The cache isn't located at the posted coordinates. To obtain the final coordinates, solve the puzzle below.
Biddeford Quarry History
Long before the hum of looms defined the skyline of Biddeford, another industry carved its mark deep into the land, granite quarrying. Hidden beneath moss, water, and time lie the remnants of an era when men split the earth itself and sent its granite across a growing nation.
Quarrying in Biddeford began modestly, tied closely to early settlement needs. By the 18th century, the town, then part of a developing mill and maritime economy, already supported granite quarries and brickyards alongside lumber and grain mills. At this stage, quarrying was largely local: stone was extracted from exposed ledges and used for foundations, cellars, and small construction projects, mirroring patterns seen across Maine.
By the mid-19th century, Biddeford had transformed into a bustling industrial center powered by the falls of the Saco River. Quarrying grew alongside textile manufacturing, shipbuilding, and ice harvesting. Quarrying was a recognized local industry, employing workers alongside mill laborers. Granite from Biddeford was valued for its strength and workable texture, typical of Maine coastal stone.
As you hike to the final cache location, you will encounter the ghostly footprints of Biddeford’s forgotten quarries. Along the way, you will find a surprising number of subtle and sometimes dramatic remnants still scattered across the landscape.
Many of the original quarry sites were simply left behind when work stopped in the early 1900s. Expect to see water-filled pits, steep stone walls, and leftover piles of granite. Drill marks, wedge holes, and cut stone are clear indicators that you’ve found a quarry site. You can still find broken or rejected granite pieces, rough-cut blocks, and piles of rubble near former extraction points.
Granite didn’t stay put, it had to be moved. Private rail lines were built to connect the quarries with the Saco River. Today, these can be seen as unnaturally straight, level paths through the woods or old embankments or raised grades.
Part 1: The Quarry clues
In the late 1800s, quarry workers in Clifford Park left behind a coded field notebook to track shipments of granite destined for some of America’s most famous structures. The code was never fully deciphered.
You’ve discovered a fragment of that notebook…use the historical clues below to extract key words.
Part 2: Convert to numbers
Take your five key words and convert them:
- For words → count the number of letters
- For numbers → keep as-is
You should now have a sequence of 5 numbers.
Part 3: The quarry coordinates
Apply this formula: N 43 (A + B - 1).(C x 153) W 70 (E + D - 2).(D x 87)
Where: A–E are your five numbers from Part 2
You can check your final coordinates using Certitude by clicking the button below.
Part 4: Find the cache
The container is hidden in a location tied to the quarry’s legacy where nature has reclaimed industry.
Cache hide hint:
I remain where the stone once fell
Cut but never carried
Silent witness to labor and time
What am I?
Expect:
- Woodland terrain
- Possible uneven footing
- Elevation changes
- ~ 1 mile roundtrip hike