What is Letterboxing?

Letterboxing is an intriguing mix of treasure hunting, art, navigation, and exploring interesting, scenic, and sometimes remote places. It takes the ancient custom of placing a rock on a cairn upon reaching the summit of a mountain to an artform. It started when a gentleman simply left his calling card in a bottle by a remote pool on the moors of Dartmoor, in England. Here's the basic idea: Someone hides a waterproof box somewhere (in a beautiful, interesting, or remote location) containing at least a logbook and a carved rubber stamp, and perhaps other goodies. The hider then usually writes directions to the box (called "clues" or "the map"), which can be straightforward, cryptic, or any degree in between. Often the clues involve map coordinates or compass bearings from landmarks, but they don't have to. Selecting a location and writing the clues is one aspect of the art.

Once the clues are written, hunters in possession of the clues attempt to find the box. In addition to the clue and any maps or tools needed to solve it, the hunter should carry at least a pencil, his personal rubber stamp, an inkpad, and his personal logbook. When the hunter successfully deciphers the clue and finds the box, he stamps the logbook in the box with his personal stamp, and stamps his personal logbook with the box's stamp. The box's logbook keeps a record of all its visitors, and the hunters keep a record of all the boxes they have found, in their personal logbooks.

How can I participate?

  1. If you are intrigued, get yourself a personalized rubber stamp, either hand-carved or commercially made, with something of importance to you in the image. You will use this to sign in to the guestbook contained in each box you find. (This is optional; some just write their details in the book with a pen.)
  2. Obtain a small journal (such as an artist's sketch book) and an inked stamp pad. Each letterbox contains a rubber stamp for you to print into your personal book as proof of your visit.
  3. Now, all you need to begin your search are clues. Many clues are available from Internet sites. Some of the letterboxes you find will contain clues to others locations. Eventually, you will meet other Letterboxers and learn of their experiences. Likely, many of the clues you come across will require a compass to follow. If you want to visit Great Britain, a book of clues is available for Dartmoor, the birthplace of letterboxing.

    Clues are available at www.letterboxing.org for most letterboxes in North America

How did this all get started?

According to legend, in 1854 a Victorian gentlemen hiker put his calling card in a bottle and stuck it into a bank at Cranmere Pool, in a remote part of Dartmoor in southwestern England. Over the years, the hobby developed; current reports indicate that as many as 10,000 letterboxes are presently hidden in Dartmoor, now a National Park. Visitors from around the globe prowl the heath at Dartmoor in search of the elusive boxes and the artful stamps inside.

How did the hobby get started in the United States?

In April of 1998, Smithsonian magazine published an article on the Dartmoor letterboxes. Within a very short time, a loose alliance of adventurers and rubber stamp enthusiasts pioneered the introduction of the hobby to the US. With the Internet as a primary means of communication, the idea soon spread around the country. Web-sites and a discussion group were established. Letterboxes began to be placed in inconspicuous but interesting locations throughout the US.

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