New Haven and the railroad share a long history.
Construction of the first rail in the state of Missouri began in St. Louis with the intention of eventually reaching Kansas City. By 1855, it reached Washington, and, according to the locals, threatened the livelihood of New Haven (then Miller's Landing). They went as far as to state that the impending "Iron Horse" would frighten livestock enough to prevent production. These attitudes lightened and changed by the time the railroad reached Hermann on August 6, 1855. Soon afterward, the link was complete with Jefferson City.
Unfortunately, the maiden voyage of the St. Louis to Jefferson City trip ended in calamity at the Gasconade River crossing. On November 1, 1855, heavy rains damaged and weakened bridges along the route. The locomotive made it to the other side of the Gasconade but the passenger cars tumbled into the darkness of the river below. Thirty two people lost their lives, and the people of Miller's Landing were quick to provide accommodations for those lost.
Despite this early tragedy, railroad traffic through Miller's Landing sparked additional business and trade. The town was renamed New Haven on March 1, 1856 to reflect the opportunity that lay ahead. Eventually, New Haven was incorporated as a city on July 12, 1881. Due to additional train traffic and an increasing frequency of accidents (most notably a head-on collision in 1903), a second set of rails were added in the 1920s to handle two daily passenger and freight stops.
Transportation via train began to wane as the 20th century progressed and newer, cheaper methods unfolded. By the late 1960s, the trains no longer stopped in New Haven. The depot was vacated soon afterward, and its demolition in 1975 ended an era. Passengers on Amtrack and cargo still rumble and whoosh through the town to this day.
Solve the following to figure out the cache's location: N 38° 36.ABCD W 091° 12.EFGH
AB = Second and third digit of the year New Haven was incorporated as a city.
C = The day of the St. Louis to Jefferson City maiden voyage.
D = The day Miller's Landing was renamed to New Haven.
E = Third digit of the year the New Haven depot was demolished.
F = Third digit of the decade trains no longer stopped in New Haven.
GH = The number of people that died during the St. Louis to Jefferson City maiden voyage PLUS the last digit of the year of the same maiden voyage.
Final coordinates can be checked through Geochecker.com at this link; however, answers will need to be rounded to the third decimal place (i.e. 36.9025 becomes 36.903).
When approaching the coordinates, please take care not to cross fences or open doors of any sort - the cache will not be behind them. The terrain is level but assistance will be required for those in a wheelchair. Bring a pen since the cache is too small to house one.
Congrats to Canyce54 and walkingstic-stl for being the first to find!
Thanks to Steve Roth and the Parks & Recreation Department of the City of New Haven for helping and allowing this cache to be placed!