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I'm Late! I'm Late!! LbNA #22789

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Jun 3, 2006
Location:
City:Elgin
County:Kane
State:Illinois
Boxes:1
Planted by:The Cottontails
Found by: shooting starz
Last found:Aug 23, 2017
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Jun 3, 2006
This letterbox was originally created as part of the 2006 Great Lakes Gathering in Delafield, Wisconsin. The theme of the gathering was Wandering in Wonderland. This box has now been permanently placed in Elgin.

Elgin was the home of the Elgin National Watch Company from 1864 until the company closed its doors, in 1964. The factory has since been demolished.

Up until around 1850, watches were made mostly by hand, which meant that if a part broke, you had to find someone with the tools and skill to make a new part. Elgin realized that there was a large market for good watches that could be sold and repaired relatively cheaply using factory made replacement parts that didn't require hand adjusting.

Elgin watches were sold through wholesalers, who called on retail jewelers. The only direct representatives of the company on the road were goodwill men, known as missionaries, who visited retailers to talk about the product. The actual sales were always made by agents of the wholesalers. The company made movements only. Local jewelers cased each watch according to the customer's taste and purse. The company advertised through circulars, almanacs, pictorial engravings, and newspapers. The Elgin watch soon became the standard of elegance and efficiency. The success of the Elgin National Watch Company prompted the formation of competitors elsewhere in the country. Eight rival firms were started in Illinois alone between 1869 and 1885 - two in Chicago and the others in Aurora, Freeport, Rock Island, Peoria, Springfield and Rockford. Only two, the Rockford Watch Company and the Illinois Watch Company of Springfield, were relatively enduring.

Famous faces to own Elgin watches: US President Warren G. Harding, Bonnie & Clyde, Peggy Lee, Jimmy Stewart, Buffalo Bill Cody, William Wrigley, Walter P. Chrysler, Babe Ruth, and Harvey Firestone; just to name a few.
___________________________________________________________

Elgin Historical Society
360 Park Street
Elgin, IL 60120

Hours: March through December, Wednesday through Saturday, 12 – 4pm (except holidays)
Closed: January & February

Admission: $3.00 adults, $1.00 students

Once inside the museum, the room you are looking for is the room dedicated to the Elgin National Watch Company. This room is located on the second floor, and at the end of the hall to the left. All of the answers to the following questions can be found in this room. Pay close attention to the little details. Once you have answered all of the questions, the code will be broken. Using the code, decipher the final phrase to get the “key” for the letterbox.

GOOD LUCK!
___________________________________________________________


1. What is the name of the Elgin National Watch Company’s company publication?

[1___ ___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___ ___] [2___ ___ ___ ___]



2. Who owned the farm that was purchased to become the factory site?

[___ 3___ ___ ___ ___] [___] [___ ___ ___ 4___ ___ ___]



3. Who became known as the “Four Immortals” as a result of their purchase of the farm land?

[___ ___ ___ ___ 5___ ___ ___ ___] [6___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___] ,

[___ ___ ___ 7___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___ 8___ ___ ___] ,

[___ ___ ___ 9___ ___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___ 10___] , and

[11___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___] [___ 12___ ___ ___ 13___ ___]



4. What is the term that describes the process of applying an ornate design on the metal movement?

[___ ___ ___ ___ 14___ ___ 15___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___]



5. According to an advertisement, what was made for Ack-Ack gun shells?

[___ ___ ___ ___ 16___]



6. What did the Elgin National Watch Company build in 1910 to improve the precision of its timepieces?

[___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 17___ ___ ___ ___ ___]



7. Who owns this building now?

[___ ___ 18___ ___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___ ___ ___]

[19___ ___ ___ ___ 20___ ___ ___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___]



8. In which room of the factory were the watch making tools built and repaired?

[___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 21___ ___] [___ 22___ ___ ___]



9. Which department produced the mainsprings and balance wheels?

[___ ___ ___ ___ ___ 23___ ___ ___ ___ 24___]



10. In which room were the gears of the watch produced and assembled?

[___ ___ 25___ ___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___]



11. It would take 60,000 of which watch part to weigh 1 oz?

[___ 26___ ___ 27___ ___ ___]



12. Whose workbench is on display?

[___ 28___ ___] [___ ___ ___ ___]



13. In advertisements before 1900, who was shown abandoning his hourglass for the greater accuracy of an Elgin watch?

[___ ___ ___ 29___ ___ ___] [30___ ___ ___ ___]




Now decipher the code to reveal “key” to retrieve the letterbox. You’ll need to tell the volunteer in the gift shop this phrase.


23___ 6___ 18___ 3___ 21___

2___ 17___ 30___ 26___ 22___ 10___ 14___

5___ 20___ 15___

1___ 12___ 8___ 28___ 19___

24___ 13___

9___ 29___ 27___

16___ 4___ 25___ 7___ 11___ .