Shelter from the Storm Multi-cache
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(small)
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This is a multicache that will take you to three locations related to Baileys Harbor and its use as a harbor of refuge. There is a distance of less than one mile from beginning to end and it makes a nice walk through the village of Baileys Harbor. At the final waypoint is a small self-sealing container.
In 1848, Captain Justice Bailey sought shelter from a severe Lake Michigan storm and anchored his ship in protection of a remote Door County bay. He came ashore, took samples of the area’s limestone and timber, and made a map of the harbor and its resources. He gave his report to his employer, Milwaukee businessman Alanson Sweet. The following year, Mr. Sweet sent men to construct a pier, a sawmill, and to open a stone quarry. The settlement was named after Captain Bailey, and today the bay and the town still bear his name. The coordinates of the first waypoint are: 45° 03.949’ 087° 07.397’ Captain Bailey may have been one of the first to report Baileys Harbors’ attributes as a harbor of safe refuge. From this vantage point, you can look out over Baileys Harbor Town Marina, the current harbor of safe refuge that was constructed in 2000. Atop this perch is a Maritime Trails Marker with the story of the schooner Christina Nilsson. The Christina Nilsson was wrecked just offshore from here while attempting to navigate the outer shoals at Baileys Harbor while seeking shelter from a violent Lake Michigan storm. Use information from the Maritime Trails Marker to decipher the coordinates of the next waypoint. The date the Christina Nilsson’s final voyage began: October _ _ , _ _ _ _ (A B, C D E F) F5° 0B.709’ 087° 07.FF9’ Many nineteenth-century sailing ships seeking shelter from storms came into the Harbor and set anchor. At the second waypoint is a wood stock anchor, an anchor type common to these ships. The stocks were generally made of two pieces of timber (usually oak) and joined together with iron bolts and bands. The stock is set at a right angle to the flukes in order to force the flukes to dig into the lake bottom. If you look carefully, you will see that the chain is actually in two pieces. Count the number of links on the piece that remains connected to the anchor by a clevis (This might be tricky, but count the number of large chain links only – do not count the clevis or the other connecting piece), and use the number of links to decipher the final waypoint. 410 – (Number of Chain Links that remain connected to the anchor by a clevis) = ABC 45° 0A.B26’ 087° 0B.ACA’ At the final waypoint is a small, off-the-beaten-path park with a great view of Baileys Harbor. During periods of low water you can discern the historic remains of a stone pier that extends into the harbor. If you imagine that you have gone back in time to the mid-1800’s, from this final waypoint you would be looking out over the water and seeing numerous sailing ships anchored in the safety of Baileys Harbor’s shores. This cache was placed as a partnership with Wisconsin Historical Society, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Door County Maritime Museum, and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute. We hope you enjoyed learning about Baileys Harbor’s history as a Harbor of Safe Refuge. To learn more about Wisconsin’s maritime heritage please visit our other geocaches in Door County and throughout the state, or visit wisconsinshipwrecks.org!
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