Start first at the coordinates above, where you will see the site
of the mill pond dam, first built in 1851 by Frederick Nehs, and
which operated until 1939. The dam was rebuilt first in 1886, and
again in 1954. The Yellowstone Trail crossed the Menomonee River on
the roadway that the plaque faces, before turning north on 175 in
Menomonee Falls.
The second location, is just 1 block south of the Yellowstone
Trail route, on highway 175. Visit it at these coordinates:
43.10.672 88.07.000
The fire station building is quite interesting, and has a
historical plaque by the front door dedicated to a past fire chief.
Chief Otto P. Schneider was Menomonee Falls's first assistant fire
chief and the city's first police chief. While there, be sure to
notice the bell tower on the front of the building. If you look up,
you can see the vents at the top of the tower. This was built so
that the fire bell could be heard throughout town.
To find the final cache, go to:
43.10.ABC
88.06.DEF
A = 7
B = The last digit of Otto Schneider's year of birth
C = The number of sides of the bell tower
D = 8
E = The number of stories of the grist mill that was built in 1851
on the dam site.
F = The number of faux balconies on the east side of the fire
station - 1.
This is one of several caches I have placed along the route of the
historic Yellowstone Trail. The trail is a historic motor route
that went across Wisconsin from 1918 to 1930. The Wisconsin portion
of the Yellowstone Trail is 406 miles long, starting at the state
line south of Kenosha and going north, and then west to Hudson.
The Wisconsin segment is just a part of one of America’s first
transcontinental auto routes, a 3,754-mile long road that started
in Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts and went to Puget Sound,
Washington.
More information on the Yellowstone Trail, including maps can be
found at http://www.yellowstonetrail.org/id18.htm
November 20, 2005 update:
In the 1920's many towns along the Yellowstone Trail had a
representative known as a “Trailman”, whose duties included
providing information to travelers along the way. In the 1919
Yellowstone Trail route folder, Trailmen were described as being
“…businessmen of standing in their communities, and will always be
glad to welcome tourists and serve them in any reasonable manner.”
Uncle Fun has offered to serve as the trailman for the Yellowstone
caches in this area.