Don't Fear the Reaper Traditional Geocache

Cyrus McCormick developed the first successful mechanical reaper here in 1831, and soon became one of America's wealthiest industrialists.

Born in Rockbridge County in 1809, Cyrus McCormick picked up where his father left off in trying to develop a practical, horse-drawn mechanical reaper, and at the age of 22 succeeded in creating a working prototype. With the rush of settlers westward to the open farmland of the prairie, McCormick's invention couldn't have come at a more propitious time. By 1847, he had established a factory in Chicago; eventually his company would become known as International Harvester.

By 1878, a very wealthy Cyrus McCormick returned to Rockbridge County, where today his farm is operated as the Shenandoah Valley Agricultural Research and Extension Center by Virginia Tech.

The cache is a small, camouflaged plastic container at the listed coordinates. Snakes have been spotted near the stream but should not be a problem around the cache. Site management asks that cachers do not descend into the rocky, brushy area -- the cache is reachable from the shorter grass.

This cache is part of a series. The Gems of Rockbridge Geocaching Trail has been developed as part of an Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) grant to enhance the gateway communities along the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway. The grant funds projects that promote sustainable tourism and enhance the local community while protecting the area's natural beauty and cultural heritage.

The Geocaching Trail consists of 10 strategically placed caches highlighting the natural beauty and cultural heritage of Rockbridge County. The first 200 geocachers who complete the trail will receive a commemorative coin featuring the Gems of Rockbridge Geocaching Trail on one side and the 75th Anniversary of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the other side.

How it works: each of the ten caches along the trail contains a question that can be answered from information available near the cache location. Log all 10 caches and answer each of the 10 questions to complete the trail. The first 200 to complete the trail will receive a limited-edition commemorative coin!