This cache is on the former grade of the C&O Railroad through Alden, on property owned by the village.
photo by A.G. Hudley © 2013.
Alden Depot in 2013. If they are open, stop in for a visit.
The village of Alden is a quaint northern Michigan town in Antrim County where Spencer Creek flows into Torch Lake. In the summer, it thrives with a population of vacation home owners and tourists and a downtown area with several interesting specialty shops and small eateries. Alden was first created in 1868 when a community called Noble started around a general store. A post office was established under the name Spencer Creek in 1869. The town was renamed Alden in July of 1892 for William Alden Smith, an official with the Chicago & West Michigan Railway. Smith was instrumental in bringing the railroad to Alden. This proved to be a good decision, as Alden was, according to legend, the most popular stop on the line.
The rail line through Alden was constructed in 1891-92 from Traverse City as the Chicago and North Michigan, a wholly owned (paper) subsidiary of the Chicago and West Michigan. The line was opened from Traverse City to Bay View in 1892 and immediately operated as part of the C&WM.
In 1899, the C&WM, the Flint & Pere Marquette and the Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western were merged into the Pere Marquette Railroad, which began operations on January 1st, 1900. The PM became part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1947. The C&O became part of the Chessie System in 1973, but retained its identity. The railroad stopped operations on the line in 1981 and abandoned the Petosky Subdivision on February 20th, 1982, just five months short of one hundred years of service. This reduction is size was part of the creation of CSX Transportation. A portion of the line from Grawn, through Traverse City, to Willimasburg and another portion from Charlevoix to Bay View were purchased by the State of Michigan and operated by the Michigan Northern Railroad until the late 1980s. The portion from Grawn to Williamsburg is still in service as the part of the Great Lakes Central Railroad. The Charlevoix to Petosky segment was abandoned in 1991.
A history of the C&WM can be found at Chicago and West Michigan Railway and its successor, the Pere Marquette Railroad.
The depot in Alden, constructed by the Pere Marquette to replace the original that burned in 1906, is now a museum and Michigan historical site. A nice story about the survival of the depot is available at visitalden.com. Several pictures of the depot can be seen at RRHX - Alden. There is a nice park, caboose and a small diesel switch engine at the depot.
Nearby the cache is an original mile marker and a few blocks north is a another caboose, both are on private property, but are viewable.
A huge thank you to AldenSearchParty for their assistance placing this hide, providing the photos below and lots more information.
photo by AldenSearchParty © 2013, used with permission.
photo by AldenSearchParty © 2013, used with permission.
photo by AldenSearchParty © 2013, used with permission.
