Why no "Historical" cache category?

[+Team Og Rof A Klaw]

A newbie question. I've searched for articles with "historical" in the title on this subforum, and finding none, decided to pose it myself.

 

For a variety of reasons, it seems like there's a recurring problem with historical places being designated as virtual caches. Now, it seems to me that that's unfortunate. The sport would be a natural way to enjoy and teach history. Why not create a special category for historical virtual caches?

 

The major problems with designating historic spots seem to be:

 

* Virtual caches block out other kinds for a 0.1 mile radius.

 

* Some less than scrupulous individuals are doing their research for VCs on the Web rather than on foot.

 

(And possibly others; I don't claim that this list is exhaustive.)

 

But these don't appear like impossible barriers. The first can be corrected by whoever is setting up the rules. Just state that historical caches are allowed within the 0.1 mile radius of other kinds.

 

The second, well, is human nature. But there are a variety of sports that assume that the participants are basically honest. Birdwatching is one; some games that are played by mail are another.

 

One solution used in such sports is to make cheating not be worth it. This could be done with historical caches as well, by using a "null approval process." If everything gets approved, then cheating is just not worthwhile.

 

Coexistence of "assumed honest" and "must be verified" variants of the game is possible, by separating the scores for each. In other words, you'd have two total cache scores: one for the "assumed honest" variants and one for the "must verify" variants.

 

I give this idea about a 10% chance of going anywhere, but what the heck, it's only electrons.

 

Cheers,

- Steve.

 

____________________________

- Team Og Rof A Klaw

All who wander are not lost.

[+Logscaler and Red]

Something like this?

[+erik88l-r]

That's really excellent, logscaler. I didn't open all the cache links but the half dozen I did look at were physical caches.

 

No offense intended to those who like virtuals, but I did like seeing the history lessons coupled with a hunt for a traditional cache.

 

~erik~

[+Nurse Dave]

If you can put a regular cache within .1 mile then you can use the historical place as a start of a multi that ends at the regular cache. This is the prefered way to handle a situation where you want people to see a spot where you can't put a cache, but a good cache area is nearby.

 

---Real men cache in shorts.

[+Logscaler and Red]

Yes NurseDave, That is the way a couple of my OHL caches are set up. You have to use some information from the sign to get numbers for the next stop. I also have just a micro sign in sheet at two of them as there was no where close to put in a cache without putting it on private property.

 

We have drove past dozens of the signs but I want to leave room for someone else to plant caches also. But I will only wait so long.

 

Oh, Team Og Rof A Klaw, I have researched several out of state Virts and have sent the right answers also. I just have not logged a find. Just showing that it can be done. That is a reason I always have something that needs to be located at the site that can not be found on the web to varify the find.

 

logscaler.

 

[This message was edited by logscaler on May 31, 2003 at 03:10 PM.]

[+Team Og Rof A Klaw]

quote:

---

If you can put a regular cache within .1 mile then you can use the historical place as a start of a multi that ends at the regular cache. This is the prefered way to handle a situation where you want people to see a spot where you can't put a cache, but a good cache area is nearby.

---

Works great if you want to set the cache up as the reward of the hunting. Works exactly backward if you want to set the historical site up as the reward.

 

____________________________

- Team Og Rof A Klaw

All who wander are not lost.

[Moun10Bike]

quote:

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Originally posted by Team Og Rof A Klaw:

 

Works great if you want to set the cache up as the reward of the hunting. Works exactly backward if you want to set the historical site up as the reward.

---

 

Historical sites make for some of the most memorable and interesting caches that I've found. However, the opportunity of hunting a cache - rather than simply visiting a point of interest - is what drew me to these spots initially, and is what Geocaching.com is all about. If you want to lead people to interesting spots but want to do so without having the geocaching aspect play a part, then there are other sites better suited to what you have in mind - waypoint.org, for example.

 

[+Renegade Knight]

To answer the questions posed as the thread title.

 

A virtual cache covers historical as well as other types. Historical is not enough different from any other kind of virtual cache catagory to be something other than a virtual cache.

 

This website looks at the type of hunt you are doing to determine what kind of cache it is. Not what you are hunting specifically.

 

=====================

Wherever you go there you are.

[+DustyJacket]

I wonder.

Rather than a 'historical virtual' classification, how about some sort of 'historical site' flag that would work equally as well for virtuals, micros, or regular caches?

 

Every now and then, I want to go see some historical areas. Other times I just want to troop through the woods for a few hours.

 

DustyJacket

Not all those that wander are lost. But in my case...

[+Mopar]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Moun10Bike:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Team Og Rof A Klaw:

 

Works great if you want to set the cache up as the reward of the hunting. Works exactly backward if you want to set the historical site up as the reward.

---

 

Historical sites make for some of the most memorable and interesting caches that I've found. However, the opportunity of hunting a cache - rather than simply visiting a point of interest - is what drew me to these spots initially, and is what Geocaching.com is all about. If you want to lead people to interesting spots but want to do so without having the geocaching aspect play a part, then there are other sites better suited to what you have in mind - waypoint.org, for example.

---

Yeah, what Moun10Bike said.

I am a huge history buff. Heck, some people may notice I usually cache in a "Army of the Potomac" jacket, but that doesn't mean every civil war related spot should be or needs to be a geocache. If I want to reseach and explore a battlefield, I will check books and websites for that info. If I want to find a cache with my GPS, I come here.

Sounds like you have a great idea for a new website, maybe GPShistory.com is available?

People could submit the coordinates to various historical sites. You could have different icons for burial sites, old homes, battlefields, famous people monuments, etc.

Other people go out and find these places with a gps and take pictures.

Sounds like a really great idea! Let me know when you have the site up and running, I probably have a few hundred waypoints already saved I could post there.

I would love to see GPShistory.com. Even more, I would really love to see someone take the time to create a new GPS game, rather then spend so much time and effort trying to change the one we already play here. (not meaning you personally Og Rof A Klaw, just people in general)

 

Tae-Kwon-Leap is not a path to a door, but a road leading forever towards the horizon.

[+The Leprechauns]

"Historical" would make a good cache attribute, but not a good cache type. That's because a historical cache will fit within one of the existing cache types (virtual, traditional, locationless, etc.) and it is desireable to keep the number of cache types down to a minimum. As a cache attribute, like "dog friendly" or "handicapped accessible," I'm all for it. There are plenty of good caches that happen to have a historical angle to them. They're among my favorites. But they're still part of a game called geocaching.

 

Cache attributes are almost certain to be a feature of the new geocaching.com. It may be a bit late to add this one to the list of attributes, but who knows? It's easier to add an attribute than a cache type.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Some mornings, it just doesn't pay to chew through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips

[+Gaddiel]

quote:

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Originally posted by The Leprechauns:

"Historical" would make a good cache _attribute_, but not a good cache _type._ That's because a historical cache will fit within one of the existing cache types (virtual, traditional, locationless, etc.) and it is desireable to keep the number of cache types down to a minimum. As a cache attribute, like "dog friendly" or "handicapped accessible," I'm all for it. There are plenty of good caches that happen to have a historical angle to them. They're among my favorites. But they're still part of a game called geocaching.

 

Cache attributes are almost certain to be a feature of the new geocaching.com. It may be a bit late to add this one to the list of attributes, but who knows? It's easier to add an attribute than a cache type.

 

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Some mornings, it just doesn't pay to chew through the leather straps. - Emo Phillips

---

 

Absolutely! I like the "attribute" concept as well. This would also give us the opportunity to post other features of the cache that one might want to include. Specifically I'm thinking of things such as parking coords, whether the cache is stroller/wheelchair accessible, length of hike, etc... Not that you would HAVE to put these in, but to have that option would be nice.

[+Web-ling]

How about an entirely different category - like benchmarks - for hunting locations in the National Register of Historic Places database and similar databases in other countries?