Wixom in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Intersecting Lines
Put Wixom on the Map
Photographed By Joel Seewald, July 13, 2019
1. Intersecting Lines Marker
Trains came from all directions,
and made Wixom a hub of commerce. In 1871, Willard Clark Wixom founded the village on property at the intersection of planned railroad lines. One line (later named Pere Marquette, now CSX) was built through here that year. The intersecting Grand Trunk Railway was completed in 1883, and by then Willard Wixom and Judson Sibley had established the largest produce storage depot in the region. In 1925, a fire burned through much of Wixom, diminishing its economic stature, but the railroad was key to building the Ford Wixom Assembly Plant in 1957.
You Auto Know
The last operator on the Grand Trunk rail line was the Star Clipper Dinner Train which closed in 2008.
Erected by MotorCities National Heritage Area, National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.
Location. 42° 31.483′
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Traces of History (approx. 0.3 miles away); Wixom-Wire House (approx. half a mile away); From Sibley's Corners to Wixom (approx. half a mile away); Wixom Cemetery (approx. half a mile away); Detroit Finnish Co-operative Summer Camp Association / Detroitin Suomailinen Kesaleiriyhdistys (approx. 1.8 miles away); Stonecrest (approx. 2.7 miles away); Walled Lake (approx. 2.8 miles away); Walled Lake Casino (approx. 3.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wixom.
Photo courtesy of the Wixom Historical Society
2. Upper left image
View through the village along the Pere Marquette line, toward the storage depot at the left, 1909.
Photos courtesy of the Wixom Historical Society
3. Lower left images
Left: The Wixom passenger depot at the junction of the two railroad lines, about 1900.
Right: Willam Clark Wixom, the founder of the village and its rail facilities, about 1875. Ironically, he was killed in 1901 by a passenger train while crossing the tracks in a horse wagon.
Right: Willam Clark Wixom, the founder of the village and its rail facilities, about 1875. Ironically, he was killed in 1901 by a passenger train while crossing the tracks in a horse wagon.
Photo courtesy of City of Wixom
4. Upper middle image
An 1896 map of Wixom, showing the intersections of railways and roads.
Photo courtesy of the Wixom Historical Society
5. Lower middle image
Photo of fires in December 1925 that destroyed much of the village, believed started in a railway pump house.
Sketch courtesy of the Wixom Historical Society; photo courtesy of Bertha King
6. Lower right images
Top: The Wixom Co-op was formed in 1916 and it expanded commodity storage in Wixom. A landmark along the tracks in Wixom, it was demolished in 2002.
Bottom: A train brought President George H. W. Bush on a whistle stop in Wixom in September 1992 during his presidential re-election campaign.
Bottom: A train brought President George H. W. Bush on a whistle stop in Wixom in September 1992 during his presidential re-election campaign.
Photographed By Joel Seewald, July 13, 2019
7. Intersecting Lines Marker
View looking toward the northwest.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2019. It was originally submitted on July 16, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 216 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on July 16, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
