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A cache in view of the last Waterville mill.
Before there was Saranac, there was Waterville. John S. Schenck described it best in History of Ionia and Montcalm Counties, circa 1881: "THE VILLAGE OF WATERVILLE. Robert Hilton, of Grand Rapids, made large land-purchases in the Grand River valley in 1836, and in his possessions was included a mill-site in section 24, on Lake Creek, in the present township of Boston. The mill-site was, moreover, on the line of the highway known as the Grand River turnpike, at that time, however, nothing more than a path through Boston. Hilton was convinced that the turnpike must become of necessity a highway of popular travel, and he proceeded, therefore, to lay out a town at his mill-site, and christened it, appropriately, Waterville. Having laid out his town he must of course give it some sort of a start, and in pursuance of that project he donated the mill-site and some adjoining land to one J. J. Hoag, of Oakland County, conditioned upon Hoag's erecting a saw-mill at that point. Like Hilton, Hoag thought the Grand River turnpike would be a great affair, and, promising for Waterville an important place in the history of events, gladly availed himself of Hilton's offer, and in 1837 put up the mill which he set in motion the following year. In 1838 also he followed up his mill-enterprise with the opening of a store, and calmly but confidently awaited the surging tide of travel which he knew would flow over the " pike," and as a natural consequence push Waterville forward into a valley of prosperity. Fate was, however, against Waterville; for, although the surging tide did flow to some extent over the turnpike, it did not get as far west as Waterville, and, beyond the store and the mill, that once promising town never boasted the possession of industrial or mercantile enterprises, while its population could at any time be counted upon the fingers of one's hand. Being there, Hoag remained there despite the failure of his hopes, and eked out an uncertain existence with his mill, albeit he was a man of considerable energy and an industrious worker. He lived at Waterville until his death, in 1851, when he was killed by the fall of a tree." Cache Notes: The mill is on private land. I am trying to get permission for cachers to approach the mill, but until then, please respect the property owner's boundaries. This is a micro - please bring a writing utensil.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
EbnqfvqrCvyyObggyr