+Fuzzywhip Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 (edited) While on a caching holiday in Seattle, I came across this strange concrete thing under the Grady Way Hwy / Hwy 405 freeways. What is this thing? The bowl-looking thing does not appear to be hollow, and the whole thing is on huge wooden beams. I found this while hunting for cache GCM6PX Edited February 25, 2007 by Fuzzywhip Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I believe it was part of the entance to Longacres, oh so many years ago... Quote Link to comment
+hydnsek Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I believe it was part of the entance to Longacres, oh so many years ago... What was Longacres? Quote Link to comment
+GeekGirl Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 What was Longacres? Longacres was a racetrack... the ponies ran there from 1933-1992. According to this article, "Only the tall poplars trees that once edged the racetrack remain to mark the former location of Longacres." So it doesn't sound like what Fuzzywhip saw is related. Still a mystery, I guess, for now! http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7349 Quote Link to comment
+Prying Pandora Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I believe it was part of the entance to Longacres, oh so many years ago... That looks like it's crying out for one of your history caches, Jester! Quote Link to comment
+Prying Pandora Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 What was Longacres? Longacres was a racetrack... the ponies ran there from 1933-1992. According to this article, "Only the tall poplars trees that once edged the racetrack remain to mark the former location of Longacres." So it doesn't sound like what Fuzzywhip saw is related. Still a mystery, I guess, for now! http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=7349 There's a little geocaching connection to Longacres too. Rey del Roble's horse (from which he took his geocaching name) had a big win there. From Rey del Roble's profile: Rey del Roble (Ray dell Row-blay), means Oak King in Spanish. It was the name I gave my first race horse who broke its maiden race at Longacres race track, at odds of 52 to 1, and won, coming from dead last around the clubhouse turn, to win by a nose at the wire. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 Ahh! But you have to remember that the track pre-dated the highway that now passes over said object - and changed the whole look of the area. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I believe it was part of the entance to Longacres, oh so many years ago... That looks like it's crying out for one of your history caches, Jester! Hmm, might be, but what of the highway bridge high overhead? That might be a guideline problem... Quote Link to comment
Team Misguided Posted February 25, 2007 Share Posted February 25, 2007 I believe it was part of the entance to Longacres, oh so many years ago... That looks like it's crying out for one of your history caches, Jester! Hmm, might be, but what of the highway bridge high overhead? That might be a guideline problem... Make that a virtual stage with a container elsewhere. Quote Link to comment
+Blue Power Ranger Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 I actually drive by that frequently and had been eyeing that spot. If I'm not mistaken, there are two of those there. Quote Link to comment
+Prying Pandora Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 If one of you decides to put a cache there and discovers any proximity issues with my Roar & Rumble cache, let me know. I'm not very attached to that cache and would gladly archive it if someone wants to do something better. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted February 26, 2007 Share Posted February 26, 2007 I'm going to do a little research, but that may take a little time ... as my "assistant" (no, not the wife) is only open a few days a week. Quote Link to comment
+Fuzzywhip Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 (edited) Oops, I guess I forgot to include the coords to my picture I posted several days ago! N47-27.921 W122-14.413 Fuzzywhip Edited February 28, 2007 by Fuzzywhip Quote Link to comment
+Elde Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Oops, I guess I forgot to include the coords to my picture I posted several days ago! N47-27.921 W122-14.413 Google Earth coordinates 47.46535 -122.240217 brings up two Community links that confirm this is the former site of Longacres... The Parks and Recreation overlay also confirms this. (Even though the track was demolished long before GE was written...) Google Maps also has Longacres present. So, whether or not they are related to Longacres - they decidely are adjacent to it. Quote Link to comment
+Uplink Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 I see you can still see the outline of the racetrack in the aerial photos - just zoom out ant look SE of the object in question. Quote Link to comment
John E Cache Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 Oops, I guess I forgot to include the coords to my picture I posted several days ago!N47-27.921 W122-14.413 I've got the boulter.com coordinate converter bookmarklet installed on my browser tool bar. When I highlight your coordinates and click the tool bar icon it takes me here. It shows the track. Your spot kind of looks like an entrance to the interior of the park. Te nearby cache link on that page shows and incredible number of caches very close. Quote Link to comment
+blindleader Posted March 4, 2007 Share Posted March 4, 2007 It certainly looks like a planter. Guessing from satellite photos, it was probably one of two, flanking the road entering the track. Terraserver (same data as Google Earth uses) yields two pictures: from 1990, when the track was still in operation, and 2002. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted March 5, 2007 Share Posted March 5, 2007 I haven't had any luck yet, but there's still a couple of leads to follow up on. Quote Link to comment
+Fuzzywhip Posted March 6, 2007 Author Share Posted March 6, 2007 Just received email back from several history sites in the Seattle area, but neither could answer what this is. Even the horse racing association had no answer. From the map views, it does look like an enterance to Longacres, but I have yet to confirm this. Please keep looking. Quote Link to comment
+Rey del Roble Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Just received email back from several history sites in the Seattle area, but neither could answer what this is. Even the horse racing association had no answer. The location is the back way into the old track. That whole North area was the stable area and would not have been the main entrance. I use to come that way and never noticed the planters but the freeway was there then. RdR Quote Link to comment
+Elde Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 The location is the back way into the old track. That whole North area was the stable area and would not have been the main entrance. I use to come that way and never noticed the planters but the freeway was there then. The 1990 Terraserver imagery shows the stable to be to the East, and the freeway present. Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Just received email back from several history sites in the Seattle area, but neither could answer what this is. Even the horse racing association had no answer. The location is the back way into the old track. That whole North area was the stable area and would not have been the main entrance. I use to come that way and never noticed the planters but the freeway was there then. RdR Actually, that area was the entrance to Longacres. Some of the stables were on the northside, but a little farther east. The track was built in the '30s, the freeway in the '50/'60s. Quote Link to comment
+Blue Power Ranger Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 (edited) The more important question... is anyone planning on incorporating this into part of a cache? Edited March 7, 2007 by Blue Power Ranger Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 The more important question... is anyone planning on incorporating this into part of a cache? Well, if I can track the history down I've had a thought or two about it... (as reference earlier in thread) Quote Link to comment
MarcusArelius Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 (edited) I moved into the first building that was built on the old Racetrack when it was brand spanking new. I queried the folks that were around back then to no avail. However, that was the main entrance to the racetrack way back before the Oaksdale underpass was built. Edited March 9, 2007 by MarcusArelius Quote Link to comment
John E Cache Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 The more important question... is anyone planning on incorporating this into part of a cache? It sort of is a "couch potato[me]" "historic site" community cache already. Maybe an e-mail to "The History Detectives" on PBS would help. For some reason it looks like something out of Japanese garden to me. Quote Link to comment
+thicket23 Posted March 30, 2007 Share Posted March 30, 2007 Hi, I am new around here as my husband, 2 kids and I just started with this awesome sport. I too have seen this structure and always wondered what it was. Well I shot an e-mail to the Renton Historical Society and it has been confirmed that it is the entrance of yore. Fuzzywhip, the woman I was coresponding with wanted to see a picture so I sent her a copy of yours because I have never taken one. She wants to use it in an upsoming newsletter and will give you credit if you want. I obviously don't know your name and they would like permission to use it. I now realize I should have contacted you before showing it to her, but I really just thought she would look at it and that would be the end of it. Well lo and behold they want to print it. They want to print this picture of yours to hopefully track down an original picture of the entrance. If you would like I can foward the e-mail correspondence to you. And I deeply appologize for not asking your permission to send this photo to her in the first place, lesson learned. Ashley Quote Link to comment
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