Sign Up  /  Login

George and Lettie LbNA #33926

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Aug 8, 2007
Location:
City:Wauconda
County:Lake
State:Illinois
Boxes:1
Planted by:Mr.Charlie
Found by: getn froggy
Last found:Mar 16, 2010
Status:FFFFFFFFa
Last edited:Aug 8, 2007
George Cash was a traveling salesman. He sold radios, telescopes, rare coins, and all the latest technology. While passing through the area one summer day he spotted a young woman hanging laundry out to dry. She was in the process of pinning up a black and white checked hand towel when he approached her. It was love at first sight.

Lettie Erbach was a simple girl. She liked going for walks in the nearby woods and reading adventure stories. Sometimes she worked for her father, the local postmaster.

Lettie’s father did not approve of George and his newfangled ways. He did not want them to meet, and certainly did not want them to be together. George and Lettie saw nothing wrong with each other and decided they needed to elope to be together forever.

One night George saw the prearranged signal, a black and white checkered towel on the fencepost. He parked his carriage behind the Erbach farm. If he went there today he would see that the old homestead is now the Operations and Public Safety Office at the Lakewood Forest Preserve. George parked in what is now a parking lot for the horse trail. He saw the big double outhouse Mr. Erbach had erected. After tying his horses to the hitching post just to the south, he continued a few steps further south and saw the path into the woods.

George followed the deer path into the woods until it reached the water. He turned to the left and followed the shore past the large boulder. Up ahead he could see where the trail went back into the woods. There he stopped for a moment and remembered the instructions Lettie had given him. He carefully reentered the woods, and counted twenty paces along the path to the tree with the bent branch that faced the water to his right. There the path continued on, and George could make out the water through the trees. Forty paces after that he saw where the path was closer to the water again and he stopped at the large oak tree. He enjoyed the view of the pond for a moment before continuing another twelve paces to another large oak tree. Here the woods opened up and the brush was much thinner. The shoreline curved gently away from him to his right as George counted twenty-two paces east from the tree until he saw a fallen tree. The trunk pointed towards the water, but directly in front there was an obstacle in the form of a large tree blocking the way. Smiling at the similarity to his own situation, he stepped off the path and counted seven paces to the crook of the fallen tree. There, where two became one, he found what he sought.

If you follow George’s steps you may find a memory of his journey. This box has been crosslisted on geocaching.com There is a logbook for geocachers to sign, as well as one for stamps.