)MTH( The DUR Powerhouse Traditional Cache
RayQix: Time to do something else here
Thanks for all the finds
-
Difficulty:
-
-
Terrain:
-
Size: 
(small)
Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions
in our disclaimer.
The DTH & MTH-Series of caches are dedicated to the rich history of Transportation in and around the City of Detroit and State of Michigan. These caches will give you a glimpse into the many things that are related to the past, present, and future parts of Transportation-related items with the area.
The Detroit Urban Railways Powerhouse
The large building with its extremely tall chimney located nearby to the west is of historical significance to the area in that is has been here for many years and was once part of a larger system of public transportation called the DUR or Detroit Urban Railways.
The Power House as it looked in the early 1900's
The Detroit United Railway was a transport company which operated numerous streetcar and interurban lines in southeast Michigan. Although many of the lines were originally built by different companies, they were consolidated under the control of the Everett-Moore syndicate, a Cleveland-based group of investors.
1904 DUR Map
The company incorporated on December 31, 1900, and continued to expand into the early 1920s through new construction and the acquisition of smaller concerns. After the DUR acquired the Detroit-Jackson line in 1907, it operated more than 400 miles (640 km) of interurban lines and 187 miles (301 km) of street city street railway lines.
DUR car (unknown location)
With the introduction of Electricity to the Farmington area, two structures of the Detroit Urban Railroad were erected near the convergence of Grand River Avenue and Orchard Lake Road. The powerhouse was built in 1899 to accommodate servicing of the Interurban lines from Detroit into Farmington and Northville, and the other along the Orchard Lake Road route north to Pontiac.
One branch of the power grid went North towards Pontiac, the other continued West into Downtown Farmington.
Power House (back left) as seen from the East along Grand River Ave.
Across the street to the north from the powerhouse stood the DUR Carbarn. This is where the 60-foot-long interurban cars were stored and serviced as-needed, instead of having to travel back towards downtown Detroit to one of the other service facilities that were many miles away.
The DUR Carbarn which was on the NorthWest corner of Orchard Lake and Grand River
The Farmington Jct. car barn was 60 X 223 feet in size. The water tower held 34,000 gallons of water and stood 48 feet above ground level. The wash house was at the north end.
The system expanded further, eventually reaching out towards Howell to the west and Flint to the northwest.
The Detroit United Railways interurban depot at Farmington, Michigan.
Beginning in 1922, however, the DUR began a process of devolution when it sold the local Detroit, Michigan streetcar system to the city, under the management of the Department of Street Railways (DSR). The company continued to abandon or sell properties throughout the 1920s; on September 26, 1928, the remainder was reorganized as the Eastern Michigan Railways (EMR).
The building, as it looks today (winter)
The Massive DUR powerhouse building remained even after the Detroit Urban Railways system was retired. The building was closed and abandoned for a few years.
The Early 1930's brought new life to the building, which was then converted into the LaSalle Winery by Morris Twoney owner of The Windsor Wine Company. He moved the operation to Farmington and began to operate as The La Salle Winery on April 10th 1933. just as Prohibition came to an end.
The LaSalle Winery was later purchased by another Winemaking group who would eventually move their operations elsewhere around 1970.
The view from the very tall chimney, looking Northwest
The powerhouse building is a registered historical site and now houses various offices and even an antiques store. In the fall, the facility also hosts a very impressive haunted house leading up to the Halloween holiday every year.
Nearby Historical Marker for the Powerhouse
BE AWARE of your surroundings here.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Gerr'q Cvar