Christopher Columbus and the Leap Day Miracle LbNA #74404
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Add Location| Owner: | Boots Tex  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Feb 28, 2020 |
| Location: | South Lake Bastrop Park, 375 S. Shore Road, Bastrop, Texas |
| City: | Bastrop |
| County: | Bastrop |
| State: | Texas |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Giggle Dragon |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Dec 30, 2022 |
| Status: | FFFF |
| Last edited: | Mar 5, 2020 |
Christopher Columbus and the Leap Day Miracle
On Monday, February 26, in the year 1504, Christopher Columbus found himself in a pickle. Nine months earlier he had become marooned on the island that we now know as Jamaica, his ship fatally damaged by a woodworm epidemic. Fortunately, the native people – Arawak Indians – were friendly and were happy to provide food and shelter for Columbus and his crew. At first. But as the months went by the Arawaks grew tired of this one-sided arrangement and were not happy, according to some historians, by the “arrogant and overbearing” attitude of Columbus himself. Things came to a head when some Arawaks were killed in a fight with the crew, so they stopped the supply of food to the castaways. Facing starvation, the explorer came up with an ingenious plan. After consulting an almanac in his cabin, he learned that a total lunar eclipse would occur in just three days time, on Thursday, February 29, 1504, a day we now call “Leap Day”. He then told the Arawaks that his Christian God was angry with them for stopping the food and that as a sign of His anger He would soon make the moon appear “inflamed with wrath” as a signal to them of the punishments He would inflict. Sure enough, on the third night, the normally bright new moon appeared as a bloody and dim ball in the sky. According to Columbus’s son, Ferdinand, who had made the trip was his father at the age of thirteen, the Arawaks were terrified and "with great howling and lamentation came running to the ship laden with provisions and beseeching the Admiral to intercede with his God on their behalf”. Columbus said he would have to think about it and went to his cabin. He did not emerge for nearly an hour – shortly before the end of the eclipse – and then told the Arawaks that his God had pardoned them. And, just as Columbus told them it would, the moon – in reality emerging from the Earth’s shadow – slowly began to reappear in its normal form and brightness. The awestruck Arawaks kept Columbus and his men well fed until a relief ship took them away four months later.
Directions: This letterbox has been placed at Lake Bastrop South Lake Park, 375 S. Shore Rd., Bastrop, TX. Stop at headquarters to pay the fee and pick up a trail map.
To the Box: Park at the trailhead for the Swift Trail. Walk up the trail, going right at the first intersection, until you reach a wooden arch for the Loblolly/Swift trail. Go straight through to a sign for the Loblolly Loop. From the Loop sign, take 155 steps or so and stop. To your left, off-trail, you will see a very large V-shaped Loblolly Pine tree. The box is on the ground, behind that tree, covered with pine needles and pine cones.
Hike length: 1-2 miles
On Monday, February 26, in the year 1504, Christopher Columbus found himself in a pickle. Nine months earlier he had become marooned on the island that we now know as Jamaica, his ship fatally damaged by a woodworm epidemic. Fortunately, the native people – Arawak Indians – were friendly and were happy to provide food and shelter for Columbus and his crew. At first. But as the months went by the Arawaks grew tired of this one-sided arrangement and were not happy, according to some historians, by the “arrogant and overbearing” attitude of Columbus himself. Things came to a head when some Arawaks were killed in a fight with the crew, so they stopped the supply of food to the castaways. Facing starvation, the explorer came up with an ingenious plan. After consulting an almanac in his cabin, he learned that a total lunar eclipse would occur in just three days time, on Thursday, February 29, 1504, a day we now call “Leap Day”. He then told the Arawaks that his Christian God was angry with them for stopping the food and that as a sign of His anger He would soon make the moon appear “inflamed with wrath” as a signal to them of the punishments He would inflict. Sure enough, on the third night, the normally bright new moon appeared as a bloody and dim ball in the sky. According to Columbus’s son, Ferdinand, who had made the trip was his father at the age of thirteen, the Arawaks were terrified and "with great howling and lamentation came running to the ship laden with provisions and beseeching the Admiral to intercede with his God on their behalf”. Columbus said he would have to think about it and went to his cabin. He did not emerge for nearly an hour – shortly before the end of the eclipse – and then told the Arawaks that his God had pardoned them. And, just as Columbus told them it would, the moon – in reality emerging from the Earth’s shadow – slowly began to reappear in its normal form and brightness. The awestruck Arawaks kept Columbus and his men well fed until a relief ship took them away four months later.
Directions: This letterbox has been placed at Lake Bastrop South Lake Park, 375 S. Shore Rd., Bastrop, TX. Stop at headquarters to pay the fee and pick up a trail map.
To the Box: Park at the trailhead for the Swift Trail. Walk up the trail, going right at the first intersection, until you reach a wooden arch for the Loblolly/Swift trail. Go straight through to a sign for the Loblolly Loop. From the Loop sign, take 155 steps or so and stop. To your left, off-trail, you will see a very large V-shaped Loblolly Pine tree. The box is on the ground, behind that tree, covered with pine needles and pine cones.
Hike length: 1-2 miles