On a dark October night in 1809 death claimed Merriwether Lewis at Grinder's Stand along The Natchez Trace in rural Tennessee. As the equivalent of one of today's major thoroughfares, The Trace saw many travelers in those days and no doubt several found their demise along the route. When news of Lewis' death at the tiny inn reached the rest of the world it was a shock. Lewis, along with his partner Clark, were fresh off their successful expedition to the west and enjoying the 19th century equivalent of super stardom. There was even some talk of Merriwether Lewis for president.
While his life ended that night, his notoriety lives on. Though originally declared a suicide subsequent inquiries have brought out facts lending credence to the claims of murder. Exhumations, official depositions from the owners of the inn as well as others traveling with Lewis, staying at the inn, even other travelers on The Trace who may have talked to him and could attest to his frame of mind have been entered into the history books. Two hundred years later and the mystery remains unsolved, but the interest never dies. In 1955 Fred MacMurray played Lewis next to a heavily tanned Donna Reed as Sacajawea. Ken Burns put out a documentary on The Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1997, The 2009 Smithsonian Magazine article offered both sides of the argument in great length. Several books have been written over the years and just last year my nephew worked on a new film coming out later this year.
Still the question remains. Suicide or Murder?
To claim the find visit the coordinates listed above and send me the following answers: How old was Lewis when he died and how many stone levels does the broken column rest on?
Virtual Rewards 3.0 - 2022-2023
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between March 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 3.0 on the Geocaching Blog.