McDougall's Dream Multi-Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(small)
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This is a multicache that will take you to four places in Superior that tell the story of Captain Alexander McDougall’s success in shipbuilding. There is a distance of approximately 5 miles from beginning to end along paved city streets. It makes a nice bicycle ride through Superior or can be accomplished via moped or car. The final is in a small tupperware!
The coordinates for the first leg are:
46 43.106
092 03.786
Captain Alexander McDougall developed an innovative design in maritime architecture that began right here in the twin ports of Duluth and Superior. Although the design was doubted by many, “whalebacks” proved to be an economic alternative to their competitors to build and operate. His company, the American Steel Barge Company, built approximately 40 of these vessels, which operated on the Great Lakes for over 80 years.
Use the sign to locate the year Captain McDougall was born and the year he died to decipher the next coordinates.
Year born = _ _ _ _ ABCD
Year deceased = _ _ _ _ EFGH
46 CC.GDD
092 0D.GDE
From this location, you can look across the water to the site of the American Steel Barge Company which was in operation from 1890 to 1899. The footprint of this location has continually supported shipbuilding companies including Superior Shipbuilding Company (1899-1945), Walter Butler Shipyard (1942-1946), Lake Superior Shipbuilding (1940-1942), Whitney Brothers Shipbuilding (1889-1940), and Globe Shipyard (1917-1920). Today this site remains a shipbuilding company, Fraser Shipbuilding (1945-present), which continues the maritime tradition. Many of the original slips of the American Steel barge Company remain in use by Fraser.
If you turn around and look at the building behind you, use the street number to decipher the coordinates for the next location.
Street number for building = _ _ _ JKL
46 43.34K
09L 03.7LK
Read the historical marker to learn about the development of McDougall’s whaleback ships. To decipher the location of the last stop:
The number of whalebacks built in Superior-Duluth = PQ
The number of air scoops (vents which brought air to the lower decks of the vessel - white with red paint) on the boat deck (aft cabin structure) of the whaleback = RS
The final cache can be found at:
46 4P.PPS
092 0P.Q64
This cache was placed with permission from Wisconsin Historical Society, Superior Public Museums and as a partnership between Superior Public Museums, University of Wisconsin-Superior Jim Dan Hill Library- Lake Superior Maritime Collection, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, and University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. We hope you enjoyed learning about the anchors of Superior. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in the Superior area and across the state, or visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org and maritimetrails.org!
Additional Hints
(No hints available.)