The
printed MML Passport is no longer available. However, you may
download a copy from the MML website
here.
The
trail consists of 11 MML Districts (regions).
The MML Geocache Trail project will launch January 1, 2009 with 78
participating cities and towns. A trackable geo coin will be given
to the first 500 geocachers as an incentive for locating at least 2
municipal caches in each of the 11 districts. To be eligible for
the coin, geocachers must pick up a Passport at any of the
designated county visitor centers. Geocachers must use the stamp in
the cache on their Passports and write down the cache code word
listed in each cache. After at least two municipal caches in each
district are discovered, geocachers may return to one of the county
visitor centers and have their Passports validated to receive their
collectable coin.
For a complete list of participating visitor centers visit the MML
web site at http://www.mdmunicipal.org/mmlhome/index.cfm or MGS web
site at www.mdgps.org.
The town of Friendsville lays claim to being Maryland’s
western-most municipality, situated in the corner of the state
adjacent to the borders of Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
Friendsville’s first known white settlers were John and Mary Friend
who came to the area in the 1760s and gained permission from the
Shawnee Indians to build a log cabin near their encampment along
the Youghiogheny River. The “Yough,” as the river is known locally,
flows northward from Friendsville into Pennsylvania, which accounts
for the Shawnee name which translates as “waters that flow in a
contrary direction.”
By the early 1900s, Friendsville was a thriving community with a
number of homes, hotels, stores, and an opera house. The local
economy was supported by a booming timber and coal-mining industry
and by a railroad that serviced the area.
During World War II, a flood-control dam for Pittsburgh was
constructed on the river down-stream from the town, leading to
abandonment of the railroad. Many of the mines closed, and the
logging industry became stagnant, resulting in fewer and fewer jobs
for local residents.
Friendsville today has become synonymous with white-water
rafting because of the town’s proximity to the Youghiogheny River,
which boasts some of the best rafting and kayaking east of the
Mississippi. The boom in that sport and the popularity of the area
for vacationers and fishermen has been most beneficial to
Friendsville. The healthy economy supports an active community that
strives in many ways to maintain a supportive and congenial
environment for its residents. Friendsville Community Park provides
a variety of recreational and cultural opportunities; a community
and senior citizens center meets a diversity of residents’ needs;
and the Friend’s Museum provides a genealogical library and a
glimpse of the town’s past. The museum also serves as the
headquarters of the Friend Family Association of America.
Another gem in this pastoral setting is the Riverside Hotel. In
1889, the new C&O Railroad connected the little town of
Friendsville with the outside world. In that same year, the
Riverside Hotel was built to accommodate the growing number of
travelers and workmen. It housed nine rooms for guests and a bar
where a history of shootings occurred. As times slowed in the
1930's, it served as a school room for the students awaiting the
completion of the first elementary school in town and eventually
closed its doors in the 1940's when constructions of the
Youghiogheny River Lake terminated the rail line. In 2003 the
present owners, who spent two years on renovations, purchased the
rundown property. The historical character of the hotel has been
preserved while adding necessary improvements to offer the public
three guest rooms and an organic, vegetarian restaurant.
Coordinates are hard to get down in this valley. Pull into the
Hotel’s parking lot and check out the foundation upon which it has
been built. If you see the owners, stop by for a chat! Friendsville
takes pride in its motto — “The friendliest little town in
Maryland.”
Friendsville Thanks You for Visiting
Thanks to Deep Creek Local for helping with this hide!
Thanks to the Maryland Geocaching Society for assisting
with this project!