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Ruff and Reddy LbNA #9800

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Mar 1, 2004
Location:
City:Rough and Ready
County:Nevada
State:California
Boxes:2
Planted by:Letterboxspector
Found by: Children of the Forest
Last found:Dec 5, 2020
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUF
Last edited:Mar 1, 2004
Originally planted by Jiggs March '04
Adopted 8-03-04

Degree of Difficulty – easy.
Distance – about 1 mile round trip.
Est. Time – about 1 hour.
Terrain – generally flat and paved, with a paved uphill climb to the cemetery. The cemetery has a gravel footpath with access via a gate in the fence.
Accessibility – accessible, except as noted above.

The town of Rough and Ready, CA was established in late 1849 after the discovery of gold there. Despite all sorts of colorful stories and folklore, the town actually was named in honor of General (later president) Zachary “Rough and Ready” Taylor, and not the rough and tumble miners who frequented the local hotels!

Rough and Ready has the distinction of being the first town to secede from the USA, having declared themselves a republic in 1850 in a tax dispute. The “republic” lasted three months before the idea was abandoned in favor of a 4th of July celebration! The town suffered a series of disastrous fires in the 1850s. Because of the last one in 1859, the population quickly declined. However, not all folks left. Today there are about 1500 souls that call Rough and Ready home. Some of the buildings from that time period still survive, including the blacksmith shop and opera house.

On Sundays the Rough and Ready Fruit Pickers band performs in front of the opera house. Admission (and jamming) is free. When you’re done pop into the general store for a quick bite or drink!

Ruff and Reddy are cartoon characters created in the 1950’s by the Hanna-Barbera studios. The cartoon show featured a brainy cat, Ruff, and a brainless dog, Reddy. Teamed with the kindly Professor Gismo, they faced such evil-doers as Killer and Diller, the terrible Texas twins, Captain Greedy and Salt Water Daffy, the chicken-hearted Chickasaurus, the Goon of Glocca Morra and others in various madcap adventures. Like the town, they have faded into obscurity, but are not forgotten!

To the Letterboxes:

Note: this a two-part stamp, intended to be used next to each other.

Box #1 Ruff

Take Hwy 20 East from Marysville and travel about 29 miles, or take Hwy 20 West from Grass Valley for about 3 miles.

Turn north on Rough and Ready Hwy (at the lights). If you see the “welcome to Penn Valley” sign you’re going in the wrong direction!!
Continue north for 2 miles, until you see the green city sign. Stop, get out and take a picture, displaying your best “Rough and Ready” pose. Grrr!

Continue on a short distance until you enter the town center. You’ll see the general store to your right and the old opera house to your left. If you’re here at any time other than Sunday afternoon, there’s all sorts of parking. On Sundays you can park across the street at the post office. Locate the blacksmith shop. There’s a wagon path to the north. Take this and check out the logging wagon. Proceed 41 steps to the north. To your left is a three-trunked tree. The box is buried under leaves and twigs at the base on the north side. Be discreet, and ensure the box is completely covered.

Box #2 Reddy

This leg can either be covered on foot or by car. Either way, take your time and enjoy your trip into the past! From the blacksmith shop continue north on the highway for about 1/8 of a mile until you see the cemetery sign. Follow this road up the hill for about 1/8 of a mile. You’ll see the entrance to your right. This is an active public cemetery, so please act accordingly. Enter via the gate in the fence, usually the pedestrian one. Make your way to the back of the cemetery. Find the black granite marker for Mr and Mrs McFalls. The box is due north of the marker, behind the tree and underneath a couple of rocks against the fence.

Please let us know when you’ve found or not found these boxes!