Michigan Central Railway #2 - Clifton Traditional Cache
Rock_Harder: this cache has run it's course...
Michigan Central Railway #2 - Clifton
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(micro)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
Whenever you go for a walk down a footpath, or a bike
ride down a trail, or a hike down a dirt path, chances are
you may be travelling down a rail line that time has
forgotten.
This series of caches are placed along the former railbed
of the Michigan Central Railway.
The MCR took over the assets of the financially strapped
Canadian Southern Railroad in 1882.
The CSR had acquired the railroad from the Erie and Ontario Railroad in 1869 which was purchased by William Thompson in 1862 from the Fort Erie Railroad Company.
This company had already completed the railway from Chippawa to the Fort Erie ferry docks in 1864 where passengers could disembark to Buffalo by crossing the Niagara River by boat.
A major factor which limited freight traffic on this section of the rail line was the absence of a bridge across the Niagara River at Fort Erie. This meant either ferry transport or routing traffic through Niagara Falls, which were both costly measures.
The section of the railway within Niagara Falls continued to operate until the mid 1920's before passenger service was ended, although the rail line continued with freight service until 1959 when it was terminated completely.
In 1925 the MCR stopped service between Chippawa and Fort Erie, leaving the railbed abandoned to this day. The scarring in the land is still evident although the only addition is the miles of transmission lines and towers along it's route.
Now onto the cache.
This is the 2nd cache I've placed along this railway and it is located off of Victoria Avenue, along the route the MCR would take travelling southwest towards the Skylon Tower.
While in the area, it can be noted that the Victoria Park Station was located on the northeast corner of Clifton Hill, where the Houdini Magical Hall of Fame took up occupancy in 1972 and actually housed the museum until it burned down in 1995. Now, the Ripley Movie Theater stands on that spot.
The cache is a camo'd 35mm film canister and it is not meant to be a difficult hide, but more to make people aware of the rich history that is overlooked in this area.
Many times I have had people say that they never knew this or that existed while doing one of my caches, and that truly is the main reason I do what I do.
As always, please bring your own pen and have a fun time!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Vg'f n gbhevfg nern, whfg unat nebhaq purpx guvatf bhg!
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
Loading Treasures