Mass Audubon Quests

What is the History of Questing?

Questing was born out of a 150-year old tradition in the region surrounding Dartmoor National Park in southwest England. "Letterboxing," as this tradition is called, is a popular past time, with thousands of boxes hidden in both natural and cultural locations. Vital Communities, a regional non-profit organization based in Vermont, built on this tradition in the United States by developing the Valley Quest program. In the early 1990s, Vital Communities was concerned about the future of the Upper Valley region of New Hampshire and Vermont, and was hoping to develop a program that would foster sense of place, strengthen relationships between schools and communities, and build bridges across the generations. The result was Valley Quest, with "Valley" referring to the place and "Quest" referring to a treasure hunt-made by children and adults working together-leading to the community's special places. Over time, the Valley Quest program has grown. More than 2,000 children, adults, families, scouts, students and historical society members have contributed to the creation of the 200+ Quests found in the Valley Quest books; and communities across the country are beginning to replicate Valley Quest's success.

Quest is a trade name of the Valley Quest program, and is used with permission. For more information, visit www.valleyquest.org.