This cache is north of located about 100 yards north of the former grade of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, in the village of Nunica. The grade paralleled Plews Street which is on the north side of the former railroad right of way. The cache was moved from its original location on the railroad right of way and is now is hidden on a narrow strip originally platted as an alley, owned by the village.
Grand Trunk Western depot and elevator at Nunica, courtesy of RRHX
The village of Nunica was a crossing of two early railroads. The first to arrive was the Detroit & Milwaukee in 1858. Twelve years later, the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore arrived. By 1875, the booming village had a population of 450, a post office, sawmill, chair factory, broom handle factory, and a number of different stores and hotels. The village chiefly ships bark, ties, and lumber. The D&M built a depot and elevator just east of Main Street (112th Ave.). The station was primarily operated by the D&M but, after the C&MLS was granted running rights on the D&M to Grand Rapids, the station was shared by the two.
Nunica had a sizeable business section until what was known as the Great Fire of Nunica. During a massive storm in the summer of 1935, the Grand Trunk Western Depot was struck by lightning and caught fire. The fire spread quickly, as most of the buildings were constructed of wood. The entire business section of Nunica was burnt beyond repair, and many village houses were destroyed.
Village of Nunica Plat, 1876
The railroad company known as the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway was created in 1855 as a consolidation of the Oakland and Ottawa Railroad and the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad, and began to build a cross state line from its northern terminus, Pontiac. Fenton was reached in 1855 followed by Owosso and Durand in 1856, and Ionia in 1857. The line was finished in 1858, reaching Grand Rapids on August 26th and Grand Haven on November 22nd. A large, combination depot and hotel was built across the river from Grand Haven and ferries were used to access Grand Haven.
In 1878, the D&M went into receivership and was purchased by the Great Western Railroad, who reorganized it as the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee. In 1882, the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada gained control of the Great Western. On November 1st, 1928 the DGH&M was merged into the Grand Trunk Western, a subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway. In 1930, the GTW moved its cross-lake car ferry service from Grand Haven to Muskegon (at the PRRs request) and obtained trackage rights over the Pennsylvania (formerly Muskegon, Grand Rapids and Indiana) to Muskegon. A short connecting link was built (in 1929) between Penn Junction and Walker. The GTW then ceased operations to from Penn Junction to Grand Haven, although the line wasn't officially abandoned until 1977.
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