Abner H. McCormick, Deputy Surveyor, placed a “cache” here in 1848. It is very likely that he and his crew were the first non-native Americans to visit this place. Over time, undoubtedly all remnants of his “cache” have succumbed to the elements. The original “cache” has been replaced with a large ammo can.
The original plat, copy shown below, is located in a climate controlled vault in a government building at an undisclosed location.
The difficulty rating of 5 stars for this cache is mostly based on the puzzle solution.
FAQs
Has Postpile been in the vault?
Yes
Do I need to visit the vault to determine the cache location?
No
Do I need to team with Benjamin Gates to steal the original plat to look for secret coded messages on the back side?
See question above
Who is Benjamin Gates?
He stole the Declaration of Independence
Really?
In a movie
What if I cannot read all the data on the plat at the top of this page?
I will leave a hard copy of the plat at the cache
How will that help me?
It won’t
Why are there no roads shown on the plat?
They did not exist at that time
Why is the Hillsborough River divided into so many channels as shown on the plat?
See Seventeen Runs
Is this cache located near the cache Seventeen Runs?
Define near
Within one mile?
No
Within two miles?
Yes
Should I look for the Prairie shown on the plat?
If you find it, let me know
Who was the Surveyor General that approved this plat?
Robert A. Butler
When did he approve this plat?
02/19/1849
Is the date going to help me solve this puzzle?
Maybe
What do the numbers 80.23 and 80.10 to the east and west of the cache location represent?
Chains
What is a chain?
There are 7.92 inches in a link and 100 links in a chain
Say what?
Do the math
Is “Sec” an abbreviation?
Yes
For what?
Southeastern Conference, Go Gators
Anything else?
Yes
What?
Section
Did Mr. McCormick determine the latitude and longitude of his “cache”?
No
Has anyone else established the latitude and longitude of the this place?
Yes
Who?
Postpile
How?
??????
How close is Postpile’s location to Mr. McCormick’s location?
Probably within 300 feet.
Which is the correct location?
Mr. McCormick’s
Why?
He was there first
Does it matter?
Not to you
What should I do if I find Mr. McCormick’s “cache”?
Do not disturb it and send me an email
How did Mr. McCormick get there?
He probably walked, he may have had a horse
How will I get there?
Walk or ride a horse
Why place a cache here?
The terrain here is somewhere between a park & grab and Fear Factor
Do I need to get wet?
Probably not
Will I get wet?
Probably not
Can I get wet?
Probably
Is there an easy way to the cache?
Define easy
Is there an easy way to the cache by Postpile’s standards?
Yes
Is there a hard way to the cache?
Yes
Which do you prefer?
If you have to ask, you have not done many of my caches
Where exactly is the cache?
See photo below
How big is the tree in the above photo?
About 3 feet in diameter
How long is the fallen palm?
Very long
What will I see from the cache at dusk?
See photo below
If the park is open until 7 pm in mid February, does that mean it will still be light out when I head back to my car at 6:45 pm?
Hardly
Will any of the answers to these questions actually help me find the cache?
Some
If you have any other questions send me an email. I may add them to the list.
You can check to see if your answer is within 100 feet at GeoChecker.com.