This is an easy Kache for Kids, in a kid friendly location and a regular size container with a lot of kid related swag.
Here is some information about the location that parents can share with kids:
Have you ever wondered why there is a tower here in Carson Park, near the CVRR railroad depot? This is an interlocking tower that was donated in 1991 by the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad the Chippewa Valley RR. It was moved to Carson Park in 1992. The tower was built in October 18, 1896 and was the last operating tower in Wisconsin. It became the last “depot” in Eau Claire after the main depot was demolished. In 1901, the Omaha Railroad constructed a second track between Eau Claire and Altoona. To protect double track, the Taylor Signal Company installed the first all electric, dynamic indication interlocking system in the country.
The railroad tower housed an interlocking machine that was controlled by an operator or leverman. The operator would pull various levers, which would in turn would align switches and signals through a series of trackside pipes. These levers were often referred to as "armstrong" levers because you had to have a strong arm in order to operate the machine as the pipes could be up to a mile in length!
The interlocking machine itself was actually an early type of computer. The ingenious design of the interlocking mechanism allowed the operator to manipulate various levers without permitting conflicting routes and thus preventing accidents. Each interlocking machine was custom designed and built for the specific section of track it was meant to control.
This tower was built in 1896 and was located near the east side of what is now Banbury Place. The tower was built because 2 different railways intersected on the the north side of the Eau Claire River. One set of tracks was owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad. The second set of tracks were owned by the Chicago & North Western Railway, The railway names were often shortened to just the Milwaukee and the North Western, and the tower operator had to operate the switching mechanism for the 2 lines.
Have fun climbing the steps. I used to have a cache at the top of the steps, but this one is lower.