This cache is located near the former grade of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, south of the former village of New Holland. The cache is hidden on rural road right-of-way.
1876 Ottawa County Plat showing New Holland and it's proximity to other nearby villages.
The village of New Holland began in 1847 as a suggestion from Rev. Abertus Van Raaulte, the founder of Holland Michigan. The first settlers were Jan Vantongeren and Jan Van Dyke who built two log houses in sections 3 and 4 of Holland Township. The village had some modest growth over the years with some lumbering activities in the area.
In 1871, New Holland was reached by rails. The railroad constructed a depot on the north side of New Holland St. to serve the village. New Holland was given a post office on April 10, 1872 with Adrian Wagenaar as the postmaster. By 1875, the village boasted a blacksmith, sawmill, general store, meat market, church, physician, and a general store. The post office closed October 15, 1906 due to Rural Free Delivery from Holland. Today, the village of New Holland no longer exists. There are a handful of modern buildings at the site today, this includes the North Holland Reformed Church and the North Holland Elementary School.
The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore
The Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore Railroad was chartered in 1869 and built north from New Buffalo to St. Joseph, opening on February 1st, 1870. The line was extended to Grand Junction in northern Van Buren County on February 28th, 1871, and through Waverly (outside Holland) to Nunica by June 30th, 1871. At Nunica, the line connected with the track that had been built in 1870 from Muskegon to Nunica. The C&MLS was in competition with the Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, already operating a line between Allegan, through Holland to Muskegon by 1870. In 1876 the C&MLS went into receivership and reorganized as the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad. In 1881 the C&WM , along with three other lines, including the Grand Haven Railroad(formerly the Michigan Lake Shore) reorganized as the Chicago & West Michigan Railway. This left the C&WM Ry with two lines between Holland and Muskegon, The C&MLS line was superfluous and Waverly to Fruitport was abandoned by the end of 1881. The abandonment was very secretive, and spawned a few law suits from lumber companies that the line had served. On a Sunday in 1881, a C&MLS locomotive ran from Fruitport to Waverly, picking up tracks and ties. This left many small towns along the line in economical shock, and left them to be abandoned.
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