Yellowstone Trail - Plover's Circus House Multi-Cache

This cache has been archived.

zuma!: Archiving this one because I want to change the focus from the circus house to the yellowstone trail cabin. I have not yet removed the final, so if ya get there this month, you can still log this one. After 8/1 it will be gone.

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Hidden : 12/5/2005
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:

The Circus House is just one of many old buildings in Heritage Park in Plover. The Circus House, and all the other buildings (except for the church) have been moved here, with the intention of preserving them and showing what life in Portage County was like between 1870 and 1930.

First, stop at the coordinates listed above, and you will be in front of the front door of the The Engford/Barnsdale House, which is known as the "Circus" House. Several Circus families have owned this house over the years.

The Circus House was built in 1850 by Miner Strope, a pioneer attorney and judge. This is Portage County's oldest house for which the age can be verified. It became the Circus House much later, after Robert Engford purchased it in 1923.

Engford was a pioneer in the motorized circus equipment industry and was one of the first to tour Wisconsin with that motorized Circus Wagons in 1920. On the back side of the house you will find a nonmotorized carriage, which will help you with your first clue.

After looking at the Circus House, head due north, where you will see a small cabin. This cabin was used by auto tourists traveling on the Yellowstone Trail, and is known as a the Yellowstone Cabin. There is a Yellowstone Trail sign on the cabin.

Next, take a look at the depot directly to the east of the Yellowstone Cabin, and one of the few buildings in Heritage Park that has been well restored. The depot was originally located in Bancroft on the Wisconsin Central Railway. It was built in 1898, and later became part of the Soo Line. During its heyday, the depot was an important stop on the "P line", the Soo Line's branch extending from Portage to Point (hence the name). The exterior of this building and 1st floor have been restored to its 1920’s appearance.

Finally, head west to the only building in Heritage Park to be on it's original site, the old church, originally a Presbyterian Church. As you can see from the cornerstone, the Methodists bought the Presbyterian Church and conducted services there until 1964. You will get several clues from the church's cornerstone.

There are many other interesting buildings in Heritage Park, including a blacksmith's shop, a grocery story, a school, a doctor's office and post office, and others. However, they open only summer weekends. The grounds are open at all times and you can explore the building's exteriors. More information is available at:
(visit link)

The final cache is at:

44.28.ABC
89.32.DEF

A = The first digit of the firefighter's local mentioned on the carriage behind the Circus House (Carriage is now missing--the number is 4)
B = The third digit of the year the Methodists stopped using the church
C = The number of letters in the color of the caboose next to the depot
D = The number of doors on the depot - 4
E = The number of chimneys on the Yellowstone cabin
F = The forth digit of the year the church was built

The Yellowstone Trail route followed what is now Highway B from Amherst, and then turned north very near here on Post Road to Steven's Point, at least it did in 1921, according to 1921's Blue Book. The Yellowstone Trail route was subject to change and Yellowstone Trail folders from 1915, 1920, 1925 and 1928 show the route as going through Amherst Junction and by Lake Emily instead.

This is one of several caches I have placed along the route of the historic Yellowstone Trail. The trail is a historic motor route that went across Wisconsin from 1918 to 1930. The Wisconsin portion of the Yellowstone Trail is 406 miles long, starting at the state line south of Kenosha and going north, and then west to Hudson.

BONUS VIRITUAL: Go to 44.27.253; 89.31.185 and email me what Yellowstone Trail artifact you see there. This is right on the historic Yellowstone Trail, and the bonus viritual is an easy drive up, but I wanted folks to see this , as it is the largest one in Wisconsin along the Yellowstone Trail. Feel free to log the bonus, and email me at the same time.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Guerr srrg hc, va n gerr.

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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