The "Little Casino" Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(regular)
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This cache is in memory of Elizabeth McClelland or Ida Lewis. She used both of these names but you will get to know her as Little Casino. Little Casino came to this area from Minnesota along with an entourage of ladies which included such names as Dutch Molly, Thumbs Up, Big Rose, BeJesus Liz, Gentle Annie and Canada Nell. This was all back in the early 1870’s when Bismarck was still known as Edwinton and North Dakota was yet to become a state. Edwinton, Dakota Territory, was at the end of the Northern Pacific Rail line and right on “The Big Muddy” so consequently most everyone who came here, came by train, riverboat or horseback. This included the military, the river travelers, miners, railroaders and of course a lot of just plain riffraff. Before long, Edwinton turned into what has been described as one of the roughest, toughest towns in the midwest. For example, 4th Street was known as Bloody 4th or Murderers Gulch. Trouble just seemed to be around every corner. So then why did Little Casino choose to come here? Was she a missionary hoping to help clean up this wretched town? No, not hardly! She was here to set up the first bordello in Edwinton, and that she did. Things went quite well for Little Casino for a number of years. She did her best to fit into the community and actually took an interest in helping to raise money in order to keep Edwinton (soon to become Bismarck in 1873) as the territorial capital. There was much turmoil as to where the capital should be located and a lot of politics involved. Little Casino and some of her associates wanted the capital located here. So at one of the fund raising meetings that was held, she laid $1000.00 down on the table, looked at each of the gentlemen there square in the eye and said, “and there’s a lot more where that came from”. They all knew what she meant! We’ll never know if she influenced any of their votes, but we do know the capital stayed here. Little Casino was also known for her generosity and kindness. If she knew of a family, or child that needed help in some way, she would make it her mission to get them that help. She would usually contact Father Sloan, a Presbyterian minister, and give him money in order that he could use it to help the needy through his church. Well as time went on, Sheriff Alexander McKenzie, Father Sloan, and others in the community decided to try to clean up the town and make it a little more “respectable”. Other houses of ill repute had popped up as well, such as Snowflake and Dirty Gerties. These other houses were cutting into Little Casino’s business, and along with the community and the law putting the pressure on to close down houses of ill repute, she was beginning to fall upon hard times. It was then that she decided it was time to leave Edwinton, which by now was renamed Bismarck. She moved up the road to the coal mine she owned about 4 miles southwest of Wilton. This is where she lived out her remaining years. She died alone at her home, a virtual recluse. And although she was destitute upon her death, she was wearing a necklace with a large diamond in it. Locals found it hard to understand why she lived her last years in such poverty and yet owned such a valuable piece of jewelry. Selling it for cash could have made her life so much easier. There must have been a reason why she wouldn’t part with it. A news clipping stated that “the spring buggy that took her body to the cemetery was trailed by a retinue of hounds, which were her constant companions, and that only three persons besides the pallbearers attended her funeral”. Apparently folks had forgotten about all the good she had done. She was buried in an unmarked grave until 1988 when the community of Wilton put on the play, “Little Casino”, written by Bismarck playwright, Ev Miller. The play was a huge success and so the community decided that Little Casino’s grave had gone unmarked way too long. Thanks to donations from play performers and the public, Little Casino’s grave is now marked with a most fitting tombstone, with a most fitting inscription. In order to find out where Little Casino’s cache is hidden you will need to find her grave site, determine how old she was, and take note of the card number on her tombstone. The new coordinates will take you to where her mine was located and where you will find the cache. The land is posted but geocachers have permission to enter. Here’s what you need to do. Her age _ _ x 6 plus the card number + 510 = new decimal minutes latitude. For the new longitude, add the two numbers of her age together, minus the card number and subtract this number from 131 which will give you the new decimal minutes longitude.The coordinates will now be N47° 05. _ _ _ and W100° 48._ _ _ (also note the change in minutes of the latitude) The cache will be an ammo can with trade items such as, dice, casino playing cards, casino key ring, a Prairie Knights poker chip, golf balls, a temporary tattoo, plastic sheriff’s badge, wooden nickels, pocket knife, N.D. key chain, etc. along with a log book, pens and pencil.
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)