SELECT FEW THINK GLOBALLY ACT LOCALLY
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SELECT FEW SERIES: Expect the unexpected on this recon adventure... All challenges in this series, will test even the seasoned cachers! This is a fun little cache just off the Willard Munger Trail. Think globally act locally!
Remember this is a game:
If you don’t feel safe doing something, stop! There’s no need to risk life, limb, or sanity in the pursuit of a smiley face, on this series. This cache can be challenging at times, since it was an island at one time!- look at google maps for more details. But for the most part this is one of my easiest cache to date 3+/4 Check out my other SELECT FEW caches active and archived as well. My GARMAN GPS was bouncing signals around this area so the coordinates are within 18 feet, after leaving it on for 20 min. It is also well camouflaged so it might be frustrating once you’re around ground zero :)~ As always, take as many pictures as you'd like, but don't give the exact location away. Please replace it, the same way you found it or better! FTF- my signature coin- an old buffalo nickel, enjoy your hike everyone! Sk8erfamily
Now for some fun facts about the surrounding bridge. • Structure ID: Willard Munger Trail Bridge • Location: River Mile 29.0 • River Elevation: 991 Feet • Trail: Willard Munger State Trail • Bridge Type: Steel Through Truss (Pratt Style, Pin-Connected) • Bridge Length: 150 Feet (Estimated), 150 Foot Longest Span (Estimated) • Bridge Width: 12 Feet (Estimated), 1 Track (Prior To Conversion) • Navigation Channel Width: Non-Navigable • Height Above Water:- 90 Feet • Date Built: 1906 This story starts in Sandusky, Ohio, in 1821. How do we get from Ohio in 1821 to this old railroad bridge in 2012? Well, we start by going to Philadelphia. Financier Jay Cooke was born in Sandusky, Ohio, on August 10, 1821. Cooke's father was a prominent attorney and a Congressman. Cooke used this wealth and connections to successfully build a fortune as the Jay Cooke and Company. Cooke founded a private bank in Philadelphia in 1861. When the Civil War broke out, he arranged financing for many war projects, including a large loan for the state of Pennsylvania. As the Civil War progressed, Cooke became interested in railroads. Cooke established the Lake Superior & Duluth Railroad in 1863. While construction was slow during the war, the rail line was completed between Carlton and Duluth in 1870. The original line ran through Thomson, along the north and east side of the Saint Louis River, through Fond du Lac, and into the west end of Duluth. Cooke became fascinated with Duluth. He had a vision that a northern railroad would connect Duluth to the Pacific Ocean, allowing cargo to connect through the Great Lakes to European markets. He saw Duluth as being the next great American city. He was so sure of this vision that he bet his fortune on the Northern Pacific Railway. Unfortunately, Cooke was caught short during the Panic of 1873, and he ended up bankrupt. The Lake Superior & Duluth Railroad became the Saint Paul & Duluth Railroad in 1877, eventually connecting the Twin Cities to the Twin Ports via Hinkley. The Northern Pacific Railway purchased the Saint Paul & Duluth Railroad in 1900. The steep grade between Thomson and Fond du Lac was increasingly impractical, so the Northern Pacific Railway rebuilt the line between Carlton and Duluth a little further north and east, coming down the bluffs between the current day Spirit Mountain Ski Hill and the Lake Superior Zoo. This 1906 project coincided with the construction of the Thomson Dam. The new route ran east and west through Thomson just south of present day MN-210 and Thomson Road. The rail line crossed the Saint Louis River about 1,200 feet south of the Thomson Dam using a 150-foot long steel truss bridge. Known as the ‘Skally Line’, the Northern Pacific Railway mainline between Saint Paul and Duluth was an important rail connection. It featured passenger traffic until 1930. The line did suffer from competition given the large number of railroad links between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports. In fact, at one time, there were 11 different railroads with passenger depots in Duluth. Traffic declined after World War II. This forced the Great Northern and Northern Pacific to merge, which they did with the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy in 1970 to form the Burlington Northern. The BN had two lines running from the Twin Cities to Duluth that were almost parallel for much of that distance, so the Northern Pacific route was abandoned in the 1970s. The right-of-way between Hinkley and Duluth became the Willard Munger State Trail. So why are you still reading this, grab your best cachers and attempt this challenging cache today!!!
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Fgrc qbja
Nssvkrq gb fbzrguvat fbyvq
Whfg gnxr n ybbx @ gur cvpgher tnyyrel...