This travel bug-rich cache is an easy find on an easy walk. It's
just a few feet off an established trail in a beautiful park in
southern Illinois, minutes from restaurants and the area's only
casino.
In beautiful Fort Massac State Park you'll find a historic site
containing a replica of the 1802 American fort that once was here.
There are two barracks, three block houses, officer quarters, well,
stockade, and a fence. There's an extremely nice visitors center
nearby where you can find a roaring fire by which to sit on nippy
days. There are living history groups periodically and an annual
reenactment, the Massac Encampment, to bring history to life in the
fort. There's also picnicking, boating, and camping within the
park, as well as hunting in season. This property is managed by the
Illinois Department of Natural Resources - they do a great job, as
this is the cleanest park I think I've ever been in! For more
information about the park itself, just go to the visitors center
and ask!
There are two places to park. The best is N37 08.703 W088
42.717; look across the parking lot and follow the trail that
shares its name with a Frenchman. This is the best and prettiest
way to get to the cache. If you're pressed for time or have
difficulty walking, you can park at N 37 08.723 W 088 42.539 and
take the trail connector away from the main road. Please restrict
your cache-hunting to daylight hours, as everyone feels very safe
in this park and people poking around in the dark in the woods
might shake folks up. The cache is just feet from an established
trail. Please stay on the trail until you come to the cache. It is
hidden by the surroundings. One of the agreements to hiding a cache
in this park is to not disturb the natural surroundings, so please
don't get busy trying to camouflage it with sticks, rocks, leaves,
etc. Just put it back the way you found it and it should be
okay.
It's a 30 cal ammo can with a green geocaching sticker on the
side. Original contents are: log book, pencil, stash note; 2005
Turkey Bird TB; WriterGirl signature book; The Boatman signature
boat; Jenstar TB; Tour of Pooh TB; Daniel of the Triplets TB; Mike
& Chloe signature item; Sondad Smile #3 TB; White Jeep TB
"Tatum"; fishinpair signature bobber; Geo.Joe signature item; Team
Firefly Geocoin 2.
The following are required under IDNR guidelines:
1. Geocache is placed on department-managed property with
permission of site superintendent;
2. Do not place the following items in the geocache: food items,
inappropriate, offensive, or hazardous materials.
3. It is the visitor’s responsibility to orient themselves
with policies and rules pertaining to this department-managed
site.
Thanks for looking for the cache and happy hunting!