The city of Fort Walton Beach originated in the general vicinity
of this cache. The settlement was originally known as Brooks
Landing after John Brooks settled here in 1868. The area was
renamed Fort Walton in 1932 after the discovery of a Civil War era
encampment known as Camp Walton. The city was officially chartered
in 1937. In the 1950s the name was changed to Fort Walton Beach in
an effort to attract more tourists to the area's white sand
beaches. Even though Fort Walton Beach is a fairly new city, the
land has survived many wars and pirate attacks. One of the most
famous pirates that inhabited the area in the late 1770s, Billy
Bowlegs, is celebrated annually in a pirate festival held here at
Fort Walton Landing the first weekend in June. 12,000 years of
Native American occupation is commemorated at the nearby Indian
Temple Mound.
The area where the cache is located was once a resort hotel
called the Indianola Inn, built in 1912. The hotel burned down in
1962. The hotel was a popular dining location for people from the
all over the panhandle and it often hosted dances in a pavillion
built at the end of it's pier. After the hotel was destroyed,
archaeologists discovered a small indian mound at the location and
many native artifacts. The Indianola's wharf was also home to Fort
Walton's original post office. Mail was delivered to the post
office by boat from Tallahassee and Pensacola.
This is a great cache to bring the kids to. The cache is a micro
but it is not a 35mm film canister. It is not obvious from a
distance, you may have to discretely search the landscaping. There
is a small pencil in the cache but you may want to bring a pen with
you just in case it goes missing. This can be a high traffic area
so stealth may be necessary. Please make sure the cache lid is on
securely and return the cache to the exact place that you found it.
Thanks!
******* Please DO NOT tell the muggles what you are
doing.*******
******* PLEASE RESPECT
THE PARK PROPERTY AND LEAVE EVERYTHING AS YOU FOUND IT. THERE HAS
BEEN SOME DAMAGE IN THE PAST AND WE WOULD HATE TO HAVE TO REMOVE
THE CACHE! *******
