Indiana Spirit Quest #381: Born Again Traditional Cache

The Indiana Spirit Quest series of geocaches will take you to a number of historic cemeteries built by Hoosier Pioneers. In just over a year and a half, the quest has grown to over three hundred eighty caches hidden in thirty-eight Indiana counties, and two Ohio counties, and the hiders have grown to nineteen cacher teams, most of which of which are comprised of Dogs and their Humans. Over 800 cacher teams have logged over 9,200 finds. One cache machine found 102 ISQ caches in a single day (daylight hours only).

Digital Photographs by Lead Dog

Welcome to Clemmer-Fisher Cemetery in Jackson Township, Koskiusko County, located just west of Sidney. This is a totally refurbished graveyard, with some old stones that appear to have been relocated, and some brand new stone bases ready for new burials. The trees are brand new, too, all in a row. The place is well maintained...

If you visit on a weekend, there is a cool flea market located in the old schoolhouse on the south end of Sidney, off the highway. Next to the tracks there is a farmers market where you can get local produce, whatever's in season--Pumpkin and Squash now and Honey and Maple Syrup and apples and whatnot...(This part of Indiana used to support a huge Maple Syrup industry). There are a few antique stores in town but their hours of operation are irregular, at best.

Many folks in Indiana don’t even realize that maple syrup is produced here. While we are at the southern edge of maple country, it is estimated that Indiana produces around 4,000 gallons of syrup each year. Though Vermont produces around 450,000 gallons, if you’ve ever tasted Pure Indiana Maple Syrup, you know that it is equally delicious.

There is an Iroquois Indian legend about the discovery of maple syrup by the wife of an Indiana Chief named "Woksis."

As the legend goes, Woksis was going hunting one day early in March. He yanked his tomahawk from the tree where he had hurled it the night before, and went off for the day, with his faithful Indian Dog, "Patrokis". The weather turned warm and the gash in the tree, a maple, dripped sap into a pot that happened to stand close to the trunk.

Woksis's squaw, needing water in which to cook dinner, is supposed to have used the pot full of sap thinking that would save her a trip to get water. She tasted it and found it good--a little sweet, but not bad. So she used it for the cooking water.

Woksis, when he came home from hunting, was greeted by the smell of the sap that having been boiled down, was now syrup. So, says the legend, was the happy practice of making maple syrup inaugurated.

The legend however maybe a little bit of colorful creation as Native Americans were at a considerable disadvantage in the methods available to them for producing syrup. The main problem was that containers were not available to them for boiling the sap down.

At the time of the discovery by Columbus of America, Native Americans were basically a "stone age" people with no metal working skills. Without metal containers for boiling the syrup they were only able to use wooden troughs or bowls and pottery made of clay. None of these containers lent themselves very well to boiling sap to syrup.

The most common method that the Indian used in making syrup was with rocks. They would heat the rocks in an open fire. They picked the rocks up with sticks and placed the rocks in a wooden bowl full of sap. The rocks were hot enough to make the sap boil. As one rock cooled it was replaced with the freshly heated rock, thereby cooking the sap down into syrup.

Maple syrup and honey were some of the most important substances in the Native Americans diet. In fact, it is estimated that maple syrup and honey comprised 12 percent of the diet of Native Americans. Who, or how, that estimate could be made with a straight face is surely a marvelous wonder of chilly academia...

"Elizabeth Clemmer"

Elizabeth Fisher

FIND LOGS ON THIS CACHE THAT INDICATE NIGHT CACHING WILL BE DELETED WITHOUT NOTICE!! OH, YEAH!

The cache container is a camo'd 35 mm film can. Please push the lid on correctly and tightly. BYOP. You MUST sign the log to claim a smilie. If you cache at night, or don't sign the log, or reveal the additional hint in your log, or don't fulfill any additional requirements, your find log will be deleted without notice...NOt because we're mean, but because we enforce the rules. The cache is not located near a grave... If you find a fallen US flag, please stick it back in the ground. As always, please be respectful, and cache in, trash out. xxxxxa!

None genuine without this official SixDogTeam seal. Digital photographs taken by Lead Dog, (C) 2005 by RikSu Outfitters with Kodak equipment, unless otherwise noted.

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"Indiana Spirit Quest" is brought to you by the following fellows of GEOISQ*: SixDogTeam (Earthdog Patrick, Lead Dog, Wheel Dog) Kodiak Kid, THE SHADOW, Team Shydog, Rupert2, Torry, ~Mystery Dog~, Team Tigger International, bbSurveyors, Dover Duo,Los Xile, Prairie Partners, WilliamsFamGC, Bean Blossum Gang, Team Itchy & Scratchy, Wishbone 86, krisNjoe, Angelina Jolie, and Bikinibottomfeeders. If you are interested in spreading the Quest to your neck of the woods AND WOULD LIKE TO JOIN US, email SixDogTeam.

*Grand Exalted Order of the Indiana Spirit Quest

** THIS IS A GENUINE INDIANA SPIRIT QUEST CACHE**

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NO NIGHT CACHING!!