This cache is near the former grade of the Pere Marquette Railroad through Rodney. The depot was at the posted coordinates, the cache is not. To find the cache, solve the puzzle below.
"Photo courtesy of Michigan Railroad History (RRHX), Alan Loftis collection."
Rodney, Michigan, Pere Marquette Depot, late 1800s
Rodney:
The village of Rodney was formed in 1879 alongside construction of the railroad. According to the Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, in 1897, Rodney had a population of 300, a post office, two grocers, three justices and an express agent. Ten years later, the population was listed as 175, but boasted two churches, a general, dry goods, hardware and grocery store, a school, a produce market, a pickle salting station, a hotel (Rodney House), a grain and produce shipper, a physician, a potato shipper, a hardware and farm implements store, telephone service and a barber.
Plat Book of Mecosta County, Michigan, P.A. Myers, Consolidated Publishing Co., 1900, UofM Digital Library
1900 Plat of Rodney, Michigan
Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad:
The rail line through Rodney got its start when the Ionia, Stanton and Northern Railroad was built from Stanton Junction, just north of Ionia, through Fenwick, Sheridan and Stanton in 1872. In 1876, The IS&N and two other lines were reorganized as the Detroit, Lansing and Northern. In 1878, the DL&N, extended the line from Stanton, through McBride to Edmore, where it connected with an east west line, the Chicago, Saginaw and Canada, (Saginaw to Howard City), another DL&N company. In 1880, the DL&N line was extended north and west through Wyman, Blanchard, Millbrook, Remus, Mecosta, Rodney and on to Big Rapids, where it crossed the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and connected with the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad. In 1893 the DL&LN built branch lines from Remus to Weidman, and from Mecosta to Barryton. A branch line from Rodney to Chippewa Lake was built in the same time frame. The 1900 plat of Rodney shows the rail line through Mecosta from the east to west and also shows the Chippewa Lake branch exiting to the northeast.
The DL&N, and other lines were reorganized as the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western in 1897. In 1899-1900, the DGR&W, along with other lines, were reorganized as the Pere Marquette. The line between Big Rapids and Remus, including the Blanchard and Weidman branches, was abandoned in 1943-44. The remainder of the PM became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1947. The line between Remus and Edmore was removed in 1981.
Cache:
To locate the cache, solve this simple puzzle based mostly on information in the cache description.
N 43 40.ABC W 085 19.DEF
- A = First digit of the population in 1907.
- B = Fourth digit of the year the DL&N extended its line from Stanton to Edmore.
- C = Last digit of the population in 1907.
- D = Fourth digit of the year the IS&N reached Sheridan and Stanton.
- E = Third digit of the year the PM line through Rodney was abandoned.
- F = Fourth digit of the year the PM became part of the C&O.
Sources:
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