Come on a journey to remember and commemorate
the history and travels of Captain John
Smith!
Over four
hundred years ago, Englishman John Smith and a small crew set out
in an open boat to explore the Chesapeake Bay. Between 1607 and
1609 Smith mapped and documented nearly 3,000 miles of the Bay and
its rivers. Along the way he visited many thriving American Indians
communities and gathered information about this “fruitful and
delightsome land.” In December 2006 the U.S. Congress
designated the routes of Smith’s explorations of the
Chesapeake as a national historic trail—the first national
water trail.
Are you ready
to follow in the wake of Captain John Smith? Visit sites along the
National Historic Trail and learn about the native cultures and the
natural environment of the 17th-century Chesapeake through the
Captain John Smith Chesapeake Geotrail. The Trail provides
opportunities for you to experience the Bay through the routes and
places associated with Smith’s explorations. Caches will be
located in museums, refuges, parks, and towns in Virginia, Maryland
and Delaware along the rivers and creeks that Smith and his crew
explored four centuries
ago.
The Captain
John Smith (CJS) Geotrail launched June 4, 2011 with over 40 caches
within Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. A trackable geo coin will
be awarded to the first 400 geocachers, while supplies last, for
locating at least 15 CJS caches. To be eligible for the coin,
geocachers must download a passport from either the CJS Geotrail or Maryland Geocaching Society website.
Geocachers must find and log at least 15 finds, record the code
word from each cache on their passport and post a picture of
themselve at each cache location. After discovering the 15 required
caches, geocachers may have thier passports validated in person or
via mail at the National Park Service, Chesapeake Bay Office
located at 410 Severn Ave, Suite 314, Annapolis, MD 21403. Please
refer to the passport for complete validation instructions.
Participating in the CJS geotrail is fun and we
hope that many people join in. However, it is not a requirement for
logging your find on this cache once you find the
container.
You
are seeking a traditional hide, Lock & Lock container stocked
with CJS swag. Please no night caching!
John Smith sailed by the site of Urbanna in early August of 1608,
marking down the Indian town of Opisopank. What became of the town,
its inhabitants, the Nimcocks, is something of a mystery. John
Smith was the only person to mention the town, and there is just
one reference to the Nimcocks, in 1649, when Captain Ralph Wormeley
patented 3,200 acres of Rosegill “. . . on the S. side of
Rappahannock Riv. about 10 mile up the river, including the Indians
Townes of old & new Nimcock.” In 1705, part of Rosegill
was designated an official port town by the House of Burgesses.
They selected the name Urbanna, meaning “City of Anne,”
in honor of Queen Anne of England, who had ascended to the throne
in 1702.
Today, visitors can sail or motor up to the Urbanna Town Marina,
which offers a variety of services for boats of all sizes. From the
docks, visitors can explore the Historic District, with over 60
historic houses, a colonial courthouse, two 18th century residence,
and a rare surviving 1760’s brick storehouse known as the Old
Tobacco Warehouse. Urbanna has been known for its oysters for a
century, and has been hosting an oyster festival since 1958 during
the first weekend of November – an event to plan your trip
around!
Thanks to Tmberwuf65 for helping with this hide and to the
Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting with this project!
Please note: This cache will be maintained by staff of the
location.