Josey Rancho Traditional Geocache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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An easy walk can get you here.
This beautiful spot was crying out for a cache. With so many great hiding spots around, it was hard to choose just one! Try the paved path around the lake, and bring your binoculars for some nice bird watching. This cache is named for the historic Carrollton site where it is hidden. In the 1940's, when the city was still a small farming community, "Colonel" C.W. Josey bought the first 70 acres of Josey Rancho and continued to acquire land to raise buffalo and longhorns. Brothers Clint and Don Josey, ranchers and oil barons, hosted a huge Fourth of July rodeo here from the mid-'40's to 1954. The free event became a yearly spectacle, drawing more than 16,000 people in its heyday. The Josey family later lent its name to nearby Josey Lane, the Josey Ranch Lake Library and the Josey Ranch shopping center. Today the remainder of the once 1,000-acre ranch contains a city sports complex, the lovely new library, a senior center, a lake and a giant new senior apartment complex. The new senior apartment complex sits where there used to be two original farmhouses and an old gazebo. The picturesque old barn recently was renovated by a local businessman. You may go inside to see old photos from the ranch's rodeo days. Two replica barns were built alongside and now house offices. Historic records of the ranch are housed in the nearby library. (Extra credit: Can you see the old "Josey Rancho" sign?) The lake was formed from a quarry that once supplied clay to one of Carrollton's two brick factories. Now it hosts waterfowl of all kinds. Sometimes you can also see a turtle sitting on a log in the pond. In honor of the ranch's past, the cache contained ranch-related toys when placed. Yeehaw! In September 2019, after being muggled many times, this cache was moved about a dozen feet to the west to reduce the possibility of subsequent disappearances.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Pnpur vf haqre gur oevqtr ba rnfg raq, abegu pbeare (gur pbeare pybfrfg gb Jnyterra'f). Ybbx sbe gur "Fgrnqsnfg Oevqtrf" cyndhr.