The Legend of Ezra Meaker Mystery Cache

Please notice: This cache is placed in the Newaygo State Park. A daily or seasonal permit is required. This cache is designed to be a specialized challenge with certain skill requirements that probably will not appeal to all people. If this cache doesn't sound interesting to you we encourage you to put it on your ignore list and seek out the other variety of great caches placed in this park. The cache is at the posted coordinates

THE LEGEND
OF EZRA MEAKER

The legend of Ezra Meaker began back in 1837 when Ezra had tired of 'civilization' and was looking for a quiet place to live out his final days. At that time Michigan was a vast wilderness of giant white pine forests. About the only white men around where the timber jacks that were just beginning to enter the region with the axe and saw. Rumors of the vast wilderness that was just being opened for settlement caught up with Ezra's spirit of adventure. He moved into the remote wilds up on the bluff along what was to be called the Muskegon river a few miles north of the new Pennoyer sawmill. Here Ezra staked his claim and spent his summer days peacefully hunting the plentiful game, tending a few crops, trading with the Indians and sitting at the edge of the bluff watching the calm waters of the river flowing by down below. During the coldest of the winter months he would make his way down to the small settlement of Newaygo where he would stay at the boarding house and hire on at FB Ironworks. There he could be found repairing the loggers tools to earn enough money to keep himself stocked with the needed supplies for the next year.

Everything was as perfect as Ezra could have dreamed. Until the fall of 44 that is. By then the timber near the mill had already been cut and the lumbermen were looking for new tracts of land to harvest. Anything along the river was easy work for the woodsmen to move to the mill and Ezra's claim held some of the best timber around. With the river right there, it was just a matter of time before the ClearCut Timber Co. would be wanting to lay a saw to the giant trees that Ezra had come to love so much. Many offers were made to buy his claim, but Ezra had no need for the money. The peacefulness of the woods was what he treasured most. As the weeks went by more pressure was put on Ezra to sign over his lands, but he was able to keep the cutters at bay until February. That was when Charles Woodhead hired 'special' foremen to handle the interests of the ClearCut Timber Co. It didn't take long before Ezra was forced to leave the ground he had hoped to be buried in.



With no place to go Ezra headed to Newaygo and moved into the boarding house. He figured to work at FB Ironworks for the rest of the winter and save enough money for a new stake. Then he would head further north where the sound of the axe could not be heard and find a new place to settle down.

As the legend goes, Ezra was busy sharpening a crosscut saw one day when the owner of the ironworks asked him to take some letters down river to the settlement of Muskegon to be mailed. Somewhere along the way the horse Ezra was riding stepped on a loose stone and took a tumble down a small hill. Ezra was able to roll clear, but the letters he was carrying fell out of his pocket and scattered all over. After he had seen to his horse Ezra went around gathering up the letters and found one where the letter had fallen out of the envelope. The letter was addressed to Charles Woodhead, the owner of the very logging company that had just driven him from his claim and was cutting down all his trees. Now, Ezra wasn't one to be nosing in on others affairs, but a drawing enclosed with the letter caught his eye. Seems that the lumber baron was needing another key for the strong box that FB Ironworks had built for him a year earlier.



Well, Ezra put the letter back into the envelope and continued on his journey. By all a'counts, Ezra was an honest peaceable man, but the recent happenings got his mind to working on an idea to set things straight for the wrongs that had been done to him. By the time he got back to Newaygo Ezra had a plan all set in his mind and he went about putting it into action. Ezra knew that the ClearCut Timber Co. only paid their woodsmen a couple of times each winter and after talking with some of the loggers he learned that Charles Woodhead would be sending the next payroll on the supply wagons that were due in a few days. Ezra stayed late at the ironworks a couple of nights and using the drawing that was with the letter, he set about making a key to the payroll strong box.

The night before the supply train was due to arrive, Ezra set out to meet it. As bad luck would have it, the worst storm of the winter set in with very heavy snow fall and strong winds. He made his way through the blizzard, hunkering down as much as possible against the howling wind and following the wagon trail cut through the woods. Progress was painfully slow through the drifting snow, but with nothing to go back to all he could do was move forward. Just before daybreak there was a lull in the storm as Ezra came across the wagon train, camped right in the middle of the trail where they had stopped the night before. By now the two wagons were almost buried in the drifting snow. Ezra couldn't see any one standing guard so he figured the mule drivers were huddled in the tent they had hastily put up to shield themselves from the storm. Slowly he made his way to the first wagon and searched through the cargo for the strong box without any luck. The second wagon turned up pay dirt though. There it was, sitting under the drivers seat waiting for him. As cold and tired as Ezra was, the sight of the strong box warmed and energized him. With a new sense of purpose he pulled the strong box from the wagon and started making his way down the trail. The blizzard soon picked up again and the winds whipping through the trees drove the falling snow so hard that his tracks were completely covered in a couple of minutes.

From here, no one really knows what became of Ezra Meaker. Many different endings to this legend have been told over the years. Some have claimed that Ezra headed back east and finished out his days living in grand splendor. Others have said that Ezra was blindly walking through the blizzard and fell off the bluff into the river. Still others claim to have heard of a white man living with the Indians up in Canada that could be Ezra. One thing is for sure though, Ezra is the one who knows the truth and he hasn't been seen since.



Over the years many treasure seekers have searched the forest for any sign of Ezra or the strong box, but it is only very recently that the box has been located. It was hidden deep in the most remote part of the woods where Ezra must have stashed it during the blizzard.



No one knows if Ezra emptied the strong box of the payroll or if he hid the box planning to come back after the spring thaw to retrieve it, only to never return.
Either way, no one has been able to open the lock to find out what is inside.

But now there is a new development that may shed some light to the end of this story.  Early last month the owner of the boarding house where Ezra had stayed started doing some remodeling on the rooms.  One of the workmen found the drawing that was enclosed with the letter addressed to Charles Woodhead hidden behind a section of loose baseboard where Ezra must have hidden it 160 some years ago.



Now if we can just find a skilled enough person to make another key and open the lock,,,,,,,,,,,,

Can you do it?

< < < < < < < <  First group of cachers skilled enough to make a key and open the strong box  TheMysticWood, TheMysticMoon, pompower < < < < < < < < Second---Wabaningo Ranch Third---Stan & Ruth

Please post any pictures of your craftsmanship in progress.
They will be greatly appreciated.