While this could be a park and grab, the waypoints of the cache are laid out to take you on a historic walk or bike ride in Barton. Walking, this cache should take about 20-30 minutes. Other than the final location, the entire route is wheelchair accessible.
The settlement of Barton began in 1845, when a land surveyor named Barton Salisbury arrived in the area from Mequon, and identified the rapids on the Milwaukee River as a potential source of hydropower. He built a sawmill, and soon other settlers arrived in the area, which was called Salisbury's Mills at the time.
In 1848, the state legislature created the Town of Newark from land that had previously been part of the Town of West Bend, and in 1853 the Washington County Board of Supervisors changed the name to the Town of Barton in honor of Barton Salisbury.
Many sawmills and gristmills sprang up on the river in the town's early years, and by 1855, the town's population was over 1,000, making it larger than neighboring West Bend. The first settlers were predominantly German immigrant farmers. The first church was a German Methodist church established in 1850. In 1852, the non-German settlers in the town organized the Presbyterian Society of Newark. The first Roman Catholic service in the town was held on Christmas Day, 1857. On August 12, 1858, an Austrian missionary named Father Caspar Rehrl established the Roman Catholic Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes in Barton and built the historic St. Agnes Convent and School. In its early years, the order was dedicated to education, and sisters worked in rural schools in Barton and surrounding communities.
In 1925, the Village of Barton was incorporated out of some of the town's land. The village was annexed by the City of West Bend on November 1, 1961.
The final cache is located at N43 AB.CDE W88 FG.HIJ
At the starting point you will find the Barton Roller Mills. The last digit of the year the mill was established = D
Travel south west on Barton Av and you will find Eisen Arms. This building is now over 100 years old. The last digit = I. The third digit = F
Continue on Barton Av to the corner of Barton Av and Main St. Here you will find the original Barton Fire Department. In the year the building was built, the last digit = G. The second digit minus the thrid digit = E. The first digit plus last digit = A
Cross Main St and continue on Barton, to the corner of Barton Av and Fond du Lac St. Here you will find the historic Sisters of St Agnes. The third digit of the year it was founded = C. Now Subtract the third digit from the second digit and this = J.
Look in the air to the northeast and you will see the steeple of St Mary's Catholic Church. From the year on the cornerstone, add the first, third and fourth digit together = H.
Adjacent to the St Mary's Church is the building that once held St Mary's Catholic school for K5-8th grade. The school has since closed. Using the year school was established, add the first and third digit = B.
Congratulations to Lobsters9494 on the FTF on this Cache Ba$hless weekend!