Jamaican me Crazy Traditional Cache
GeoCrater: I am regretfully archiving this cache since there's been no response from nor action by the cache owner within the time frame requested in the last reviewer note.
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***If you stood here 100 years ago*** you might have been hit by a train! The trail you will set out on is named in reference to the West River Railroad that once ran through Jamaica.
Before planes, cars and sport utility vehicles, trains were the fastest way to get from here to there. Railroad fever swept the U.S. in the mid-1800's and Vermont towns that were suffering from post-Civil War depression were eager to stimulate local trade and commerce by introducing a rail line to their community.
In 1867 the West River Railroad Company was granted a charter to build a line from Brattleboro, going through Jamaica and onto Londonderry. After financial difficulties, a cheaper and narrower, 3-foot gauge track was completed in 1880 along the 36-mile route and the West River Railway was open for business! The line soon became known as "36 miles of trouble" as the narrow gauge bed caused swaying trains that banged along the rock ledges and frequent spring floods washed away bridges and tracks. A local newspaper reported the trains ran "tri"-daily. They headed down to Brattleboro in the morning and would "try" to get back at night!
Stormy winters left trains stranded in snowdrifts for up to eight days, leaving shivering passengers in unheated cars.
Despite its misfortunes, the trains did bring the communities together. Although the West River Railroad never returned any profits in its 47-year history, shareholders were given the annual benefit of a free ride to Brattleboro, dinner and a room for the night.
In 1927 an unnamed hurricane caused widespread flooding in the West River Valley, washing away old bridges and rail beds. The rails were torn up and sold to salvage in 1939.
Today, the friends of the West River are attempting to create a contiguous multipurpose trail along the 36 miles from South Londonderry to Brattleboro.
On this trail you will find Jamaican Me Crazy - A tribute to those who worked hard to establish communities using railways in the mid-1800's.
So go back in time 100 years. *As you read the information board, you realize it's 10:00 and the train is due any minute. You can't help but notice a knocking sound... Could it be the train?
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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