4855-Home Sweet Home Series Traditional Cache
4855-Home Sweet Home Series
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Difficulty:
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Terrain:
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Size: 
(micro)
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This is the first stop on my Home Sweet Home series. Once you find cache make sure you write down Coordinates for final. To complete the series you will have to find GC 3WB98 for the other half of the coordinates and use these to proceed to the final GC3V1RF.
This is also a stand alone cache. An Orca trackable for the First to Find IT
IS RECOMMENDED THAT THIS BE A DAY CACHE AS I'VE BEEN TOLD SOME UNSAVOURY ACTIVITIES TAKE PLACE IN THIS NEIGHBOURHOOD AT NIGHT.
The property this cache is hidden on is as special to me as the property I spent my childhood on, which happens to be the property you see if you look through the fence once you find the cache. These two properties are connected in more ways than just their proximity. In 1841 both these properties belong to Hermanus (Monty) Crysler, the gentleman who owned and built the Clifton Hotel. His property consisted of 100 acres of land which was bordered by Morrison St., River Rd., Jepson St., and Victoria Ave.. On the corner of Victoria and Morrison he built his home which was considered an architectural masterpiece in it's day. His home was known as Hunter's Cottage and it had walls two and a half feet thick which extended from the cellar to the roof without a dividing line. Monty and his wife Edna raised twelve children in this three bedroom house. In 1857 Monty put a new street through his property and named it after Govenor Simcoe. In July of that same year he sold one acre of his property to the newly formed Town of Clifton school board and had built Simcoe Street School, which opened November 17 1857. This happens to be the school I attended until grade 6 as did my siblings and my mother. Monty and Edna Crysler lived at Hunter's Cottage until their deaths, both in 1884. Their son Alvin and later his son Irving would live their with their families until it was demolished in 1928 to make way for a new three story T. Eaton and Company Department Store.
This Eaton's Department store was considered state of the art as it had the first publicly accessible elevator in this area. It opened on February 14th 1929. One month after my mother was born in a house on Buckley Ave. just behind and to the right of this property. Many years later my mother was in this store when she went into labour with me. Eaton's department store operated here until it's closure in 1966.
I grew up next door to the back of this vacant store which was demolished in 1971 to make way for the New Niagara Falls Public Library. The New Niagara Falls Public Library opened November 23rd 1974 with Dorothy Van Slyke as chief librarian. I spent many hours in and on the grounds of this library. Libraries are still special to me as they have provided alot of services to myself and my family.
The house I lived in on Buckley Avenue was also very special. Before us it belonged to the Riggs Family. It was a gorgeous three story house filled with beautiful woodwork and stained glass windows. It had a double staircase to the second floor which was great for running up and down while hiding in one of the many walk in closets. A double livingroom with french doors and a diningroom we use to play hockey in. The basement was huge and housed one of my favourite things. A full sized chalkboard which was from the original Simcoe Street School. I played teacher for hours on that chalkboard. The attic which I was told use to be the servants quarters at one time in the houses history was alittle creepy but also intriguing. The outside was as fun as the inside with it's lovely veranda which we would sit on during thunderstorms and the three huge evergreens in the front also great for hiding in. My favourite part was the backyard with the huge chestnut tree. This tree still stands today though it shows none of it's former glory as it has been cut back. I had tons of fun collecting chestnuts and making necklaces from that tree. My brother took a chestnut from this tree to bury at his house. Now he has an almost 20 foot chestnut tree in his own backyard. The house also had a reputation for being haunted which is probably why my mother was able to buy it, but those are stories which would not fit in this space. That said, when I was told we had to move because the house was being tore down to make way for an apartment building. My ten year old self refused to move and said they would have to tear the house down around me. I'm sure Monty Chrysler's descendants felt the same when their home was tore down for the new Eaton's store.
Obviously I ended up having to move but my love for this house has never diminshed and even though I spent the remainder of my childhood living else where, this house is always what I think of when I think of my childhood home.
Sad update: The Chestnut Tree in the backyard was cut down by the city. I wish I had gotten one of the logs from it. So Sad
Congratulations to Mijojelweslandon for First to Find. 
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Cnex va Yvoenel Cnexvat Ybg
Jurer gur srapr zrrg