Brighton History II: Paul and Lydia's Rest Mystery Cache
Hidden : 4/18/2006
Difficulty:
3 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:

A mystery cache involving finding clues in a graveyard where several prominent historical figures are buried. Part of the Brighton History Cache series.

The above Coordinates mark the location of the best parking spot to visit the graveyard of the St. John’s in the Wilderness Church in Paul Smiths. This spot is the church driveway, so please don’t block the drive and just pull off to the side. You can also park on the side of the road.

VERY IMPORTANT: Please be respectful of the church, its parishioners, and the families whose loved ones are buried here. If there is a wedding, funeral, or other event going on at the church when you arrive, please postpone your visit for another time. Please avoid visiting on Sunday mornings during the summer when services are being held. While at the graveyard, please keep your voices low and avoid treading on flowers or disturbing any grave markers or memorials. Please don't visit at night (may arouse suspicion) and please don't bring your dog to this one. Winter caching is okay.

St. John’s in the Wilderness Church was built as a non-denominational chapel to serve the Paul Smith’s hotel. It is now a seasonal Episcopal Church, holding services only during July and August. You can read about the early history of the church on this website. It is one of the more beautiful and serene churches you’ll see anywhere. Due to the peacefulness and the beauty of this spot, as well as out of respect for those taking their eternal rest in the churchyard, I am asking you to put your GPSr aside while you hunt for the clues; you will not need it until you have gathered enough information to find the coordinates of the final cache location. The graveyard is fairly small so enjoy the opportunity to wander among the headstones and appreciate the rich history of the area represented in the memorials. This will be a fun cache for families – ask the children to help you find the clues and bring along some paper and crayons for gravestone rubbings. Some of the stones are so old and badly damaged by acid rain that that is the only way you can still read them. You will not need to do rubbings to find the clues, however – that’s just an extra fun way to explore the cemetery.

Find the headstone/family memorial for each of the individuals listed below. Then answer the clue to find the final coordinates. It might make things easier to look for them in the order listed below but not necessary.

Albert S. Otis
Albert Otis was a state fire observer on St. Regis Mountain. The fire tower atop St. Regis Mountain was constructed in 1918 and was used by the DEC to spot wildfires until 1990. The fire tower is still visible on the peak from much of the surrounding area.

A: How many letters are in Mr. Otis’s wife’s first name?

Paul and Lydia Smith
Paul Smith's College (just down the road) is named for a man whose famous resort on Lower St. Regis Lake was synonymous with Adirondack hospitality. Many rich and famous people of the late 19th and early 20th centuries gathered to enjoy the mountain wilderness and the comfortable accommodations provided by Apollos A. (Paul) Smith and his wife, Lydia.

For years the hotel was kept intentionally primitive, offering neither bellboys nor indoor bathrooms. It started as a seventeen room inn, though by the start of the 20th century it would grow to 255 rooms with a boathouse with quarters for sixty guides, stables, casino, bowling alley, and a wire to the New York Stock Exchange. It also had woodworking, blacksmith, and electrical shops, a sawmill and a store. Stagecoaches delivered guest to the hotel until 1912, when a short electric railroad connected it to the nearest main line. Smith was a shrewd businessman, and his wife, Lydia, was good at managing the details of the operation. Smith's real estate transactions were legendary—at one point he owned thirty thousand acres. When he sold land, it was generally to his wealthy clientele, many of whom built "Great Camps" on the nearby lakes, using lumber from Smith's mill. Nor was Mrs. Smith less contributory to the success of the resort. Her admirable qualities of womanhood, and genius as housewife and chatelaine, were invaluable in the establishment, and endeared her to all visitors. Smith died in 1912, but the hotel continued under his son, Phelps, until it burned down in 1930. Paul Smith's College was built on the site of the hotel, funded by the estate of Smith's son Phelps, who died in 1937.

B: Find the Smith family monument. On how many sides of the monument are family members listed?

Clifford Pettis
Clifford Robert Pettis was considered the “Father of Reforestation in New York State.” He served as the Superintendent of State Forests from 1910 – 1927.

C: How many years older was Mr. Pettis than his wife?

Charles Minot "Minnie" Dole
Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole founded the National Ski Patrol out of concern for the safety of skiers all over the world. Because of Dole’s vision, NSP members are world renowned for the emergency care and rescue they provide the mountain recreation industry. Dole also convinced the federal War Department of the need for mountaineering trained military troops, which led to the foundation of the Tenth Mountain Division.

D: By how many years did Mr. Dole predecease his wife?

Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau, M.D.
Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau first came to the northern Adirondacks in the late 1800s to visit Paul Smith’s Hotel. Trudeau liked it so much that he summered here and practiced medicine in the hunting camps. He developed tuberculosis as a result of taking care of his brother, who died of the disease. Dr. Trudeau came to live in the Adirondacks, spending much time in the open, and regained his health. Seeking to aid others suffering from tuberculosis, he founded the Trudeau Sanatorium in 1884 at Saranac Lake, where he employed the open-air treatment of the disease and organized the first laboratory for the study of tuberculosis (1894). From then on the facility grew and Saranac Lake became world renown as a health resort. Dr. Trudeau offered humanistic hope for people with tuberculosis at a time when there seemed to be no hope. The sanatorium closed in 1954 for lack of patients, modern methods of early diagnosis and of treatment having drastically reduced incidence of the disease. Dr. Trudeau died in 1915, leaving behind a great legacy which includes the Trudeau Institute.

E: Find the monument in the family plot with the squirrel mounted atop. How many letters are there in the first word? (The saying, idiomatically translated into English, means: 'to cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always' which is a testament to Dr. Trudeau’s medical philosophy.

St. John
The statue of St. John (in the Wilderness) stands behind the chapel.

F: How many books is St. John holding?

Cache Coordinates

N44 C6.B94, W074 FA.D9E

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

va n shaxl ovepu fghzc

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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