GC20PH7 Cruz Garcia
Type: Traditional | Size: Regular | Difficulty: | Terrain:
By: Team Bumblebee @ | Hide Date: 10/22/2009 | Status: Available
Country: United States | State: Colorado
Coordinates: N37° 17.411 W107° 06.580 | Last updated: 08/30/2019 | Fav points: 0
                             

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Off Highway 160, go North on North Pagosa Blvd. approximately 4 miles. Just before you reach Mockingbird Rd on your right, there is an un-marked, but clear gravel road to the left. Go up the road, park and start at Gate #5. Coordinates for Gate #5 are: N 37 degrees 17.437'; W 107 degrees 06.333'. The cache is about .5 mile away or less. Please respect the Cruz Garcia area. If/when the cross finally falls, please notify the keeper of the cache. Thank you.

Cache is a green ammo box.

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A certain long time resident of Pagosa Springs is a published cowboy poet and general community activist. During one horseback riding trip, he came upon something kinda special along the trail. Off that trail, back in the brush and timber is a cross on a tree. Once having seen that cross, this particular cowboy couldn’t ignore it and felt compelled to write this poem.


Cruz Garcia

I tip my hat to Cruz Garcia
As I ride this woodland trail.
He came this way and left behind
A weathered cross and untold tale.

Back there in the old growth timber,
Where but few will ever see,
An inscription I’ll long remember
On a cross nailed to a tree.

Cruz Garcia, he died here.
It was in the month of May.
Nineteen hundred and fifty-seven.
The nineteenth was the day.

I asked old timers around Pagosa.
Searched the records all in vain.
Who was this man who perished here
And left no record to explain?

Was he young or was he old?
Was there a family left behind?
Was he a good man or a scoundrel?
Was he wise? Was he kind?

Did he die of natural causes
Or some sudden, chance event?
A lightning strike or bolting horse
Or a logging accident?

I’ll never know the facts surrounding
That wooden cross nailed to the tree.
But having found it and its message
I feel some responsibility.

Someone cared and made that cross.
Perhaps he wanted me to know
About a man no one remembers
Who died near here so long ago.



No man should be so soon forgotten.
And so, I guess, it’s up to me.
This piece of train now draws my mind
To that cross there on the tree.

If you were to watch along this trail
As I ride by you would see
I tip my hat to Cruz Garcia.
I tip my hat in memory.



For the continuation of this saga, go to coordinates. ENJOY!

06/15/2019 By Famiglialancia
This one was really fun.

06/08/2019 By wool1215
Found it! Awesome experience! Took Bessay Shark travel bug!

06/08/2019 By Famiglialancia
Super hard but really fun.

08/28/2018 By 4Luck
Thanks for the hide and the story behind this location.

08/07/2018 By GEOKOENDS
Found it with my cache buddy bobkego
Left TB inside
A pitty there was no other in the box to take with me to Belgium
Tftc GEOKOENDS
7 augustus 2018 17:36

07/26/2018 By Blestmomof6
Up visiting friends here, from Phoenix and decided to grab a few smilies. Read the poem and was hooked! Nice short hike and made a quick find! Very interesting and sad story. Thanks to CO for the cache! Thought there was a TB here but none found. Hopefully taker will log it!

07/26/2018 By Handyman5469
Great story, great cache!

07/26/2018 By chelle455
Guess I spoke to soon on wondering what happened to Mr. G. Rest In Peace sir.