history and also doing a decent job of portraying Stockton's tremendous diversity. But there's no text saying who the characters are. So test yourself. If you can't name them all, don't feel bad. After muralist Greg Custodio died in 1998, Stocktonians forgot who two of the people were. This became a topic of much discussion on Stockton history social media circa 2015-16 and in the Stockton Record. A little a little digging unearthed the answers.
Answers: Counterclockwise, around the outside, from top left: Benjamin Holt (1849-1920), inventor who patented and manufactured the first crawler-type tread used on Caterpillar-type tractors and tanks. Tillie Lewis (1901-1977), glass-ceiling-shattering "Tomato Queen" who popularized the Italian pomodoro tomato and built the U.S.'s fifth-largest canning business. Warren H. Atherton (1891-1976) authored the G.I. Bill for for returning World War II veterans, "a major contribution to America's stock of human capital that sped long-term economic growth." Angelo Rollieri founded Stockton's historic Genova Bakery. Edna ("They call me dynamite") Gleason, in 1961 became Stockton's first councilwoman. Jeramiah Burke Sanderson (1821-75), an East Coast abolitionist and equal rights activist who became a pioneer minister at Stockton's Union Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Eddie Olamit, one of the forgotten faces, was a leader of Stockton's Filipino community. Peter Koulouris, the other lost face, the founder of Stockton's Greek community. Gov. James Budd (1851-1908) (bearded), the only Stocktonian to become governor of California (in 1895). George Shima, (1864-1926) the Japanese-American "Potato King" who became the first Japanese-American millionaire. And the two in the center, starting with the little guy with the epaulets: Commodore Robert F. Stockton (1795-1866), the U.S. Navy hero and later new Jersey Senator who was the commander who captured Los Angeles and figured prominently in the overall the battle for California during the Mexican-American War 1846-1848. Stockton is named for him. And the big guy: Charles M. Weber (1814-1881) founded the city of Stockton in 1849 (incorporated 1850).
To substantiate your claim that you have visited this cache, message us answers to these questions:
1) Which of the individuals pictured never resided in Stockton?
2) How many other murals are there in this parking lot??
CONGRATS TO eCRANE FOR SNAGGING THAT MUCH COVETED FTF ON A VIRTUAL!
For more on Stockton Street Art ... https://www.visitstockton.org/blog/street-art-in-downtown-stockton-california/
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between June 4, 2019 and June 4, 2020. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 2.0 on the Geocaching Blog.