Geocaching began as a simple, bold experiment in the year 2000, starting with just a bucket hidden in the woods of Oregon. A quarter-century later, it has exploded into a global outdoor adventure loved by millions—and right here in the Brazos Valley, we quietly became home to some of the earliest and most historically significant caches in Texas.
Join us as we look back at the origins of geocaching, trace its path to our region, and highlight the oldest surviving caches still active right around us.
🌍 Global Milestones (2000–Present)
2000 — The Beginning of the Hunt
- May 3: Dave Ulmer hides the first geocache near Beavercreek, Oregon, marking the start of a phenomenon.
- September: Geocaching.com launches, listing 75 caches worldwide.
- Fall 2000: Groundspeak (now Geocaching HQ) is officially founded.
2002 — CITO Is Born
The Cache In Trash Out® (CITO) initiative launches, growing into one of the most powerful environmental volunteer programs in the outdoor world:
- Over 333,000 volunteers have participated.
- More than 16,000 events have been hosted globally.
- Over 8,000,000 liters of trash have been collected.
2020 — Geocaching Reaches Mars
NASA's Perseverance rover launches with a trackable code included in its hardware. Geocaching officially becomes interplanetary!
🤠 Geocaching History in the Brazos Valley
Geocaching reached Texas quickly in the early 2000s, and the Brazos Valley rapidly became a quiet but important pocket of activity. Early Aggieland cachers were hiding:
- Large ammo cans and hefty containers
- Themed virtual caches
- Containers that have now survived two decades exposed to the elements
Aggieland's Early Cache Boom (2001–2003)
Texas A&M's campus and nearby parks became home to some of the very earliest caches in Central Texas. These early hides truly reflected the era: big containers, demanding long hikes, and simple puzzles.
It is astonishing that some caches placed as early as 2001 are still active today, they are incredible relics that offer a genuine touch of geocaching's earliest years.
📡 The Brazos Valley Geocachers Group Forms
The BVGC community began gathering online in the early 2010s, with our Facebook group officially created in August 2014. Since then, BVGC has become a vibrant, energetic hub for:
- Event planning and meetups
- Sharing epic trail stories
- Hiding creative and challenging caches
From longtime veterans to brand-new cachers, the BVGC community has grown into one of the friendliest and geocaching groups in all of Central Texas.
🗃️ The Oldest Geocaches in the Brazos Valley (2001–2002)
These finds are the historical backbone of geocaching in our region. Only four are Traditionals; the rest are early-era Virtuals, a style of cache that is no longer freely available to create today.
| Code | Name | Type | Placed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 GC49C | Lick Creek Cache | Traditional | March 15, 2001 | The oldest surviving cache in the Brazos Valley—a true legacy hide. |
| 🥈 GC966 | Fallen Timber Cache | Traditional | May 5, 2001 | A rugged early hide. |
| 🥉 GCCEF | Lake Somerville Island | Traditional | June 15, 2001 | A summer-2001 classic. |
| GC306A | Tribute to Courage | Virtual | January 2, 2002 | Historic early virtual. |
| GC30BC | Yegua Park | Traditional | January 3, 2002 | One of the earliest Somerville traditionals. |
❤️ Why This History Matters
These incredible caches tell the powerful story of how geocaching took hold in the Brazos Valley—long before the convenience of smartphone apps or elaborate swag items.
They represent:
- The pioneers who carefully hid the first containers.
- The early explorers who bravely searched with primitive GPS units.
- The foundational roots of our BVGC community.
Every time you find one of these historic caches, you are quite literally touching a piece of geocaching history,
And now, 25 years later, we are all part of writing the next exciting chapter! Happy Caching, Aggieland!
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