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Welcome to Springfield a/k/a Anytown, U.S.A. With, according to the United States Geological Survey, 93 places in the United States carrying this name, it’s easy to see why...or is it?
First off, I think this total is a bit of a stretch and probably includes directional (and maybe other) prefixes and also counties. A more commonly cited number is that there are 34 Springfields. So, despite my grandmother’s insistence during my childhood that every state had one, there isn’t actually a Springfield in every state.
Stil, that's a lot of Springfields. To be fair, though, there are even more Washingtons, Franklins, and possibly Centervilles and Georgetowns across the U.S.
So, is Springfield's fame due to The Simpsons? Maybe a bit. But for me, its “Anytown-ness” comes from the fact that there are many decently sized Springfields in the U.S., including two with strong links to Abraham Lincoln.
OK, all that is well and good, sure, but WHAT ABOUT THE GEOCACHE!?!?!?!?
The cache is a three-stage muticache.
STAGE ONE is a puzzle which you probably should do at home. Scroll down for the puzzle.
Enter your solved coordinates into the STAGE ONE Certitude and you will receive instructions for STAGE TWO
STAGE TWO is a virtual stage at the solved coordinates. At STAGE TWO take in the lovely views and enter the keyword into the STAGE TWO Ceritude as your are instructed in the STAGE ONE Certitude.
STAGE THREE is the final. You will probably want to drive there.
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STAGE ONE puzzle
Below are 31 people of note who were either born in or are strongly associated with a Springfield in one of ten states: Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Vermont and last, but not least, Virginia.
Fill in the total number of people from each state's Springfield into the following and then enter those coordinates into the S1 checker below.
N 38° (OH)(MO).(MA)(PA)(OR)′ W 77° (TN)(KY).(VT)(IL)(VA)’
- 1912 Olympic long jump champion with a jump of 7.60 meters
- 22nd Vice President of the United States
- 47th U.S. Speaker of the House; promoted to Major General after Appomattox
- 67th Annual Grammy Awards winner for Best New Artist
- Army football's famed “lonesome end”; Awarded Distinguished Service Cross heroic Vietnam service
- Artist known for historical paintings, i.e. The Death of General Wolf
- Astronomer who proved galaxies existed beyond Milky Way; has famed eponymous telescope
- Attorney General under George W. Bush; USA Patriot Act supporter
- Bass Pro Shops Founder and CEO
- Eponymous Board Game company owner whose Game of Life led to many successes
- Famed debater known as the Little Giant; 1860 Presidential candidate
- Father of Bluegrass music (he passed away in this Springfield)
- Firearms inventor pair whose eponymous company developed the Volcanic Repeating Rifle
- Founder of basketball
- His Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 is one of America's most recognized paintings
- Chief Engineer of railroad marvel and icon Horseshoe Curve
- Innovator whose cereal invention Grape-Nuts became a breakfast empire
- It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Mork & Mindy, Tonight Show comedian
- Many, many time WWE Champion, you can't see him
- Mar-a-Lago's first resident; General Foods magnate
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest author
- One of silent film eras greatest actresses, known for Birth of a Nation and Intolerance
- People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive in 1995, 2000
- Philadelphia Phillies No. 36; baseball Hall-of-Famer
- Pianist/singer/songwriter known for wedding standard "All of Me"
- Prince protégé, lead singer of The Time
- Psychologist, psychedelics advocate who appeared in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
- Romancing the Stone, Body Heat star
- Super Bowl XXI MVP
- The Great Emancipator, The Rail-Splitter, the Honest One
- The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who!, The Cat in the Hat author
STAGE ONE CHECKER
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
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STAGE TWO VIRTUAL STAGE
Enter the keyword you have found at S2 in checker below. There are additional tips and instructions in the S1 Certitude
STAGE TWO CHECKER
You can validate your puzzle solution with
certitude.
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STAGE THREE is the final cache. Find it and sign it. Happy caching!!!