PNG may be music to your ears, or ho hum. Either way, this one gets you out into the country, onto a remote road where the pavement ends and doesn't start up again for about 7 miles. Some repressive urban types may call this the middle of nowhere. Keep watching, because there is always wildlife to see here. Like bunnies, and turkeys and deer. Maybe you are looking for a different kind of wild life?
Which brings me to the title. Yes indeed, there was a "Swamp Road Fight". I bet you are thinking indians and settlers? A bunch of rowdies on Friday night? Hatfields and McCoys, Newbury style? Nope, it was the battle of the selectmen, in deciding who was going to pay for the very road you'll be driving on to get this cache.
It seems this area was not well served by a road in the middle of the 19th century, and building this road through Newbury would be convenient to get goods to market and farmers to towns. So it was brought up to the town selectmen of Newbury, time and time again, but they refused to pay for it. They reasoned the people of Ryegate, Corinth, Bradford and Topsham would get as much good of it as Newbury would, so they should pony up too.
Well it took quite a while, and a lawsuit or two, but eventually that is pretty much what happened. Other towns contributed, and in 1860, Swamp Road was completed from the Burbank Mill Site on Scott's Brook in South Ryegate (a place near and dear to my heart) extending three miles or so to another existing road not so far from this cache.
You can read more about it in Frederick Wells' History of Newbury, 1902. It mentions some of the local residents who fought for many years so this road would be built, one of whom was Henry Whitcher. There's a premium cache down the road commemorating him.
"The building of the railroad through South Ryegate brought this locality nearer a market, and the swamp road is now one of the most travelled in town, and not expensive to keep in repair. "
That was in 1902. Not so busy now, but still not too expensive to repair. But it does get kind of washboardy, and I don't recommend it in winter or mud season, unless you've got 4WD.
So, it's a small container big enough for small tradeables. It is starting out with a TB, and some swag for kids. Bring your own pen.
FTF can take the TB which wants to travel. Or just the bragging rights.
How to get out of here? Lots of small roads to explore, through Newbury, or East Corinth or Topsham. Or you may rather head toward 302 into South Ryegate, near where the railroad depot used to be. Hang a right on 302 and go get yourself a piece of Maple Cream Pie at P&H.
Congrats to FTF B&TsEA