George Freeth Memorial Bust Virtual Cache
Hidden : 2/2/2024
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1 out of 5

Size: Size: virtual (virtual)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works
Looking for a different adventure?

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:


 

George Douglas Freeth, Jr. introduced surfing to California in 1907. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1883. His mother was Elizabeth Kailikapuolono Green, daughter of William Lowthian Green and Elizabeth "Lepeka" Kahalaunani, a Hawaiian woman. His father, George Freeth Sr., was an Irish sea captain.

Henry Huntington, while vacationing in Hawaii in 1907, saw Freeth surfing and decided to bring him to Redondo Beach as a publicity stunt to promote the Pacific Electric Railroad coastal electric line. Novelist Jack London, who had met Freeth in Hawaii a year or two earlier, wrote "His heels are winged, and in them is the swiftness of the sea."

Shortly after his arrival, Freeth established himself as California’s best “surf-board rider” and instructor. Freeth is credited by many with developing the rescue paddleboard, and is considered the father of modern ocean lifesaving. Freeth's efforts not only saved thousands of lives, but he changed California's image for the entire world.

On June 25, 1910, Congress awarded Freeth the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal, for singlehandedly saving nearly a dozen fisherman during a storm. He was only the fifth recipient of the honor since George Washington first received it on March 25, 1776.

Freeth introduced a number of different water sports to California in addition to surfing in the early 1900s. Those sports included bodysurfing, swimming, diving, and water polo.

Freeth died at the age of 35 as a result of the Spanish flu pandemic in 1919 while living and working as a lifeguard in San Diego. He rests in a family grave in Honolulu, marked only by his initials and birth/death years.

The original bronze bust of George Freeth on the Redondo Beach Pier was stolen in 2008, but was replaced using the original mold in 2010.

To log this virtual as a find, attach a picture of you with the bust in the background to your found it log. Also message me what you see looking at the southeast wall behind the bike rack ~35 feet away, and include the object and the number. If you do not want to be in the picture, please hold up a paper with your geocaching name visible with the bust in the background.

Parking at the Redondo Beach Pier is $2 for 1 hour. Alternatively, there is free residential parking a few blocks east of The Pier as well as metered parking on Catalina Avenue and at Veteran's Park south of The Pier.

Although the bust is available 24/7, it is best to go during daytime hours.

This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024 and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.

Congratulations to socalgirls for FTF honors!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fhes'f hc!

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


Advertising with Us