This cache is located on the former right-of-way of the Soo Line Railroad , originally the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad , within the town of St. Ignace. The posted coordinates are for the first stage, There is a information board here, and a puzzle in the description. The puzzle is to be solved with the information provided at the posted coordinates. There is not a physical container at stage 1.
Soo Line Ferry Dock Ruins, 2014
When the DM&M came in 1881, St. Ignace was home to a booming lumber industry. St. Ignace was the hub of many mills, being the main shipping point in the area. The railroad built a railyard on the North Western edge of town. Located there was a freight house, engine house, coaling tower, roundhouse, and turntable. Passenger Ferry and Freight Docks were constructed on Lake Huron. The ferry dock also went by the name "the Chief Dock". This is due to the dock being operated by a ship known as the Chief Wawatam. The Chief Wawatam was a very interesting and unique ship. The Chief was owned and operated by the Mackinac Transportation Co. and operated mainly between St. Ignace and Mackinac City. The straits were a tough place to navigate in the winter with large ice blocks. To deal with this issue, The Chief Wawatam was designed to break ice floes with her bow propeller, which could both maneuver the boat and suck water out from underneath the ice to enable it to be broken through force of gravity. The original St. Ignace passenger depot was built in 1890 by the DSS&A. This depot lasted until 1975 when it was replaced by the DSS&A depot from Moran, a small village to the north.
Huron Bay Early 1900s, courtesy of chiefwawatam.com
What became known as the St. Ignace Branch of the Soo Line Railroad, began as the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad . The DM&M was constructed in the years 1879 - 1881 from Marquette to St. Ignace. The railroad it's self never reached Detroit but, it offered service there as it shared ownership of the Mackinac Transportation Co. Despite it being granted a lot of land, the DM&M was not a financial success. It declared bankruptcy in 1886 but, continued to operate as the Mackinac & Marquette Railroad. In October of 1886, the M&M was sold to the McMillan Family for $1.05 Million. In December, the McMillans folded the M&M into the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railroad . The DSS&A operated the line until 1961, when it was folded into the Soo Line Railroad. The Soo Line operated the line till 1986 when it abandoned the line from Trout Lake to St. Ignace. Today, the old grade is used as the St. Ignace - Trout Lake Snowmobile Trail.
To locate the cache, go to the posted coordinates and locate the information kiosk labelled "Railroads Across America". The info provided on the board can be use to solve this puzzle below.
N 45°52.ABC W 084°44.DEF
- A = The last digit in the number of small rail cars the Chief Wawatam could carry.
- B = The last digit in the year that the Chief Wawatam stopped operating.
- C = Last digit in the number of Large Cars the Chief Wawatam could carry, minus 3
- D =The A-Frame which controlled the landing apron collapsed Aug. ? , 2011.
- E = Last digit in the year that ferry use dropped dramatically, plus 1
- F = Last digit in the year that railroads were completed to the straits, plus 1
Check your solution
The railroad car ferries Chief Wawatam and the Sainte Marie II in thick ice.
Sources:
Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
Soo Line Railroad
chiefwawatam.com
carferries.com
Michigan Railroad Lines, Graydon M. Meints © 2005, Michigan State University Press
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