Very close to this location on April 16, 1931, depression era gangster violence came to Bowling Green, Ohio. Charles "Pretty Boy" Floyd and William "Billy the Killer" Miller were wanted for several bank robberies and murder, including a bank in Whitehouse just a few days before. The two men had stayed in town with their girlfriends, possibly at the Milliken Hotel, and on the afternoon of the 16th they were on a spending spree in Uhlman's Clothing Store that quickly drew attention to themselves. An employee of the store discretely notified the police, and soon Bowling Green Police Chief Carl "Shorty" Galliher and Patrolman Ralph Hiram Castner had the store staked out. When Floyd, Miller and the ladies left the store on foot, Galliher and Castner followed them in a patrol car. The officers continued to follow as the gangsters walked south on Main Street, then turned left at Clough. As the group turned to walk north on Prospect, the officers pulled their patrol car up to the curb behind the group, stepped from the vehicle with guns drawn, and ordered the group to put their hands up. Miller and Floyd were armed as well, and the two men turned sharply while drawing their handguns, and opened fire.
Miller only managed to get one shot off before a round from Chief Galliher's revolver ripped into his neck, killing him almost instantly. His girlfriend, Juanita Baird, was struck in the head by another shot. Meanwhile, Floyd was firing his pistol until it was empty - unfortunately striking Patrolman Castner twice in the abdomen and once in the hip. Despite his wounds, Patrolman Castner fired at least two rounds, and Chief Galliher continued firing at Floyd as the gangster ran down the street and between houses, but all the shots missed.
The shootout was over - "Billy the Killer" Miller was dead, Patrolman Castner and Juanita Baird were seriously wounded, and Rose Ash (Floyd's girlfriend) was in custody. "Pretty Boy" Floyd made it to his car and escaped.
Juanita Baird spent several days unconscious in the hospital, but eventually made a somewhat miraculous recovery from her head wound. She and Rose Ash ultimately spent only about 10 months in prison for their involvement with the gangsters.
Unfortunately, Patrolman Ralph Castner succumbed to his wounds a week after the gun battle, April 23, becoming the only Bowling Green Police Officer killed in the line of duty. Galliher continued as Chief of Police in Bowling Green until his retirement in 1940.
Although he escaped the Bowling Green shootout unscathed physically, the event marked the beginning of the end for "Pretty Boy" Floyd. Up until then, public perception of him was actually somewhat positive despite his obvious criminal behavior - he was sometimes referred to as "the Robin Hood of Cookson Hills" because he would destroy mortgage documents during some of his bank robberies, freeing folks of their debts. But the death of Patrolman Castner began to turn public opinion. By July 1934, the FBI had named Floyd "Public Enemy #1", and he finally met his end in an East Liverpool, Ohio cornfield in October 1934 after being surrounded by several FBI agents and local law officers.
As for the cache, you are looking for a true micro sized container. The area can be somewhat busy at times, so be aware of who may be watching. There are plenty of public parking spaces nearby, though you may need to feed the meters depending on the day and time of your visit. Don't flash too much cash and draw attention to yourself - you don't want to look too suspicious and end up in a shootout!
For more info on the historical event that happened at this location, a link to an article that appeared in the Toledo Blade on April 17, 1961 is included in "Related Web Page" link at the top of the cache page
Congrats to SW00P for another FTF!!