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Up in smoke ... Captain Thomas Wesley Smith Mystery Cache

Hidden : 10/19/2024
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


Cache is hidden near the final resting place of Captain Thomas Wesley Smith.

From findagrave.com ...

Appointed Montgomery County Sheriff at 21 years of age on March 29, 1851, and served until August 2, 1852.

While Sheriff, Smith organized deputies to effectively stop cattle rustling in Montgomery County. He married Margaret Hope Arnold in 1855 and appointed as a captain in the Confederate Army in 1861. In 1873, Captain Smith builds the "Old Crawford House" and later an opera house in Willis, Texas. Captain Smith and his son Owen owned a tobacco plantation and built the first brick cigar factory. In addition to his accomplishments, Captain Smith was a merchant, planter, private backer and a Worshipful Master of the Masonic Lodge from 1868 to 1872. It was thought that he was instrumental in providing the railroad ties and labor to build the railroad between Willis and New Waverly.

Contributor: Fadi Rizk

There's more history about the cigar industry, which pretty much put Willis on the map; if I'm reading information correctly; found by a simple search of Captain Thomas Wesley Smith and Willis, TX.

To find the final container, find Captain Smith's grave markers (he's buried in an mosaleum near the entrance of the cemetery [posted coordinates] -- Project a point 66 feet due North from the posted coordinates for the final) and search for a cricket container near the top of the stairs.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Gur onpxtebhaq vzntr vf n fcbvyre! Cebwrpg n cbvag 66 srrg qhr Abegu sebz gur cbfgrq pbbeqvangrf sbe gur svany.

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)