Indiana's State Highway 3 figured prominently in my youth. Growing up in one of the small towns outside of Muncie in Delaware County I was fully aware of the impact Hwy. 3 had back when it still ran through the heart of the "Big City". My family travelled on Hwy. 3 north of Muncie to get to family in the small town of Eaton and in Wells County, and took the highway south through New Castle on the way to ballgames in Cincinnati. Years later I moved to Fort Wayne and continue to use the old highway to get back to family in Delaware County. When looking for a reason to hide my first cache I took inspiration from AriEthan's "Geocaching 101" series and T-Hunter's additions to HWY 127 Power Trail in Ohio.
SR 3 is the third major highway running north-south in Indiana after SR 1 and US 27. It once ran the length of the eastern third of the state from near the Michigan state line to the Ohio River just north of Louisville. The highway was broken into two sections in 1972 when a long stretch of the old road in the Fort Wayne-area was decommissioned upon the completion of I-69. SR 3 currently traverses 223 miles of Indiana roadways.
This hide is located on the southern end of Laotto. Laotto is an unincorporated town that was established in the 1830s as settlers travelled along the Mongoquinong Trail. The trail later become Lima Plank Road. The small community was a stopping point on the underground railroad during the 1850s and 1860s. The town, bypassed by the SR 3 expansion in 1990, now serves largely as a bedroom community to the cities of Auburn, Fort Wayne, and Kendallville. This stretch of road isn't too busy so the cache should be a quick and easy find for Geocachers of all levels of experience. There is the possibility of muggle eyes across the street so stealth may be tricky and necessary. The container is small and contains only the log, so bring a writing instrument.
Please post any DNFs or if the container or its contents need maintenance.