"The Goldbug Series" LbNA #16394
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Add Location| Owner: | Adoptable |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jul 7, 2005 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Kensington |
| County: | Smith |
| State: | Kansas |
| Boxes: | 4 |
| Planted by: | Rad Rhymer  |
|---|---|
| Found by: | Eidolon (2) |
| Last found: | Oct 5, 2014 |
| Status: | FFFFF |
| Last edited: | Oct 13, 2015 |
My old hometown of Kensington, Kansas brings many fond memories of my high school days and the excitement of rooting for the Kensington Goldbugs basketball and football teams. My friends and I rode our bikes to this popular roadside park many times, which is why I chose to plant the Goldbug Series in this location.
One of the letterboxes in this series is a micro box.
Happy hunting!
NOTICE! THESE CLUES HAVE BEEN REVISED!
Perhaps you have read the short story entitled, “The Gold-Bug,” by Edgar Allen Poe, written in the year of 1843. The story tells of the time Mr. Poe, his friend Mr. William Legrand, and a black gentleman by the name of Jupiter, embarked on an exciting treasure hunt, toting a beetle known as a Gold-Bug, attached to a string on the end of a stick. Mr. Legrand sent Jupiter to the top of a tall tree, with the bug, and instructed him to drop the bug through the left eye of a skull, which was nailed to a high limb in the tree. Just below the hanging bug, was the potential spot where the treasure was buried, and the three gentlemen promptly dug up the huge chest filled with treasures, consisting of millions of dollars worth of gold and priceless jewels. These, they divided and took to their homes.
This story presumably took place on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina. However, there’s one tiny piece of information missing, that isn’t told in any story. I’m talking about a priceless ruby necklace, an lovely emerald ring, a black velvet pearl studded purse, and a small diamond gemstone that no one knew was missing, and to this day, not a soul knows they have disappeared!
Where did they go? Well, I’m about to tell you! First of all, has anyone heard of the Kensington Goldbugs? I didn’t think so. Kensington is a small town in western Kansas that was established in 1887, only 44 years after Mr. Poe wrote “The Gold-Bug.” That small town is well known as the Home of the Goldbugs, and that’s where Mr. Poe’s story ends and this one begins. Now, I’ll admit, some of my stories are a little far out and not necessarily truthful, but believe me, this one is deadly serious and very much down to earth. It is a strictly no-nonsense type of story and is not to be taken lightly.
It all started with these four lousy pack rats, Oscar, Fredrick, Horace and Augustine, the most foul smelling, underhanded, sneaky old varmints that ever carted off your long underwear! It seems they snuck into old Mr. Legrands hut one night while he was busy soaking his corns in a galvanized dishpan, and the dirty rats invaded that treasure chest that was setting there in the corner. Those rats were positively elated when they feasted their eyes on all those bright, shiny, colorful stones and gold pieces. Of course they could only pack one thing at a time, so Oscar chose a beautiful, heart shaped, ruby necklace and scurried off with it. Well, Fredrick decided he liked the emerald ring, so he tucked it into his mouth and off he went, right behind Oscar. Horace was next. He couldn’t decide between the gold bracelet and the pretty black velvet purse studded with pearls, but he finally grabbed the purse and took off like a streak. Augustine was last. He spied a small diamond gemstone and he wasted no time in grabbing it. Then he raced to catch up with his buddies.
Well, those rats had gotten wind of the fact that the town of Kensington was called Goldbug Country, so those conniving rodents figured this might be a good place to hide their loot, and at the same time, perhaps they could catch another one of those magnificent Gold-Bugs. If they could accomplish their mission, chances were their newly found bug would lead them to their own wonderful treasure. Therefore, off they scurried to that small Kansas town. They took off down Highway 36 east from Phillipsburg, on past Agra, and soon they approached their destination. They knew they were at Kensington when they saw the sign just west of town, which read, “Home of the Goldbugs,”
Well, the road into town turned south, but those rats scurried on past when they spotted the Country Corner convenience store at the corner on the north side of 36 Highway. They were hungry, so they quietly sneaked inside the store, nibbled on a few cheese puffs, left their calling cards (don’t ask what that consisted of) then scampered on down the highway east a short distance until they reached Kensington’s small road-side park on the south side of the highway. They turned south, into the park at the west entrance. There stood a stop sign at the corner where they turned, and beside the stop sign and also across the road west of the stop sign, stood a steel post bearing a reflector. From the post on the west, they followed the short black wooden posts which led south, then curved west. There on the right, beside a small tree, were some rocks. Oscar immediately raced over to investigate. “Aha!” he cried. “This is where I’ll hide my ruby necklace!” He picked up a rock and shoved his precious loot underneath where it was protected from prying eyes. Quite satisfied with himself, he spied a large flat stump standing beside a tall tree to the northeast, and he scampered off, climbed atop the stump and happily started munching on a moldy toadstool.
Well, Horace spied some picnic tables, but he didn’t have time to rest. He had a velvet purse to hide! He scurried north just a few feet and crept onto the square cement slab with an open bonfire grate in the center of the slab, and four cement benches surrounding it. Then he happened to look off to the northeast and that’s when he spied the small white building. He immediately scampered off to check it out. “Maybe I can hide my pearl studded purse in here!” Horace thought excitedly, but when he tried the door, he found it was locked. Therefore, he sniffed around a bit, crept to the north corner on the front of the house, then turned east and scurried about three paces, sniffing at the foundation all the way. “Why, sakes alive!” he suddenly declared, as his nose collided with a piece of a cement block setting in front of a short strip of cement foundation.. “I do believe I should investigate this situation!" Then, mustering all his strength, he managed to move the cement piece and found a simply wonderful hole behind it, which appeared to be a perfect hiding place for his treasured pearl studded purse. Carefully, he placed the purse inside, then, shoved the block back where he found it. Wearily, he plopped down in the grass and started picking the cheese out of his teeth.
Well, unknown to Horace, Frederick was slowly following him, with his emerald ring clutched tightly between his teeth. Now, Frederick was quite overweight, and a bit on the lazy side, so when he saw where Horace hid the purse, he thought just maybe there was room in there for his ring too. That way, he wouldn't have to look for a hiding place of his own. He waddled over to the building, but, alas! He was too late! Horace had replaced the piece of cement in front of the hole, and Frederick decided it would be too much work to move it. "Well!" he muttered, disgustedly, "I dare say, this sucks!" He sniffed around a bit, then went on east a few feet until he got to the back corner of the building. He cautiously peeked behind the building, and there toward the south end of the building sat a rock! "Well, bless my pointed tail!" he exclaimed. All I have to do is hide my ring behind that rock!" He slowly approached it, sniffed it a time or two, and thought "Hmmmm...If I hide my ring behind this rock, someone will surely see it. If I hide it UNDER the rock, that means I will have to lift the rock, and that will take a lot of energy!" It was a frightening situation, indeed, however, time was running out, so with all the strength he could muster, Frederick tipped the rock ever so slightly, and shoved his precious emerald ring underneath, then shuffled his way to a picnic table and crawled underneath. There he lay, frantically gasping for breath!
Now, for dear old Augustine! He had been watching Horace and Frederick with much interest, so he raced over to the building too. However, he had no intentions of hiding his diamond gemstone so close to their hiding places. He stood there gazing at the highway north of him, then, started walking slowly toward it. He walked about 50 paces, then, stopped when he reached the metal guard rail at the side of the highway. His diamond gemstone was so small it was easy to hide. He carefully tucked it inside the first post of the guard rail then skittered merrily away, quite proud of himself for having such a magnetic idea.
Well, after a short rest, those four pesky rats held a meeting, and together, they decided to search the park from top to bottom, in hopes of finding another Gold-Bug. As far as I know, they’re still ratting around in that park, skittering here and there, sniffing the place out, frantically looking for more of those wonderful beetles. Well...all except Frederick, of course. He crawled under a tree and fell fast asleep. Anyhow, even after all these years, their treasures are still well hidden in that small piece of Goldbug territory. If you look really hard, perhaps you can find them. However, be quick and discreet, because, some beady little eyes might be watching you, and those pack rats have very sharp teeth!
P.S. Some folks believe that the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe is lurking in that park. I’m not sure if I believe this or not, but just in case you should happen to run into him, please don’t tell him who wrote the ending to his story.
One of the letterboxes in this series is a micro box.
Happy hunting!
NOTICE! THESE CLUES HAVE BEEN REVISED!
Perhaps you have read the short story entitled, “The Gold-Bug,” by Edgar Allen Poe, written in the year of 1843. The story tells of the time Mr. Poe, his friend Mr. William Legrand, and a black gentleman by the name of Jupiter, embarked on an exciting treasure hunt, toting a beetle known as a Gold-Bug, attached to a string on the end of a stick. Mr. Legrand sent Jupiter to the top of a tall tree, with the bug, and instructed him to drop the bug through the left eye of a skull, which was nailed to a high limb in the tree. Just below the hanging bug, was the potential spot where the treasure was buried, and the three gentlemen promptly dug up the huge chest filled with treasures, consisting of millions of dollars worth of gold and priceless jewels. These, they divided and took to their homes.
This story presumably took place on Sullivan’s Island near Charleston, South Carolina. However, there’s one tiny piece of information missing, that isn’t told in any story. I’m talking about a priceless ruby necklace, an lovely emerald ring, a black velvet pearl studded purse, and a small diamond gemstone that no one knew was missing, and to this day, not a soul knows they have disappeared!
Where did they go? Well, I’m about to tell you! First of all, has anyone heard of the Kensington Goldbugs? I didn’t think so. Kensington is a small town in western Kansas that was established in 1887, only 44 years after Mr. Poe wrote “The Gold-Bug.” That small town is well known as the Home of the Goldbugs, and that’s where Mr. Poe’s story ends and this one begins. Now, I’ll admit, some of my stories are a little far out and not necessarily truthful, but believe me, this one is deadly serious and very much down to earth. It is a strictly no-nonsense type of story and is not to be taken lightly.
It all started with these four lousy pack rats, Oscar, Fredrick, Horace and Augustine, the most foul smelling, underhanded, sneaky old varmints that ever carted off your long underwear! It seems they snuck into old Mr. Legrands hut one night while he was busy soaking his corns in a galvanized dishpan, and the dirty rats invaded that treasure chest that was setting there in the corner. Those rats were positively elated when they feasted their eyes on all those bright, shiny, colorful stones and gold pieces. Of course they could only pack one thing at a time, so Oscar chose a beautiful, heart shaped, ruby necklace and scurried off with it. Well, Fredrick decided he liked the emerald ring, so he tucked it into his mouth and off he went, right behind Oscar. Horace was next. He couldn’t decide between the gold bracelet and the pretty black velvet purse studded with pearls, but he finally grabbed the purse and took off like a streak. Augustine was last. He spied a small diamond gemstone and he wasted no time in grabbing it. Then he raced to catch up with his buddies.
Well, those rats had gotten wind of the fact that the town of Kensington was called Goldbug Country, so those conniving rodents figured this might be a good place to hide their loot, and at the same time, perhaps they could catch another one of those magnificent Gold-Bugs. If they could accomplish their mission, chances were their newly found bug would lead them to their own wonderful treasure. Therefore, off they scurried to that small Kansas town. They took off down Highway 36 east from Phillipsburg, on past Agra, and soon they approached their destination. They knew they were at Kensington when they saw the sign just west of town, which read, “Home of the Goldbugs,”
Well, the road into town turned south, but those rats scurried on past when they spotted the Country Corner convenience store at the corner on the north side of 36 Highway. They were hungry, so they quietly sneaked inside the store, nibbled on a few cheese puffs, left their calling cards (don’t ask what that consisted of) then scampered on down the highway east a short distance until they reached Kensington’s small road-side park on the south side of the highway. They turned south, into the park at the west entrance. There stood a stop sign at the corner where they turned, and beside the stop sign and also across the road west of the stop sign, stood a steel post bearing a reflector. From the post on the west, they followed the short black wooden posts which led south, then curved west. There on the right, beside a small tree, were some rocks. Oscar immediately raced over to investigate. “Aha!” he cried. “This is where I’ll hide my ruby necklace!” He picked up a rock and shoved his precious loot underneath where it was protected from prying eyes. Quite satisfied with himself, he spied a large flat stump standing beside a tall tree to the northeast, and he scampered off, climbed atop the stump and happily started munching on a moldy toadstool.
Well, Horace spied some picnic tables, but he didn’t have time to rest. He had a velvet purse to hide! He scurried north just a few feet and crept onto the square cement slab with an open bonfire grate in the center of the slab, and four cement benches surrounding it. Then he happened to look off to the northeast and that’s when he spied the small white building. He immediately scampered off to check it out. “Maybe I can hide my pearl studded purse in here!” Horace thought excitedly, but when he tried the door, he found it was locked. Therefore, he sniffed around a bit, crept to the north corner on the front of the house, then turned east and scurried about three paces, sniffing at the foundation all the way. “Why, sakes alive!” he suddenly declared, as his nose collided with a piece of a cement block setting in front of a short strip of cement foundation.. “I do believe I should investigate this situation!" Then, mustering all his strength, he managed to move the cement piece and found a simply wonderful hole behind it, which appeared to be a perfect hiding place for his treasured pearl studded purse. Carefully, he placed the purse inside, then, shoved the block back where he found it. Wearily, he plopped down in the grass and started picking the cheese out of his teeth.
Well, unknown to Horace, Frederick was slowly following him, with his emerald ring clutched tightly between his teeth. Now, Frederick was quite overweight, and a bit on the lazy side, so when he saw where Horace hid the purse, he thought just maybe there was room in there for his ring too. That way, he wouldn't have to look for a hiding place of his own. He waddled over to the building, but, alas! He was too late! Horace had replaced the piece of cement in front of the hole, and Frederick decided it would be too much work to move it. "Well!" he muttered, disgustedly, "I dare say, this sucks!" He sniffed around a bit, then went on east a few feet until he got to the back corner of the building. He cautiously peeked behind the building, and there toward the south end of the building sat a rock! "Well, bless my pointed tail!" he exclaimed. All I have to do is hide my ring behind that rock!" He slowly approached it, sniffed it a time or two, and thought "Hmmmm...If I hide my ring behind this rock, someone will surely see it. If I hide it UNDER the rock, that means I will have to lift the rock, and that will take a lot of energy!" It was a frightening situation, indeed, however, time was running out, so with all the strength he could muster, Frederick tipped the rock ever so slightly, and shoved his precious emerald ring underneath, then shuffled his way to a picnic table and crawled underneath. There he lay, frantically gasping for breath!
Now, for dear old Augustine! He had been watching Horace and Frederick with much interest, so he raced over to the building too. However, he had no intentions of hiding his diamond gemstone so close to their hiding places. He stood there gazing at the highway north of him, then, started walking slowly toward it. He walked about 50 paces, then, stopped when he reached the metal guard rail at the side of the highway. His diamond gemstone was so small it was easy to hide. He carefully tucked it inside the first post of the guard rail then skittered merrily away, quite proud of himself for having such a magnetic idea.
Well, after a short rest, those four pesky rats held a meeting, and together, they decided to search the park from top to bottom, in hopes of finding another Gold-Bug. As far as I know, they’re still ratting around in that park, skittering here and there, sniffing the place out, frantically looking for more of those wonderful beetles. Well...all except Frederick, of course. He crawled under a tree and fell fast asleep. Anyhow, even after all these years, their treasures are still well hidden in that small piece of Goldbug territory. If you look really hard, perhaps you can find them. However, be quick and discreet, because, some beady little eyes might be watching you, and those pack rats have very sharp teeth!
P.S. Some folks believe that the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe is lurking in that park. I’m not sure if I believe this or not, but just in case you should happen to run into him, please don’t tell him who wrote the ending to his story.