Cache types history

[+Al 7365]

I know that Wherigo and mega events came along in 2008 but when did each of the other cache types first come along? For example were earth caches, letterboxes, virtuals, webcams, locationless, multi and mysterys availble from the start of geocaching.com? or did they come along after geocaching.com was first created? A history lesson would be much appriciated.

 

Thanks

 

Alex

[+CanadianRockies]

I haven't been geocaching all that long, but I do know that the "Lost and Found Event Cache" (10/10/10) type appeared in 2010.

[+The Blorenges]

I just did a search for the UK Virtuals and the first was listed in June 2001 - no doubt there were some in the US earlier than that - so we can safely say that "Virtual caches have been around a long time".

 

MrsB

 

(Somebody on these forums will be come up with a more accurate date than that )

Edited March 11, 2011 by The Blorenges

[+niraD]

Using the Wayback Machine, in 2003, the site already had the following cache types:

• Traditional Caches
  
• Multi-Caches (including Offset Caches)
  
• Mystery or Puzzle Caches
  
• Letterbox Hybrid
  
• Virtual Caches
  
• Reverse Virtual (Locationless Caches)
  
• Webcam Caches
  
• Event Caches
  
• CITO Event Caches

and they had essentially grandfathered:

• Project A.P.E. Caches

In 2005, they added:

• Earth Caches

Later in 2005, they grandfathered:

• Virtual Caches
  
• Webcams
  
• Reverse Virtual (Locationless) Caches
  
• Earthcaches

In 2007, they added/restored:

• Earthcaches
  
• Mega-Event Caches
  
• GPS Adventures Maze Exhibit

In 2008, they added:

• Wherigo Caches

And in 2010, it looks like they added:

• Groundspeak Headquarters Cache

and they essentially added and then grandfathered:

• 10 Years! Event Cache

[+Isonzo Karst]

I have a bookmarked list of "firsts". It doesn't always speak to the question of when.

Perhaps someone who was around can recall.

[+Markwell]

Well, the webcam type was in late 2001 (as evidenced by my comments). I remember when it was changed.

 

Multi-stage, virtuals and puzzles were already in place before I came on board 10 years ago. I remember that the Chicago event I hosted in 2001 was one of the first event caches. All of the main types of non-traditional caches (Multi-Cache, Letterbox Hybrid, Virtual Cache, Project APE Cache, Unknown Cache) were in existence by the summer of 2001. The first Locationless caches I had seen were in 2002.

[4wheelin_fool]

Several of the cache types were in place, but the specific icons were not.

 

This cache was a 2 stage multi. Note the icon is a ? (unknown) and the size indicates virtual.

[+CanadianRockies]

From a recent thread:

 

Did you know that the very first geocaching event took place 10 years ago in Austin, TX on March 21, 2001 (GC389)?

[+niraD]

Does anyone know whether the first Mystery/Puzzle and Letterbox Hybrid caches were created in 2000 or 2001?

[+L0ne.R]

Does anyone know whether the first Mystery/Puzzle and Letterbox Hybrid caches were created in 2000 or 2001?

 

Planted my first letterbox in October 2002. No cache type then. I planted it as a bonus to a traditional cache. Then I planted one in February 2005, it has the letterbox hybrid cache type. I found a discussion about letterboxes in Jan 2003 and in April/May 2003 so the type hadn't been implemented yet. According to NiraD the type existed in 2003. So somewhere between May to Dec 2003 it was born.

Edited March 12, 2011 by Lone R

[+niraD]

Does anyone know whether the first Mystery/Puzzle and Letterbox Hybrid caches were created in 2000 or 2001?

Planted my first letterbox in October 2002. No cache type then. I planted it as a bonus to a traditional cache. Then I planted one in February 2005, it has the letterbox hybrid cache type. I found a discussion about letterboxes in Jan 2003 and in April/May 2003 so the type hadn't been implemented yet. According to NiraD the type existed in 2003. So somewhere between May to Dec 2003 it was born.

Thanks. I'm having a tough time differentiating between the first cache of a given style and the creation of a separate type for caches of that style. What I'm looking for (for the history I'm compiling) is information about the separate types.

[+tozainamboku]

Does anyone know whether the first Mystery/Puzzle and Letterbox Hybrid caches were created in 2000 or 2001?

Planted my first letterbox in October 2002. No cache type then. I planted it as a bonus to a traditional cache. Then I planted one in February 2005, it has the letterbox hybrid cache type. I found a discussion about letterboxes in Jan 2003 and in April/May 2003 so the type hadn't been implemented yet. According to NiraD the type existed in 2003. So somewhere between May to Dec 2003 it was born.

Thanks. I'm having a tough time differentiating between the first cache of a given style and the creation of a separate type for caches of that style. What I'm looking for (for the history I'm compiling) is information about the separate types.

The problem is that after a new cache type (icon) was created, I'm sure some people went back and changed the type of an older cache to use the new icon. So you can't go by oldest (date placed) of each type to find out when the icon was added.

[+lemon16]

I haven't been geocaching all that long, but I do know that the "Lost and Found Event Cache" (10/10/10) type appeared in 2010.

 

Lost and Found Events were created to celebrate 10 Years! of Geocaching. However, the date was not 10/10/10. They were held 5/1 thru 5/3/10, 10 years after the original stash was hidden.

[+CanDMan47]

Several of the cache types were in place, but the specific icons were not.

 

This cache was a 2 stage multi. Note the icon is a ? (unknown) and the size indicates virtual.

Strange that it indicates a size of virtual, yet it is a physical container.

[+Isonzo Karst]

I'd say Letterbox hybrid was around by July 01. Take a look at GC1105

It sure reads like it was listed as a LB hybrid.

 

The first two logs, both from July 2001, both make it clear that they saw the cache as geocache and letterbox.

 

July 18, 2001 by bent_twigs (256 found)

 

My sister lives really close to this park and spends a lot of time there, so I invited her along to help locate this letterbox/cache. One unique thing about finding the Lullwater Easter Egg is that no GPS is required. We never even turned ours on! The written clues will take you on a neat little hike over varied terrain and place you precisely over the cache. The letterbox itself was really cool. We enjoyed looking at the previous visitors stamps and wished we'd brought one of our own to add to the book. ....

 

Found it July 17, 2001 by erik88l-r (2594 found)

 

I'd seen this listed on the letterboxing web site when it was the only letterbox in Ga. some months back. I was tempted to look for it then but never did. Now it was too much to resist.....

 

Florida's oldest letterbox also has a log from Dec 01 that make it clear that the finder was seeking a LB/hybrid (Bald Cypress).

Edited March 13, 2011 by Isonzo Karst

[+L0ne.R]

Looks like the letterbox hybrid icon went live on, or shortly before, June 30 2003.

 

New cache icons discussion June 30th 2003 topic

[+niraD]

Looks like the letterbox hybrid icon went live on, or shortly before, June 30 2003.

 

New cache icons discussion June 30th 2003 topic

That thread looks like it's discussing a whole set of new icon images, not new cache types. Or am I missing something?

[+Isonzo Karst]

From May 2001 thread, Cache Types

 

It would seem that the types were invented in May 2001. On Jeremy's list (post #20)

1. Traditional

2. Multi

3. Virtual

4. Micro

5. Letterbox Hybrid

6. Event

7. Other / Surprise

 

He apparently decided Micro was a size, not a type. And didn't create event at that time.

So the distinction on trads, multis, virts, letterboxes, events and Other/ Surprise (Mystery) all came at the same time. May 7, 2001.

Edited March 14, 2011 by Isonzo Karst

[+niraD]

Here's a post from May 17, 2001 in a thread, Combination Geocache & Letterbox? that references the new letterbox hybrid cache type.

 

Anton,Jeremy's just recently added a feature which allows cache placers to identify the type of cache .... so more of these hybrids will probably start being marked that way.....

Yeah, that makes it sound like identifying the formal "type" of a cache didn't happen until 2001.

[+Isonzo Karst]

I've updated my firsts bookmark, having wasted spent some time pawing through old forum threads.

 

I give up on the idea of identifying the "first" letterbox hybrid.

The oldest mention I came up with in the forums references more then 20 caches with Letterbox in the title. This was before the cache types had been created... I see that one of the caches on Groundspeak's oldest 100 caches has the letterbox type, but there's nothing in the listing to suggest that it was a letterbox.

[+JL_HSTRE]

Do we know what the first cache was to require a puzzle (of any kind) to be solved? The first Unknown cache on IK's bookmark list of firsts is a Moving Cache not a puzzle.

[+niraD]

The APE caches were created in 2001, but were they considered a separate cache type before the introduction of the new icons in 2003?

[Keystone]

The APE caches were created in 2001, but were they considered a separate cache type before the introduction of the new icons in 2003?

Yes, the special cache type was created for the original 2001 promotion.

 

Just thought I'd save Markwell from needing to post a link to his definitive history of Project Ape.

[+niraD]

Thanks, Keystone. FWIW, I had checked Markwell's Project APE page, but hadn't seen anything definitive about the cache type or icon.

[+Markwell]

All of the icons were completely different in the years prior to 2003. Take a peek here to get and idea of what they looked like. That page is from June of 2001, and you can see the icons as blue cans with orange lids.

 

Since there were only 14 of the APE caches, they originally didn't mess with the icon, but instead had a Project APE background with ivy and deeper green colors. I believe when they redesigned the icons in 2003, Project APE got its own icon at that time.

Edited March 15, 2011 by Markwell

[+sbell111]

Several of the cache types were in place, but the specific icons were not.

 

This cache was a 2 stage multi. Note the icon is a ? (unknown) and the size indicates virtual.

I think that you have merely found a poorly designed cache page. The multi cache type definitely existed prior to that cache being hidden.