This cache was hidden as part of the Abandoned Railroads of Newaygo County Geocache Rail Tour, presented by the Newaygo County Museum and Heritage Center and Silent Whistles. Record the milepost value contained on and/or in each cache container on the Ticket to Newaygo County form. See the additional information below for specific tour requirements.
This cache is hidden near the site of the Newaygo Portland Cement Company plant on a spur of the former Pere Marquette Railroad in Newaygo. The cache is hidden on property owned by the City of Newaygo near the boat launch. This is a very high muggle area, so please be stealthy
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Newaygo Portland Cement Company.
1900 Plat map showing NPCCo property along the river front.
In 1900, the Newaygo Portland Cement Company built a plant on the banks of the Muskegon River in Newaygo for manufacturing Portland Cement, a materiel used in concrete. In 1901, the company built (or had the Pere Marquette build for them) a two mile branch line to Great Marl Lake (now known as Emerald Lake) for the purpose of dredging marl from the lake bottom to use as the base for Portland Cement. The line was in operation from 1901 to 1906, at which time the NPCCo reformulated their recipe to use a different base. In 1929, the company was merged into Medusa Portland Cement Company of Ohio. The plant was in operation at least into the 1930s. The site is now occupied by Michigan Agricultural Commodities, which is still a shipper on the railroad.
Access the cache from the boat launch parking lot.
To claim a prize:
- Download and print the Ticket to Newaygo County form (PDF). See alternate below.
- Find 28 of the 35 cache hides in the table below.
- Find at least five of the seven mystery and multi caches in any combination.
- Record the milepost number from the label or log of each cache you find on a printed copy of the form. Milepost numbers are on cache labels and log book covers.
- Each individual GC account holder making the find must sign and date the paper log book in the cache with their GC account name. No group logs please.
- Optionally, upload a photo of your log entry. Be careful to not include the milepost value in the photo.
- Send the completed form via US Mail to the address on the form. Each GC account holder must send in a form.
Once your answers have been verified, the prize will be sent back to you via US Mail to the address you provide on the form.
The first 95 cachers to complete the tour will be awarded a Silent Whistles pathtag commemorating the Big Rapids Branch of the Chicago and Michigan Lake Shore Railroad.
One prize per completed form. One prize per GC Account.
Download the Ticket to Ride form:
Click Ticket to Newaygo County (PDF) to download a printable version the form (PDF).
Click Ticket to Newaygo County (PNG) to download an alternate, less clear graphic version of the form.
If you don't have access to a printer, printed copies can be obtained at the Newaygo County Museum and Heritage Center, or by sending a self addressed stamped envelope to the address on the bottom of the form.
Sources:
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Visit the Newaygo County Museum and Heritage Center at: 12 Quarterline Road, Newaygo, Michigan (at the downtown light).
Visit the Newaygo County Museum and Heritage Center on Thursday, September 11th, 2014 at 7:00PM for the Heritage Speaker Series topic: Logging and Railroads in Newaygo County by Dr. Carl Bajema. Reservations are required