Dread Pirate Dixie Bull Multi-Cache

Home of the Dixie Bull TB (TB1F2YZ)

THE DREAD PIRATE DIXIE BULL:

New England’s First Pirate was born in London. This English Sea Captain arrived in Boston in 1622. In June 1623, Dixie Bull was trading for furs with Native Americans along the coast of New England, when a roving company of French pirates attacked his Shallop, and seized all of his provisions, leaving him destitute.

He returned to Boston to regain his loses legally through the court system. He became so enraged when the courts failed to restore his fortune, he decided to seek revenge. He persuaded other fishermen, traders and seamen to join him in plundering trading vessels and attacking trading posts along the New England coast to recoup his losses.

Dixie did not discriminate between English or French vessels or trading posts. He became so brazen in his attacks that he would sail into fortified ports and inlets with three ships and all his guns blazing destroying stockades and sacking towns.

His fearlessness manifested itself when one dark night he boldly walked into Fort George in Pemaquid, Maine. He pummeled the soldiers with his fists and opened the doors to let his men in to capture the fort . After he was in control of the fort, he then sacked the area farms.

New Hampshire dispatched 4 ships from the Piscataqua River (now Portsmouth, NH) to capture Dixie after he sacked Fort George. Massachusetts 1st Govenor, John Winthrop joined the hunt by sending five vessels on an expedition against Bull all up and down the New England coast. Dixie was nowhere to be found, and he was never caught.

He disappeared from the New England area in 1633 leaving the makings of a great legend. His legend grew over the years as his story was sung in ballads and told in poems. In 1925 a silent film called “Clothes make the Pirate” was released. The story is of a hen pecked tailor who put on a pirate costume and dreamt of being a pirate. While wearing this costume, he is then mistaken for Dixie Bull, thus, beginning his adventure as a pirate until he meets the real Dread Pirate Dixie Bull.

Some claim Dixie Bull’s ghost still sails the foggy waters off of New England today. Which cove do you think he hid his treasures?

The Cache is an Ammo Can Found on Rock Island also known by locals as ‘The Crusher” Rock Island is one of the last open spaces in Quincy. It juts out of the marshes on Hough’s Neck. It contains volcanic rock that partially morphed into a low grade granite. Geologists have found that Hough’s Neck and rock island contains rock from an ancient Paleozoic lava flow 570 million years old, back when creatures known as Trilobites swam in the waters off of Massachusetts. You can also see Roxbury Pudding Stone that was left over from an ancient riverbed that once covered many places in the Metro Boston area.

There was a quarry here from the late 19th to early 20th century that did not produce high quality stone as in other Quincy granite quarries, so the stone was passed through a crushing machine and barged out to be used as paving stone in Boston. Thus, the locals named it "The Crusher" after the machine.

Rock Island is surrounded by the Rock Island Cove Marshes. These marshes are in the process of being restored to bring back the fish hatcheries that they once were. It is estimated, that 71% of all dockside fish from the Atlantic are derived directly or indirectly from coastal marshes!

Hough’s Neck has close to 170 acres of salt marsh wetlands surrounded by almost 7 miles of coastline. Hough's Neck earned its nickname "Flounder Capital of the World", due to the area's rich recreational sport fishing grounds. In the 1980's, fisherman from all over the eastern Seaboard traveled to Hough's Neck by the "busload" to fish for Cod, Bluefish, Haddock, Striped Bass and of course, FLOUNDER! Over the years, blockage of tidal flow into the marshes has lead to a slow death for the salt marshes and a disappearance of sport fish.

Quincy is in the process of dredging channels and replacing pumping stations that will restore tidal flow into the area marshes. The town also plans on adding scenic overlooks, with benches, interpretive and educational signage and a few Osprey towers. With these improvements the marshes will fill with small fry fish that will again attract game fish, waterfowl, and nature lovers.

The Surrounding area is known as Hough’s Neck which gets its name from Atherton Hough who was the mayor of Boston, England. He left his home to come to America because of religious persecution.

A short time after Dixie Bull disappeared from the New England waters, Hough was elected assistant to John Winthrop, the governor of Massachusetts in 1635, and allotted 600 acres of land - which later was named after him. In the nineteenth century, Hough's Neck became one of the premier summer resorts in the Boston area, served by trolley lines and steamers. The summer visitors built cottages which, over time, were converted to year-round residences.

Enjoy your visit as you search for the cache and help restore this area with a little loving CITO.

You access this area by taking Kilby St off of Sea St at 42 15.747N 070 58.399W. There is a sign for the pumping station at the End of Kilby St. This takes you up onto the dike for a short distance and then you take a Right onto Rhoda Street. Cross the Culvert and pull over as far as possible. You will see trails onto Rock Island. Caution with children near the quarry, and muggles riding dirt bikes. PLease hide final totally. Many teen muggles around.

There is a Navy Military Challenge Coin for the FTF prize.