The stone
castle was built in 1890 by Michael Schwarz, a retired German
immigrant, to recreate a Germanic feudal estate, and to insulate
his family from what he considered to be uncivilized American
influences.
Legend says
that one of his daughters fell in love with a local Dutch boy.
Schwarz disapproved of the match and was determined to keep them
apart. One moonlit night, the young couple eloped - fleeing by
buggy to the church at Graafschap. Schwarz pursued them on
horseback, caught up with them, carried his heartbroken daughter
away, and locked her in the castle tower.
Many still
claim to see the sad face of the girl looking for her lost love
from the window of the castle tower.
The Schwarz
family abandoned the castle after only two years. Rev. Parr of the
Chicago Preparatory School, purchased it to be a summer camp for
children. Parents fell in love with the surrounding area, and it
soon evolved into a summer resort. In 1985, Castle Park residents
bought the castle, closed it to the public, and it is now used as a
library and bingo hall for summer residents.
The Castle
is also said to be the inspiration for the Witch's castle described
on Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Baum developed the
story while he summered in Macatawa. For years, Oz fan clubs held
their annual conventions at Castle Park.
Letterbox (hybrid)
caches: Letterboxing is a game similar to geocaching
which uses clues, vice GPSrs, to make the find. Letterboxers use
rubber stamps to make imprints in logs, and those stamps are very
often hand-carved. In geocaching, a letterbox (hybrid) must
"involve GPS use as an integral part of the hunt."
In keeping
with geocaching and letterboxing policies and traditions, the
posted coordinates do not lead you to this letterbox, but rather to
a waypoint. The clues then lead you to the letterbox.
Location: The
Letterbox is placed, with the permission of the Land Conservancy of
West Michigan, in Dune Pines Nature Preserve adjacent to Castle
Park - The preserve is a 13-acre natural back-dune beach and oak
forest, managed by the conservancy as a place to hike, to enjoy
wildlife, and to be surrounded by the sights and sounds of
nature.
Parking: From the
intersection of 66th St and 146th Ave, head west on 146th for ~3/10
mile. Look for the Land Conservatory sign on your right. Park on
the shoulder, and head for the waypoint.
Clues: You are
standing at an intersection. Take the path heading north. Follow it
as it winds around, and up and down. It will eventually rise
sharply to a ridge with a home visible to the right. Follow the
trail to the left as it descends along the ridge. The trail turns
right and ascends into an open, grassy area. You'll see a white
boundary marker on a sturdy maple to the right of the trail. Twelve
paces further, the trail is flanked by two trees with blue
flashings. At the trees, look to your right for the tree with two
trunks, ~nine paces away. Look for the box between the two-trunked
tree and the log lying in front of it.
Administrata: Once found,
use the box's stamp to make an imprint in your personal logbook,
and use your personal stamp to make your mark in the letterbox's
log along with any thoughts you may wish to share. Small TBs,
geocoins, pathtags, hitchhikers, and calling cards are all
welcome.
You don't
need to have a personal stamp to log this cache. Simply log your
find like you would any other. To outfit yourself for letterbox
hunts, you can find rubber stamps in hundreds of designs online and
at hobby shops, or carve your own with help from the links below. A
personal inkpad will assure you can stamp in during the
winter.
After the find: Follow the
trail around for a short hike through some spectacular back-dune
forest, and for glimpses of the roadbed for the old inter-urban
train. You'll come to a "T" intersection, turn left to get back to
your car. When you get back to your car, drive a bit further into
Castle Park to see the haunted castle.
Please don't take the box's
stamp. It is not a trade item, but rather the box's
signature, and the means by which one proves they have found this
letterbox.
Some
potentially useful links:
 |
Congrats
to GVSU4MSU on First to Find!!
|
Click To Rate This Cache