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National Park Mystery Spot 42 Revealed: God Provides

To solve the Mystery Spot 42 puzzle you had to figure out which of America’s 397 national parks can be identified by interpreting the following clues:

Bills are normally
Something else formally
When serious money is pledged.

The menacing flag that the pirates flew
Struck fear in the hearts of a merchantman’s crew.

In times of great need, your fears will subside
If you truly believe that God will provide.

Though very small, its name’s longest of all.

The answer is Roger Williams National Memorial, a small landscaped park in downtown Providence, Rhode Island, that preserves the site of the founding of Providence Plantations colony (now Rhode Island) in 1636 by Roger Williams. Banished from Massachusetts for his religious beliefs, Williams created Providence Plantations as a refuge for religious minorities, argued for the separation of church and state, and established America's first Baptist church (the First Baptist Church of Providence).

Here is how the clues lead you to the answer:

A flag identifying a pirate ship was known as a Jolly Roger (or simply a Roger). The stereotypical Jolly Roger depicts a white skull-and-crossbones on a black field, but many pirate flags bore hourglasses or were plain black. All conveyed the message “surrender or die.”

Bill is a nickname for the given name William. Bills are normally Williams when they sign promissory notes or other legal documents that must be witnessed and notarized.

To say “God will provide” is to state one’s belief in providence, the concept that human affairs are directed by a wise and caring God.

Rhode Island is the smallest of the 50 states (less than 1,300 square miles), but its constitutional name -- The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations – is the longest of any state. BTW, the state's official name derives from the merger of two colonies -- Rhode Island colony (Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay) and the Providence Plantations colony that Roger Williams established.

Congratulations to the Traveler readers who figured this one out: Connier, Lee Dalton, celbert, Dakota Toni, Caprice Kutz, viewmtn, ed-123, David Crowl, Eric, ron erpelding, Ranger Dave, RC, and RangerLady. All have qualified for our monthly prize drawing.

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