The Emmet County Transportation Quest Geo-trail will take participants on a tour to discover the interesting historic transportation places in the county. Each cache will provide a specific answer to a question on the passport. Information and the passport can be downloaded from the Emmet County web site http://www.emmetcounty.org/geocache/
Once 25 of the caches in this tour have been completed, the passport can be taken to Emmet County Building, Suite 178 or mailed to Beth Eckerle, Emmet County Building, Suite 178, 200 Division St., Petoskey, MI 49770 to receive a collectable souvenir coin for this series.
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The Alanson Depot dates back to the 1880’s. The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad was formed in 1854 and operated freight and passenger service from Cincinnati, Ohio to Mackinaw City by 1883. This line was the longest north south rail line in the country extending 529 miles. With Northern Michigan essentially a wilderness in the middle of the 19th century, the railroad accelerated the settlement of this area.
By 1886, the forests were depleted of trees and the railroads depended more on tourism. The line through Alanson was marketed as “The Fishing Line.” Tourist guides were published advertising fishing opportunities and hotels and resorts in Northern Michigan.