CACHE IS NOT AT POSTED COORDINATES
NOTE: FINAL LOCATION CHANGED SLIGHTLY ON JULY 7, 2024. IF YOU SOLVED PUZZLE PRIOR TO THIS DATE, PLEASE RE-DO YOUR NUMBERS
Lately during our geocaching outings, the ten-old-year member of Team Sedor18 has taken a liking to listening to Johnny Cash records. One track on his At San Quentin concert album especially caught out attention: "Wreck of the Old 97."
The more we researched the song the more fascinating it became. Things we learned:
- It was based on a true story!
- Excessive speed caused the Old 97, known as the Fast Mail, to derail;
- The tragedy occurred in our home state of Virginia, near Danville;
- The Old 97 originated in Washington, D.C. and was delayed for at least an hour;
- The train's contract with the U.S. Post Office penalized it financial for every minute it was late to its final destination;
- Eyewitnesses differed in their recounting of the train's speed but it surely wasn't as fast as the song immortalizes;
- The 1924 Vernon Dalhart recording of the song is often cited as being the first million-selling country music release;
- Dozens of musical legends have recorded their take on the song including Woody Guthrie, Roy Acuff, Boxcar Willie and John Mellencamp. Through the magic of Spotify you can listen to 23 (and counting) of them;
- The song brought about one of the first recorded music copyright royalty battles; a legal case that reached the United States Supreme Court. Read more here in an excellent University of Virginia undergraduate paper written in 1965!;
- Two of the victims of the wreck were from Manassas, Va., the Old 97 passed through Manassas on its fateful journey and there's even a historical marker about the derailment and the song;
- And, finally, there are NO geocaches in Virginia about the tragedy or the song, not even in Danville. So, we had to hide one and highlight this amazing story and cautionary tale about fast capitalism.
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Stage One of this mystery cache will take you to the Route of the Old 97 historical marker in Manassas, Va. located steps from the train station and a lovely downtown.
While there, don't miss the newly remodeled Manassas Museum located just across Prince William Street from the historical marker. It is an excellent museum with a knowledgable staff, interactive exhibits and a fun gift store. And it's free! Parking is available at both the train station and the Manassas Museum.
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To solve for the puzzle you must derive numbers from both the historical marker AND by listening to the song "Wreck of the Old 97." To listen, you can use the Spotify link to the playlist or the YouTube links below:
N38 44.ABC W77 28.DEF
A: According to the song, the second digit in the train that the Old 97 WAS NOT.
B: The second digit in the date of the month that the Old 97 derailment occurred MINUS 1.
C: Number of letters in the first word on the 11th line in the text body of the Route of the Old 97 historical marker PLUS 3.
D: According to the song, how many miles long was the grade.
E: According to the song, the first digit in the speed the Old 97 went down the grade MINUS 5.
F: According to the song, the number of letters in the Virginia town where the Old 97's engineer got his orders PLUS 2.
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
FTF Prize is a magnet from the Manassas Museum Gift Store!