The Railroad was critical to the development of both the Cities of Manton and Cadillac. The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad arrived in Cadillac in 1871 and in Manton in 1872. Without this connection, Manton would not have lost the County Seat to Cadillac in the "Battle of Manton".
The Rangers 4+1 have traveled between Manton and Cadillac all of their lives, utilizing the three different routes. The oldest route (gravel hills and curves) that follows the train tracks fairly closely is now referred to as the "Old Manton to Cadillac Road" by locals. We thought this route needed a Series of Caches with a little history thrown in for good measure! The old US 131 has been replaced by a freeway which is now US 131 with the old road now referred to as "Mackinaw Trail". Try to keep up now! This cache is in the "Old Manton to Cadillac Road (OMRC) Series.