SwtM - South Haven Letterbox Hybrid

This cache has been archived.

The Mitten Crew: Another year of the "Smitten with the Mitten" series has come to a close. Thanks for visiting this cache and learning about Michigan Small Towns.

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Hidden : 5/21/2017
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

For this letterbox, start out at the posted coordinates. You will find a tree on your left with a small dip in the trail right in from of you. Proceed south. Pass a Large stump on your left (8 ft off the trail). Continue on and you will pass a tree just on the right edge of the trail. Follow the "two" track trail until you cross the black strip. Here the trail will curve a bit, and you are getting close. Before the "Y" follow along the recent downed giant until you will find what you seek in the "GEO-STUMP".

South Haven is a city in Van Buren County, although a small portion extends into Allegan County. The population was 4,403 at the 2010 census.

Because of its position on Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven has always been a port city. During settlement, major ship lines stopped there, both passenger and freight. In the early 1900s South Haven became a resort town, sometimes referred to as "The Catskills of the Midwest". South Haven is a major regional tourist draw because of its recreational harbor and beaches. It is the western terminus of the Kal-Haven Trail, popular with bicyclists and snowmobilers. Nearby are Van Buren State Park and the Van Buren Trail State Park.

Prior to colonization by white settlers, the area was inhabited at different times by Potawatomi and Iroquois native people. In 1833, the U.S. government granted Jay R. Monroe a land patent for 65 acres of land along the shore of Lake Michigan. In the 1850s the first permanent settlers arrived, and early in the decade the first steam sawmills were built on the Black River. About this time, the settlement gained its first merchant, physician, lawyer, and minister, and the first schoolhouse was built. The first bank was organized in 1867. South Haven was incorporated as a village in 1869, and as a city in 1902.

The timber harvested in South Haven was shipped to Chicago and Milwaukee via steamboats and schooners, and the cleared forests were then used by fruit farmers, who primarily grew peaches, blueberries and apples. The farming industry created many jobs in the area, and the city began to boom. Around the early 1900s, theaters, a casino, an opera house, an amusement park, and many resorts contributed to a rise in popularity of the city. Being a resort city resulted in a seasonal economy, however, and in an effort to stabilize the economy, the city's board of trade successfully recruited several different industries to the area.

In 1925, the first foreign shipments of goods arrived, beginning an era of foreign shipments that would last until the mid-1960s. The last passenger steamboat left South Haven for Chicago on Labor Day, 1941, though recreational boating increased steadily. In the 1950s and 1960s several new factories came to the area, and although the resort businesses in the area began to flounder, the resorts that remained grew stronger.

In 1969, "The Centennial Celebration and Blueberry Festival" took place, and the city's 64-slip marina was dedicated. To this day the Blueberry Festival continues to draw many visitors to the city. Other events, such as the Ice Breaker Festival, Harborfest, the art shows and 4 July fireworks display remain very popular. The beaches, boating and relaxing atmosphere will continue to ensure that the City of South Haven remains a popular warm-weather destination. The South Pier Lighthouse, built in 1903 to replace the light established in 1872, is still operational, and is accessible from a public beach.

South Haven offers an interesting array of cultural attractions. The Michigan Maritime Museum, host of the tall ship Friends Good Will, is perhaps its most famous. The Michigan Maritime Museum also hosts an electrically powered river launch called the Lindy Lou. River launch boats were used in the 1890s to the 1930s to ferry passengers up the Black River to various resorts and parks.
Visit 14 geocaches in the SwtM series. At each geocache collect a letter and number combination. Insert them into the phrase: FiTS LIKe A GlOVE. Use the coordinates from the phrase to find the final geocache and become a Mitten Master
South Haven Saugatuck Crystal Falls
Adrian Colon Port Sanilac
Cadillac Manistee Leland
Petoskey Frankenmuth Alpena
Copper Harbor Ishpeming Mitten Master

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

nzzb pna va n ghearq bire fghzc

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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