This cache was hidden as part of the tRails Along the Au Sable Geocache Rail Tour, presented by Silent Whistles, the Oscoda - Au Sable Historical Museum, and the Steiner Museum. Record the milepost value contained on and/or in each cache container on the Ticket to Au Sable form. See the additional information below for specific tour requirements.
AS&NW / D&M Au Sable River Branch, Doane to Lott, ~1915.
Five Channels Dam:
In 1911 Consumers Power Company began construction on the second hydro-electric power plant on the Au Sable River. In 1912, the Au Sable & Northwestern Railroad, likely being operated by the Detroit & Mackinac Railroad by then, built a five mile long spur off the main line between Bissonette and Bryant to haul materiels and equipment to the project. In 1914, the line was extended from near the Five Channels Dam upstream to the Loud Dam construction site. The line may have been used to transport employees of Consumers Power to their jobs on the dams. What became known as the Five Channels Dam branch was abandoned along with the rest of the former AS&NW in 1927.
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Railroad:
In 1886, the J.E. Potts Lumber and Salt Company built a narrow gauge (3' between the rails) logging railroad from it's company headquarters at Potts (later McKinley) in eastern Oscoda County. On July 27th, 1887. Potts organized the railroad as the Potts Logging Railway. The railroad was constructed in two different directions from Potts to tap stands of timber. One line was built northwest to what would become Fairview, then on to lumber camps at a place called Tong in north-west Oscoda County. A second line was built south-west into northern Ogemaw County, then west, then north back in to Oscoda County, along Big Creek to Lewiston.
Potts connected his isolated lumber railroad to the Au Sable by 1891 and become a common carrier (passengers and other freight), but doing so overextended the company and it failed financially. On July 17th of that year, the H. M. Loud Lumber Company purchased the Potts company and reorganized the railroad as the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad. Loud harvested logs along the railroad, taking up some lines and extending them elsewhere for the next twenty years.
A devastating fire in 1911 fire in Oscoda and Au Sable all but wiped out the lumber company and the towns. On June 1st, 1912, the Detroit and Mackinac Railway leased the AS&NW with the option to purchase. The option was exercised on June 1, 1914. The D&M had an interest in havesting remaining lumber, but also used the railroad to haul construction equipment and materials to several hydro-electric dam sites along the river. In late 1915 and early 1916, the D&M converted the main line to Commins and a branch to Curran from narrow to standard gauge (4' 8 1/2" between the rails). An anticipating influx of farmers and settlers following the timber harvest did not materialize, largely due to World War I. The railroad suffered over time and in 1927, the D&M finally abandoned what had become their Au Sable River Branch.
Cache:
The cache is a two stage multi cache with a first stage field puzzle at the posted coordinates. The posted coordinates are at a historical marker at the boat launch below the dam. Access the site from the south side of the river. Solve the field puzzle for the final cache location using information from the historical marker and a nearby sign errected by Consumer's Energy. Letter codes are A=1, B=2, etc.
- The final can be found at N44o 28.ABC' W83o 40.DEF'
- A = Number of letters in the second word of the name of the workers camp.
- B = Third digit of the year this became a registered local site.
- C = Fourth digit of the year the year the steel truss bridge below the dam was constructed.
- D = Third digit of the year hydro electric power was first publicly demonstrated in the country.
- E = Second digit of the registered local site number.
- F = Number of hydro electric dams constructed by Consumers Power on the Au Sable River.
- Check your solution
To claim a prize:
- Download and print the Ticket to Au Sable (PDF).
- As an aide, download and print the RAAS Recommended Route Map (PDF).
- Find at least 46 of the 57 (80%) cache hides in the table below.
- Find at least seven of the ten mystery and multi caches, in any combination.
- Record the milepost value from each cache you find on this form. Milepost numbers are on cache labels and log book covers. Do not record the milepost value in your log at geocaching.com or it will be deleted.
- Each individual GC account holder making the find must sign and date the paper log book in the cache with their GC account name. No group logs please.
- Send the completed form via US Mail to the address on the form. Each GC account holder must send in a form. One prize per completed form. One prize per GC Account. Multiple forms per mailing is encouraged.
Once your answers have been verified, the prize will be sent back to you via US Mail to the address you provide on the form, while supplies last. One hundred prizes have been minted..
Resources:
Sources:
Many thanks to the hard work and research performed by Mr. Graydon Meints, which would have taken years to do on my own.
Also, thanks to Charles Conn for allowing the use of his collection of photographs at the Clarke Historical Library, and thanks to the Library staff for their help.
Also, thanks to James S. Hannum, Michigan and Washington railroad author, for sharing research, opinions and guidance along the right of way.
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