This cache was hidden as part of the tRails Along the Au Sable Geocache Rail Tour, presented by Silent Whistles, the Oscoda - Au Sable Historical Museum, and the Steiner Museum. Record the milepost value contained on and/or in each cache container on the Ticket to Au Sable form. See the additional information below for specific tour requirements.
Aerial imagery of believed location of Imlay.
Imlay:
Imlay was the first recorded site out of Potts (later McKinley) on the Potts Logging Railway's South Branch. The exact location of Imlay is an educated guess. Based on aerial imagery available in Google earth &tm, it appears that there was a passing siding and a logging branch to the south-west from the reference point labeled Imlay site.
A second possibility for the location is further south, nearer Emley lake, which is a mile east of the grade. Some sources speculate that the stop/camp and lake were one in the same. Evidence of a clear branch grade out to the lake has not been found by the CO, but the cache was hidden closer location for ease of access.
Nothing of any consequence has been uncovered about what else might have been at this location. One could speculate that there was a camp here and a place to load logs on to rail cars to be hauled to McKinley and dumped in the Au Sable River for the float down to the sawmills in Au Sable and Oscoda. After 1891, the logs could be hauled all the way to Au Sable by rail.
Potts Logging Railway South Branch, circa 1886.
Railroad:
In 1886, the J.E. Potts Lumber and Salt Company built a narrow gauge (3' between the rails) logging railroad from it's company headquarters at Potts (later McKinley) in eastern Oscoda County. On July 27th, 1887. Potts organized the railroad as the Potts Logging Railway. The railroad was constructed in two different directions from Potts to tap stands of timber. One line was built northwest to what would become Fairview, then on to lumber camps at a place called Tong in north-west Oscoda County. This line eventually reached Twin Lakes (Lewiston) in Montmorency County and Bear Lake in south-western Otsego County.
At the same time, a second line was built south-west into northern Ogemaw County, then west, then north back in to Oscoda County, along Big Creek to Luzerne. This line is referred to as the South Branch. Stops along this line included Imlay, Church, Woodrow, Damon, Hicks, Big Creek and Luzerne, as shown on the map above.
Potts made a bold attempt to connect his isolated lumber railroad to the outside world and become a common carrier (passengers and other freight). By early 1891, he extended the line south-east to connect with the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad and Great Lakes Shipping docks in Au Sable. In doing so, Potts overextended the company and it failed financially. The troubled Potts Logging Railway and its parent, J.E. Potts Lumber and Salt Company were purchased by the H.M. Loud Lumber Company on July 17th, 1891. Henry M. Loud reorganized the railroad as the Au Sable and Northwestern Railroad.
As the South Branch was never more than a logging line, when the available timber was harvested, the need for the branch went away. It is believed that the South Branch between Damon and Luzerne was abandoned in the mid 1890s. The entire branch was abandoned and torn up about 1898. The rails, no doubt, found their way to other locations and branches along the AS&NW.
Portions of the branch between Imlay and Church were used later by the Robinson Lumber Company.
Cache:
The cache is a traditional hide on the grade, just off the road. It is practically a park and grab.
To claim a prize:
- Download and print the Ticket to Au Sable (PDF).
- As an aide, download and print the RAAS Recommended Route Map (PDF).
- Find at least 50 of the 58 cache hides in the table below.
- Find at least seven of the ten mystery and multi caches, in any combination.
- Record the milepost value from each cache you find on this form. Milepost numbers are on cache labels and log book covers. Do not record the milepost value in your log at geocaching.com or it will be deleted.
- Each individual GC account holder making the find must sign and date the paper log book in the cache with their GC account name. No group logs please.
- Send the completed form via US Mail to the address on the form. Each GC account holder must send in a form. One prize per completed form. One prize per GC Account. Multiple forms per mailing is encouraged.
Once your answers have been verified, the prize will be sent back to you via US Mail to the address you provide on the form, while supplies last. One hundred prizes have been minted..
Resources:
Sources:
Many thanks to the hard work and research performed by Mr. Graydon Meints, which would have taken years to do on my own.
Also, thanks to Charles Conn for allowing the use of his collection of photographs at the Clarke Historical Library, and thanks to the Library staff for their help.
Also, thanks to James S. Hannum, Michigan and Washington railroad author, for sharing research, opinions and guidance along the right of way.
- AS&NW History
- RRHX: Au Sable & Northwestern Railroad
- Detroit and Mackinac Railway
- Detroit and Mackinac Historical Society
- Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University
- Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1897, R.L. Polk & Co.
- Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1907, R.L. Polk & Co.
- Michigan Place Names, Walter Romig, © 1986 Wayne State University Press
- Michigan Ghost Towns Volume II, Roy L. Dodge, © 1971 Glendon Publishing
- Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies, Graydon M. Meints © 1992, Michigan State University Press
- Michigan Railroad Lines, Graydon M. Meints © 2005, Michigan State University Press
[agh]
