In the late 1800s, a flurry of railroad construction followed the discovery of phosphate near waterways along Florida’s west coast from Dunnellon south.
Railroad magnate Henry Plant built the Plant System Railroad down to Tampa, connecting these mining communities. One of Florida’s earliest and longest rails-to-trails projects, the original Atlantic Coast Line segment between Citrus Springs and Dade City was used for this bike path.
When you get near this cache, you will see a large marker with some numbers and letters on it. We found out it was the mileage to Richmond, Va, a town not that far away from our hometown in Maryland. We wondered why Richmond was the intended destination on the sign. It turns out that every mile along the trail, there is a cement marker that displays this measurement because Richmond was the railroad’s hometown.
Thank you to the manager of the WST for permission to place this cache.