Manitowoc Lighthouses Multi-Cache
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
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This is a multicache that will take you to four locations in Manitowoc related to the city’s former and current lighthouses. It is approximately 1.25 miles from beginning to end. The majority of the route will require walking along concrete paths. If there is a storm raging on the lake and waves are breaking over the pier, please do not attempt to complete the cache. The final waypoint is a half-cup Tupperware container.
The coordinates for the first waypoint are:
N 44 05.631
W 087 39.230
At this vacant location once stood Manitowoc’s first lighthouse, the Manitowoc Light. Today, it appears that the light is a rather long distance from the water, but neither the harbor nor the breakwater existed when this light was constructed in 1840. The lighthouse was a brick tower 30 feet tall. Because it was located on a hill, the light was actually 63 feet above the lake level, making it visible to ships at a great distance. Attached to the light tower was a one-and-a-half-story brick building that served as the lightkeeper’s house. The Manitowoc Light operated until 1877, when a new light was constructed on the pier head. To decipher the coordinates for the second waypoint use the name of the recreational center across the street.
The coordinates for the second waypoint are:
N 44 05.7CM
W 087 C9.Y5A
_ _ _ _ = Name of Manitowoc / Two Rivers recreational center across the street from the first waypoint
1 2 3 4
The second waypoint places you outside the Manitowoc Lightkeeper’s home. Today, the building is vacant, but it was used as Coast Guard housing for personnel stationed at the Two Rivers Station until the fall of 2008. This location provides a good view of the Manitowoc Harbor and piers. To decipher the coordinates for the third waypoint, add the three house numbers above each of the doors facing the lake on the Lightkeeper’s home.
N 44 05.56A
W 087 3D.6BD
ABCD = The three house numbers added together
The structure at the third waypoint was built in 1918. Coast Guard members lived within the structure until 1971, when the light was automated. The light can be seen for 15 miles out on the lake, and cycles 3 seconds on and 3 seconds off. The fog horn is 2 separate blasts 30 seconds apart. The original lens from the structure is now on display at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum. A catwalk once ran from the structure to the shore. You can see the remains of this catwalk as you walk toward the third waypoint. The catwalk was once supported by poles that protruded from the concrete. Today, the holes for the poles are the only evidence of the catwalk that remains. To decipher the coordinates for the cache location, count the number of holes that once supported the catwalk (some are surrounded by a metal plate), and add the number of holes to the number of steps between the pier and the lighthouse.
N 44 05.6F2
W 087 3E.E63
EF = Number of holes + number of steps
This cache was placed as a partnership with Wisconsin Historical Society and Wisconsin Maritime Museum. We hope you enjoyed learning about Manitowoc's lighthouses. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in the Manitowoc / Two Rivers area and throughout the state, or visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org and maritimetrails.org!
***Congratulations to takentime2dream for the FTF!***
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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