A series of 20 caches in the Glen Run Natural Preserve & Glen Park
History
Glen Run Nature Preserve was acquired in 2015 and offers 4 miles of hiking and mountain biking trails. The nearly 200-acre preserve is located just south of Stroudsburg and the view from Godfrey Ridge provides an excellent view of the city. The ridge also marks a watershed divide: with the northern portion of the preserve located in the McMichael Creek watershed and the southern in the Cherry Creek watershed.
The foundation of the historic Churleigh Inn is located on the preserve, which also features as a picturesque lake nestled among the ridges. The preserve is classified as special regulation waters with artificial lure catch and release only.
Founded in 1984, Pocono Heritage Land Trust is a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting the natural heritage of the Pocono Mountains region by conserving land and inspiring people to care for, enjoy, and explore their natural world.
No motorized vehicles, alcohol, fires, and hunting are allowed at the Glen Run Natural Preserve. This geocache was placed with the permission of the Pocono Heritage Land Trust, including hide style and location, and for that, we thank them.
This letter "S" geoart celebrates Stroudsburg and its lore. Answers may be found circumnavigating the internet, unless you're a Stroudsburg native and learned this stuff in school.
Did you know? The weekend of June 6-8, 1924 was full of two-wheeled excitement for Monroe County residents. The borough of Stroudsburg hosted a weekend of professional and amateur motorcycle races. During the practice laps on June 6, Gene Walker, the world record holder and crowd favorite, attempted to run “the treacherous thrill turn above the grandstand” but lost control and “landed in a gully sloping down from the track.” Walker’s motorcycle hit a tree and threw him 20 feet; the impact crushed his side and abdomen. Dr W.E. Andrew of Stroudsburg immediately came to Walker’s aid and applied splints. Walker was taken to the Rosenkrans Hospital in East Stroudsburg in H.J. Wyckoff’s Packard Touring car.
Three days after the accident, Walker’s wife arrived from Birmingham to Rosenkrans Hospital to be by her husband’s side. Doctors reported that Walker’s chances of surviving were good, but that it was “doubted that he [would] ever be able to race again.” Many of the other professional motorcycle racers stopped by the hospital to visit Gene Walker. W.E. Freeman, a factory representative of the Indian Motorcycle Company, stayed with Walker.
Two weeks following his accident at the Stroudsburg Fairgrounds, Eugene Walker died from the injuries he had sustained. Walker’s wife had returned home to Alabama the previous week when it appeared that her husband was going to make a full recovery. Freeman witnessed Walker suddenly “gripped with a cough that racked his maimed body which caused a hemorrhage.” The local newspaper cited Walker was 28 years old, but his headstone in Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Alabama reads he was 31 years old.
Newspaper headlines locally and across the country announced the death of motorcycling champion Eugene Walker. J.H. Lanterman and Son Funeral Home in East Stroudsburg was in charge of Walker’s body and prepared the body to be returned by train to Birmingham for burial. Accompanying the casket was C.R. Webber, district manager of the New York City office of the Indian Company, who arrived in East Stroudsburg to relieve Mr. Freeman.
Eugene Walker died racing an Indian motorcycle in Stroudsburg in 1924, was inducted into the American Motorcycle Association Hall of Fame in 1998. (Photo courtesy Don Emde Collection)
Eugene Walker was survived by his wife, and two young children, ages 3 years and 6 months old. The Morning Press newspaper learned that Walker’s family was “destitute” following Gene’s death, and the paper began the Gene Walker Fund to accept donations for the family. F.J. Forrie, promoter of the weekend event in Stroudsburg, made the first donation of $50. Which Motorcycle Company, distraught over Walker’s death, pulled out of all motorcycle races for the remainder of 1924?
You'll find this cache at the correct answer's coordinates.
Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Company: N 40° 58.389' W 75° 11.301'
Indian Motorcycle Company: N 40° 58.383' W 75° 11.078'
Henderson Motorcycle Company: N 40° 58.480' W 75° 11.437'
Be sure to record the numbers inside this lid for the bonus cache (#21, GC93Q78).
Source: Amy Leiser, Executive Director, Monroe County Historical Association