Durand in Shiawassee County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Durand Union Station
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 24, 2018
1. Durand Union Station Marker — Side 1
Side 1
The Detroit and Milwaukee Railway brought Durand its first rail service in 1856. In 1877 the Chicago & North Eastern Railroad reached the town, and in 1885 the Toledo, Ann Arbor and North Michigan (later the Ann Arbor Railroad) added its tracks. The Grand Trunk Railway System and the Ann Arbor Railroad built this depot in 1903, at a cost of $60,000, to serve the thousands of passengers who came to this railroad center. In 1905 the depot was nearly destroyed by fire; however, within six months this near-replica had been completed. The last Grand Trunk Western Railroad passenger train stopped here in 1971. Passenger service resumed in 1974 with Amtrak. The City of Durand acquired the depot in 1979.
Side 2
Designed by Detroit architects Spier & Rohns, the 239-foot-long Grand Trunk Western Union Depot originally featured a spacious waiting room, a popular dining room, a lunch counter, areas for baggage and express mail, and telegraph and railroad offices. It was built of Missouri granite brick and Bedford cut stone and originally roofed in slate. Later roofs were of red tile and, in more recent years, of asphalt. Once the largest station in outstate Michigan, the depot is also one of the largest in a small town anywhere in the United States. On March 27, 1960, Grand Trunk Western train No. 56 left the depot for Detroit. It was the last regularly scheduled passenger train in the United States to be pulled by a steam locomotive.
Erected 1987 by Bureau of History, Michigan
this page online
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission, and the National Register of Historic Places series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is March 27, 1960.
Location. 42° 54.573′ N, 83° 58.931′ W. Marker is in Durand, Michigan, in Shiawassee County. Marker is on Ann Arbor Street, 0.2 miles west of Russell Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 200 Railroad Street, Durand MI 48429, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Train E243 Collision (within shouting distance of this marker); Sandula Clock Tower (about 800 feet away, measured in a direct line); Southeast 100 Block Saginaw Street (approx. 0.2 miles away); Durand Railroad History / The Knights Templar Special (approx. ¼ mile away); VFW Post 2272 Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.8 miles away); Knaggs Bridge Area (approx. 4.2 miles away); Oakwood Cemetery Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.2 miles away); Gaines Veterans Memorial (approx. 4.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Durand.
Regarding Durand Union Station. 1978 Michigan Historical Society Request for Federal Assistance [part of nomination] excerpt:
The Durand Depot, built in 1905, symbolizes the history of railroading in Durand, which was the largest railway center in Michigan outside Detroit.
Also see . . .
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 24, 2018
2. Durand Union Station Marker — Side 2
1. Durand Union Station. (Submitted on June 25, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
2. The Michigan Railroad History Museum. (Submitted on June 25, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
3. Grand Trunk Railway Station National Register Nomination Form. (Submitted on January 25, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 24, 2018
3. Durand Union Station and Marker
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 24, 2018
4. National Register of Historic Places Plaque
Photographed By Joel Seewald, June 24, 2018
5. Durand Union Station Mural
This mural, by Gregg Bugala, is on the side of a building at the southwest corner of North Saginaw Street and West Clinton Street in downtown Durand.
circa 1905
6. Union Station Depot, Durand, Mich.
This postcard and the mural in the preceding photo are similar to the point of being nearly identical, as both are obviously based on the same photograph; however, the addition and removal of certain visual elements (e.g., the bicyclist in the lower right corner) would suggest that the mural artist took some minor artistic liberties in depicting the photograph.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 25, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 25, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 244 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on June 25, 2018, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 6. submitted on June 25, 2018.
