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A Tribute to Soldiers LbNA #21509

Owner:jb kokopelli
Plant date:Apr 17, 2006
Location:
City:Rusk
County:Cherokee
State:Texas
Boxes:1
Found by: silverhalos
Last found:May 30, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Apr 17, 2006
Directions:
Coming from Jacksonville, take Highway 69 south to Rusk. From the traffic light in Rusk, go approximately 1.7 miles to Loop 343 (there is a blinking yellow light at the intersection). Go right on Loop 343. Go approximately 1.2 miles to another blinking light, which is Farm Road 752 and turn left. Approximately 0.4 miles from the blinking light, the road will split, follow Farm Road 241 towards Salem to your left. Approximately 0.9 miles from this split you will see a historical marker on the right side of the road. Take a few minutes and stop and read the sign. The letterbox is not at this site, but the marker is quite interesting, because it is the location of a POw camp that housed nearly 3,000 Yankee soldiers during the Civil War. Continue on Farm Road 241 for another 0.7 miles to a chain-linked fence surrounding a cemetery on the right side. This is Salem Cemetery. It is hard to see, so look for Salem Missionary Baptist Church and then start slowing down.

Clues
1. The gate into the cemetery is nearly alway closed, but it is not locked, so go ahead and drive into the cemetery. Follow the paved road around a 90 degree curve to the left. It will turn into a dirt/grass road, but follow it until you cannot go any further. Close to the end of this road is a black wrought iron fence that has the graves of Joseph and Mary Cook who owned the location of Cook's Fort, which served in the Indian Wars. (For more info about Cook's Fort see http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/CC/qbc38.html)

2. Face the barbed wire fence, turn left and walk to a chain-linked fence. At the opening, walk 11 paces (a pace to me is approximately 3 feet) to a medium sized tree. The letterbox is between that medium tree and a small cedar tree under some leaves and sticks.

While you are in the wooded area, you can find a lot of old headstones, so be sure and take a look. If you go on a weekend, you might be also be able to hear the drag races nearby. This cemetery has a lot of headstones of Confederate Soldiers. A lot of brave men fought and died for our young country, and we need to always remember these brave soldiers.

Please recover the box really well and contact me to let me know the condition of the box. ENJOY!!!