SWS - Howard City on the S&W (PM) Mystery Cache

This mystery cache is not at the posted coordinates. It is hidden on the White Pine Trail near Howard City. To determine its location, solve the simple puzzle below. This cache is one of three replacements for the traditional cache, GC4E683, which was a frequent target for muggles. To make the find, park at the trail head near the posted coordinates, get on your bike or put on your walking shoes and head down the trail. It is a short walk or bike ride.

^{UpNorth Memories - Donald (Don) Harrison collection, used with Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)}
Ensley and Edgerton Streets around the turn of the century. Union Station is on the left.

Howard City:

The original plat (see sources) for the village of Howard was registered in November, 1869. The settlement was established by Benjamin Ensly, who owned the land, E.W. Muenscher and a Mr. Shaw. Muenscher was a civil engieer for the Grand Rapids and Indiana RailraodThe settlement was named for William A. Howard, a railroad attorney from Detroit, the land commissioner of the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad from 1869 to 1871, and president of the GR&I from August 1871 through November, 1872.

A post office opened in Howard City on January 12^th, 1870, with John B. Spencer as postmaster. The 1872 plat of the First Addition (see sources) still shows the name of the village as Howard. The settlement was incorporated as the village of Howard City in 1873. The 1874 plat of the Second Addition shows the name Howard City. Main street was originally Ensley Street (Federal Road, old US 131). A massive fire in 1883 destroyed many of the downtown buildings. The business district then developed on Edgerton Street. Between February 2^nd, 1895 and January 19^th, 1899 the name of the post office was shortened to Howard. The town developed rapidly around a railroad junction. By 1877 the population was already around 1000. Twenty years later, the population was reported as 1400.

Early industry included Henry Henkel's saw mill on Tamarack Creek, east of the GR&I tracks and his lumber yard on the west side. By the mid 1880s, H.H. McCall had a planing mill south of what is now Shaw street west of the GR&I main line and T.C. Prout had a flour mill just to the east, served by the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad. By 1892, Charles Skinner and and Henry Steenman had a Furniture factory north of Tamarack Creek, served by both the GR&I and the DL&N. Howard City was somewhat famous in the 1900s for the Olsen Knife Company.

^{Standard Atlas of Montcalm County, Michigan, G.A. Ogle & Co., 1921, UofM Digital Library}
1921 plat of Howard City with GR&I (pink), and PM lines highlighted: DL&LM (yellow) and S&W (lt. blue).

Railroads:

During the railroad building boom, Howard City was the recipient of three rail lines. The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad arrived on June 22^nd, 1869, coming from the south.. The Second line, the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Railroad, reached Howard City in 1871, connecting from Greenville and points south-east. The third line, the Saginaw and Western Railroad arrived as an extension of a line from Saginaw to Lakeview in August, 1886. The S&W and DL&LM came under the control of the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad in 1876, were merged into the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western in 1897 and the Pere Marquette Railroad in 1899. All three lines made use of Union Depot built by the GR&I.

1918 Schedule showing 5 passenger trains daily on the PM over the former DL&LM and S&W lines.

Saginaw and Western Railroad:

The once named Howard City branch of the Pere Marquette Railroad had its roots in subsidiaries owned or leased by the Detroit, Lansing & Northern Railroad. In 1873, the Saginaw Valley and St. Louis Railroad built from Saginaw to St Louis. In 1875, the Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad built a line from Alma, through Elwell, Riverdale, and Vestaburg to Cedar Lake. The CS&C was under the control of the DL&N. In 1878, the CS&C, in receivership, extended the line from Cedar Lake to Edmore where it connected the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad. In 1879, the Saginaw and Grand Rapids Railroad, controlled by the Saginaw Valley and St. Louis, connected St. Louis and Alma. Also in 1879, the CS&C extended the line through Six Lakes to Lakeview. In 1883, the CS&C was reorganized as the Saginaw and Western Railroad. The S&W extended the line from Lakeview, through Amble, to Howard City in 1886, where it connected with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and another D&LN line through Greenville to Ionia. In 1897, the S&W, the S&GR and DL&N were reorganized as the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western. In 1899, the DGR&W became part of the Pere Marquette Railroad which operated its first train on January 1^st, 1900.

The Saginaw and Western never had its own station in Howard City. Instead, it shared space in the DL&LM/DL&N on the east side of the depot. Trains often operated from Grand Ledge, through Ionia, Greenville, to Howard City, then to Edmore where they also served the Big Rapids Branch before heading to Alma and Saginaw. PM potatoe trains often circled the triangle from Greenville to Howard City to Edmore and back to Greenville through Stanton. The S&W and GR&I teamed up to run through trains between Saginaw and Grand Rapids in the 1890s.

As highways with car and truck traffic began to erode the service provided by rail lines, miles of railroad tracks began to disappear. The former S&W line was abandoned between Lakeview and Howard City in 1943, betweeen Lakeview and Edmore in 1974 and between Edmore to Elwell, just east of Alma in 1988. The section between Alma and Edmore has become part of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail.

Cache:

This cache is not at the posted coordinates. To find the coordinates, answer the questions below. Use the checker to get your hint.

The cache is located at N43^o 24.ABC' W85^o 28.DEF'

• A = Fourth digit of the year the Pere Marquette operated its first train.
• B = Fourth digit of the year the CS&C extended the line through Six Lakes to Lakeview.
• C = Fourth digit of the year the CS&C was reorganized as the Saginaw and Western.
• D = The day of the month that the Pere Marquette operated its first train.
• E = Fourth digit of the year the line between Lakeview and Howard City was abandoned.
• F = Fourth digit of the year the S&W extended the line from Lakeview through Amble to Howard City?.
  
  
• Check your solution

Sources:

• GR&I depots
• Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
• Pennsylvania Railroad.
• Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan Railroad
• Detroit, Lansing & Northern Railroad
• Pere Marquette Railroad
• RRHX: Howard City
• RRHX: Michigan Railroad History Home Page
• Flickr: Don...The UpNorth Memories Guy... Harrison.
• William Alanson Howard, Biographical Directory of the US Congress.
• Original Nov. 1869 Plat of the Village of Howard by Ensley, Muenscher & Shaw
• 1872 plat of the First Addition to Howard
• 1874 plat of the First Addition to Howard City
• Standard Atlas of Montcalm County, 1921, G.A. Ogle & Co., UofM Historical Library
• Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University
• Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies, Graydon M. Meints © 1992, Michigan State University Press
• Michigan Railroad Lines, Graydon M. Meints © 2005, Michigan State University Press
• Michigan Place Names, Walter Romig, © 1986 Wayne State University Press