This geocache is placed in honor of the 100th anniversary of Devil's Lake State Park in 2011. Centennial Tracks is a hiking tour that highlights some of the human history of the Park. See what evidence remains from the early settlers and visitors to Devil's Lake area.
Begin your Centennial Tracks tour by visiting the Devil's Lake Nature Center to pick up a printed brochure, with maps and historic pictures of the 12 caches and waymarks in this series. GPS units are available for free use at the Nature Center. Find 8 locations and receive a Centennial wooden nickel and the coordinates to a hidden final cache. Have fun, GET OUTDOORS! WISCONSIN.
Devil's Lake State Park. Devil's Lake's 100th Anniversary Celebrations
Messenger Shore is named for Oscar and Emma Messenger who built and operated a hotel, pavilion, refreshment stand and barn in this area in the early 1890's. They also rented boats, ran a paddle wheel steamboat, and cut marsh hay for those that visited by horse and buggy.
By 1910 there were 31 cottages and 41 private parcels of land on the south shore of Devil's Lake. The Messengers sold to the State in 1911, as the Park was being established. the first park manager and his wife lived in the hotel for a few years. The UW Summer Survey Camp moved from Kirkland, on the southeast shore to Messenger Shore and stayed from 1920 through 1956. They occupied tents and cabins on concrete slabs. Most were removed for construction of the nearby parking area, but a few remain near the cache area.
W. H. Canfield bought 3 acres of land about halfway down the "snake" road for an Old Settlers Association. This land was acquired by the State in 1943, and has only the remains of a 25 foot circular foundation of his "tree house" remaining. You may also see at the bottom of the "snake" road, the post for the driveway to Wildwood, which was a private lodge in the area.
This cache was originally placed by Hotdogs_Off_Trail. It was transferred to CommanderUSN in June 2015, and then to MTCLMBR in November 2023.
The Geocache Notification Form has been submitted to Steve Schmelzer of the Wisconsin DNR. Geocaches placed on Wisconsin Department of Natural Resource managed lands require permission by means of a notification form. Please print out a paper copy of the notification form, fill in all required information, then submit it to the land manager. The DNR Notification form and land manager information can be obtained at: http://www.wi-geocaching.com/hiding