SwtM - Holland Harbor Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Mitten Crew: Thanks to all who visited the 2012 SwtM series.

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Hidden : 5/30/2012
Difficulty:
1 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:




Ammo can on private property with permission. Please don't hesitate!! Enjoy the garden all you please, but stay on the pathways. Parking is available at GZ on the street.

When seeking a location for himself and his Dutch emigrant followers in 1847, the Reverend A. C. Van Raalte was attracted by the potential of using Black Lake (Lake Macatawa) as a harbor. However, the lake's outlet to Lake Michigan was blocked by sandbars and silt. Van Raalte appealed to Congress for help. The channel was surveyed in 1849, but was not successfully opened due to inadequate appropriations. Frustrated, the Dutch settlers dug the channel themselves.

On July 1, 1859, the small steamboat Huron put into port. Here, in 1886, the government established the harbor's first lifesaving station. By 1899 the channel had been relocated and harbor work completed. This spurred business and resort expansion. In 1900 over 1,095 schooners, steamers and barges used the harbor.

The first lighthouse built at this location was a small, square wooden structure erected in 1872. In 1880 the lighthouse service installed a new light atop a metal pole in a protective cage. The oil lantern was lowered by pulleys for service. At the turn of the century, a steel tower was built for the light and in 1907 the present structure was erected. Named the Holland Harbor South Pierhead Lighthouse, it has a gabled roof that reflects the Dutch influence in the area.

The lighthouse, popularly referred to as "Big Red," was automated in 1932. When the U. S. Coast Guard recommended that it be abandoned in 1970, citizens circulated petitions to rescue it. The Holland Harbor Lighthouse Historical Commission was then organized to preserve and restore this landmark. Except for its color, it is a virtual twin of the Kewaunee Pierhead Light on the Wisconsin side of Lake Michigan. In 2007, the United States Department of the Interior announced that the Holland Harbor Light would be protected, making it the 12th Michigan lighthouse to have such status.

Visit 14 geocaches in the SwtM series. At each geocache collect a letter and number combination. Insert them into the phrase FiTS LIKe A GlOVE. Use the coordinates from the phrase to find the final geocache and become a Mitten Master
2012 Smitten with the Mitten caches
Whitefish Point Sturgeon Point South Manitou Island Grand Island
Rock of Ages Point Betsie Old Mission Point Little Sable Point
Holland Harbor Gull Rock Seul Choix Point
Crisp Point Big Sable Point Au Sable Point Mitten Master

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Ernyyl? Vg'f n yvtugubhfr frevrf, evtug?

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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