Side 1
The area now known as Dryden was settled in 1834. By 1880 it was a hamlet of about 300 people. A marketing center surrounded by rich farm land, it turned to the railroad to increase its prosperity. Its citizens, spurred by the local . . . — — Map (db m160957) HM
The coming of the railroad in 1870 was pivotal
to Imlay City's founding and economic progression.
Imlay City's original wooden depot was built in
1870 for the Port Huron and Lake Michigan
Railroad, and contained separate waiting rooms
for men . . . — — Map (db m182976) HM
Grand Trunk Railroad Depot
The Port Huron & Lake Michigan Railroad, later the Grand Trunk Western, arrived here in 1870. The first depot burned in 1917, and makeshift quarters served for a decade. This depot was built in 1927, . . . — — Map (db m195612) HM
Dedicated August 1, 2008
By Artists: Arla Slogar and Linda Dyball
Sponsored by the Imlay City DDA and a generous grant from Four County Community Foundation
Charles Palmer
The mural depicts Charles Palmer, founder of Imlay . . . — — Map (db m195084) HM
The DeYoung family cherishes this land. In 2006, the family worked with the Leelanau Conservancy and Elmwood Township to permanently protect the farm and shoreline by establishing the DeYoung Natural Area. Cedar Lake was an important part of . . . — — Map (db m213301) HM
This village was first known as Norristown, in honor of Seth and Albert Norris who opened a gristmill here about 1853. In the mid-1850s Godfrey Greilick and sons, natives of Bohemia, built a small, water-powered sawmill. The steam powered Greilick . . . — — Map (db m204877) HM
Lenawee County was first settled in 1824 at Tecumseh, which the Territorial Legislature subsequently made the county seat. Pioneers, mostly from upper New York State, then established Blissfield and Adrian, the later called Logan. The largest Indian . . . — — Map (db m102761) HM
Early in 1974, with much foresight, the City of Adrian adopted a Land Use Plan that called for the acquisition of all river bank property between Riverside and Island Parks. The goal was to connect the two major city parks with a walkway. A major . . . — — Map (db m104477) HM
Located on the site of a log tavern
constructed around 1839, this three-
story brick hotel with semi-circular
windows was built in 1875, fifty-one
years after Blissfield was settled.
William Drew built this structure
and named it Drews Hotel. . . . — — Map (db m165589) HM
[Front Side of Marker]
The first railroad operated west of the Alleghenies, the Erie and Kalamazoo, was chartered on April 22, 1833 to connect Port Lawrence (later named Toledo) with the Kalamazoo River via Adrian. A horse-drawn car made . . . — — Map (db m27807) HM
[Front side of Marker]:Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road
The first railway in the Northwest Territory, the Erie and Kalamazoo Rail Road linked the east coast with the Michigan Territory and points westward. The E&K was chartered on April . . . — — Map (db m27804) HM
The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway
organized on May 27, 1869. The railroad's main
line linked Buffalo, New York, with Chicago. The
railroad played a vital role in transporting not
only passengers, but also the materials that fed
the . . . — — Map (db m165595) HM
John Tanner was known as one of Brighton's most unusual people. His 10 foot long beard was always tucked under his shirt only to be seen by his wife and the paying public. His delivery operation from the train depot ran from 1871-1910 with his . . . — — Map (db m107558) HM
The iron horse arrived in Brighton in 1871. Brighton's future growth and success was off to a good start with this new transportation service running through town. The railroad depot was built about 600 feet beyond this artwork. The push-pull . . . — — Map (db m108680) HM
Everything changed when the trains came to Hamburg in the 1880s.
The village had been connected to neighboring towns only by old Native American trails and dirt roads. Travel was slow and difficult on foot, horse or wagon, and village . . . — — Map (db m168379) HM
The Hotel brought the world to the little village of Hamburg.
Built in 1835 beside Horsehoe Creek, it sheltered many early settlers to the region and, by 1850, visitors coming to enjoy hunting and fishing in the woods and lakes. Two . . . — — Map (db m168152) HM
Howell raised $20,000 in 1885 to induce the Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Michigan to enter town. Many believed the town, already served by one railroad, would boom with a second line. Early in 1886 a right-of-way dispute erupted in an armed brawl . . . — — Map (db m107759) HM
[The Village of Pinckney]...is in the midst of one of the finest and already best settled agricultural districts in the state, and is already the natural center of business for not less than two hundred or three hundred families. . . . — — Map (db m202547) HM
Ice harvesting was the major winter activity
in Hamburg Township for over thirty years. Until electrical refrigeration became common in the 1940s, food was best preserved during warmer months in "iceboxes" with ice blocks . . . — — Map (db m202142) HM
Train wrecks were a constant worry
in Hamburg Township, though they were not common. Accidents jolted communities around the world as trains became common in the 1800s. In fact, worldwide time zones were established, in part, . . . — — Map (db m202465) HM
The Players
James McMillan (left) and John S. Newberry (right) founded the Detroit, Mackinac & Marquette Railroad (DM&M). After completing the railroad, the company sought ways to develop the properties that they owned along the route. On . . . — — Map (db m4453) HM
Opened on July 10, 1887, the Grand Hotel was built by the Grand Rapids & Indiana and the Michigan Central railroads and the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company through the efforts of Sen. Francis B. Stockbridge. It is built of Michigan white . . . — — Map (db m107066) HM
This antique railroad bell with its classic ring is frm a coal-fired, steam-powered locomotive that was popular in the late 1880's in the hard rock mining & logging industries.
Donated by Clarence "Clancy" Kalmer in honor of his parents Willis . . . — — Map (db m140059) HM
The boardwalk on which you are standing is constructed on what is affectionately referred to by local residents as the "Chief Dock". It is the previous home to the Chief Wawatam (Wa-wa'-tem), a hand-fired, coal burning train-car ferry built by the . . . — — Map (db m130100) HM
Panel 1 — The Life
In the years when passenger trains were part of the train service, the Chief's crew consisted of 54 people including "hotel services staff." The Chief ran 24 hours a day. She could carry 348 passengers and had . . . — — Map (db m140007) HM
While working as a railway newsboy on the Detroit-Port Huron line, Tom Edison often stopped in Mount Clemens. He made friends with station agent J.U. Mackenzie and in 1862 saved Mackenzie's young son from death by a train. In gratitude Mr. Mackenzie . . . — — Map (db m143408) HM
On November 18, 1899 the first electric streetcar arrived in Romeo.
It moved up a track in the center of Main Street, connected by long rods to overhead electrical lines. Later, it turned west on St. Clair Street to the new Detroit United . . . — — Map (db m123383) HM
Interurban service became the most successful mode of transportation
through Roseville in the early 1900s. Starting in 1895, the Rapid Railway Company ran electric interurbans along Gratiot Avenue between Detroit and Mt. Clemens, a . . . — — Map (db m120631) HM
The Detroit, Lake Shore, and Mt. Clemens Railway, also known as the Shore Line, began interurban rail service on September 28, 1898. The twenty-six mile route from Detroit followed Jefferson Avenue through Grosse Pointe and St. Clair Shores to . . . — — Map (db m102489) HM
On this site in 1852, the Green Bay and Lake Superior Rail-Road began the survey which led to the construction of the first steam railroad in the Upper Peninsula. The railroad ran from Marquette to the Jackson and Cleveland iron mines fourteen . . . — — Map (db m206097) HM
Patience is a virtue we are often told. But impatience spawns innovation and that's how the first iron ore pocket dock came to be. In 1857 Captain George Judson became impatient with the slow transfer of iron ore from trams on the dock to the . . . — — Map (db m216246) HM
The first of the immensely rich Lake Superior iron ore deposits to be discovered and mined were those of the Marquette Iron Range. In 1844 William A. Burt and his surveying party discovered outcroppings of iron ore south of Teal Lake. This area soon . . . — — Map (db m153993) HM
The forest industry is alive and well here at present but farming is mainly a thing of the past. When immigrants flocked to the village of Republic, they settled in separate and distinct locales — such as "French Town", "Finn Town" (Park . . . — — Map (db m154327) HM
The Republic Iron Company was the first successful mining company in Republic and was located on Swede Hill. Anna Mae Gibson was the first girl and Charles W. Munson was the first boy born in Republic to the early settlers in 1872 and 1873, . . . — — Map (db m154299) HM
S.S. Badger
S.S. Badger is one of fourteen ships that served in the Ludington railroad car ferry fleet. Badger and its sister ship S.S. Spartan, were built in 1952 by the Christy Corporation of Sturgeon Bay, . . . — — Map (db m97277) HM
This railroad depot was built by the Pere
Marquette railroad when the railroad came to
Sanford in 1870. It was originally located in
town near the present day site of the Sanford
trail head of the Pere Marquette rails to trails.
Use of the . . . — — Map (db m160019) HM
Ida Village
A day's ride from the River Raisin stood the Ida Inn. Settlers built log cabins around the inn and farms appeared along the old corduroy roads. The Inn, later to become the train station and post office, was purchased, along with . . . — — Map (db m170288) HM
In 1836, a well was placed at this site for the
use of the Southern Michigan Railroad Company
to supply water for its steam locomotives. This
rail line was used for passengers and freight
between Monroe and Adrian. Because the water
from this . . . — — Map (db m170287) HM
One of the pioneer rail lines of the west, the Michigan Southern transported during a colorful but brief period a vast army of settlers who crossed Lake Erie by boat. Trains waited at the piers to carry the travelers and their possessions west to . . . — — Map (db m127986) HM
On April 22, 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was granted a charter by the Legislature of the Territory of Michigan and was built and in operation a year before Michigan was a state. It was to connect Toledo (then called Port Lawrence and . . . — — Map (db m27772) HM
The Union Depot opened in 1895 to serve the Chicago & West Michigan Railway; the Muskegon, Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad; and the Toledo, Saginaw & Muskegon Railroad.
A.W. Rush and Son of Grand Rapids designed the Richardson Romanesque . . . — — Map (db m107240) HM
Among the last of the wooden water towers in Michigan, the Grant Water Tower was built beside the depot in 1891 by the Grand Rapids, Newaygo and Lakeshore Railroad. It cost $1,910 and could hold 42,648 gallons of water. Although train service ceased . . . — — Map (db m182744) HM
In the early 1920's this location was the site of the waiting station for the Interurban train. (right)
Shown below in 1928, new buildings had been constructed when 14 Mile was paved and widened. These had been built behind the existing . . . — — Map (db m216234) HM
The Detroit United Railway, commonly known as the Interurban, crisscrossed Michigan with a network of rails that connected numerous smaller towns with the metropolis of Detroit. Beginning in 1899, the swift electric trains ran several times a . . . — — Map (db m216331) HM
The first Detroit United Railway (DUR) train rolled through Clawson in September of 1899 and operated until 1931. Above, the train aproaches town along South Main Street, then known as the Niles Road, about 1900.
Poor road conditions did not . . . — — Map (db m216330) HM
Mass transit was abundant in Clawson from the 1920's and into the 1940's. Bus lines and taxis, known as jitneys, along with the Interurban train, provided many transportation choices for commuters and shoppers.
The Buchanan Bus Garage was . . . — — Map (db m216267) HM
With the introduction of electricity in Farmington, so too came the interurban railway. In August of 1899, the Detroit Northwestern Railway bought over forty-on acres at this intersection for a power house. Completed in February of 1900, the . . . — — Map (db m169146) HM
(Side 1)
Ferndale State Bank
Historical Site
141 W. Nine Mile
The Ferndale State Bank was the second bank in Ferndale, setting up shop within the former C.F. Smith Grocery store on July 1, 1924. Their early successes allowed . . . — — Map (db m155338) HM
First incorporated in 1917, Ferndale's early development as a streetcar suburb of Detroit resulted in Ferndale having a small downtown and traditional high density development patterns. The streetcar system, with its fond memories, served . . . — — Map (db m108386) HM
In 1846 Major F. Lockwood built a dam and sawmill on Pettibone Creek northeast of Livingston and Harvey Lake Roads. This sawmill supplied lumber to Highland's earliest settlers until it burned in 1863. In 1867 Chester Chatfield build a cider mill at . . . — — Map (db m20487) HM
Henry Howland Crapo (1804-1869)--wealthy lumberman, Republican, state senator (1863-64) and governor of Michigan (1865-68)--owned prosperous lumberyards in Holly, Fenton and Flint. Lumber and railroads were essential elements in the development of . . . — — Map (db m34494) HM
An intersection of history...
where the Pere Marquette Railroad crossed Grand River Avenue. Built in the 1850s, Grand River Avenue was an important route between Detroit and Lansing, but transportation was limited to horseback, wagon or . . . — — Map (db m165134) HM
Two railways came together here.
The West Bloomfield Trail follows the path of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s. If you were standing here in 1900, you also would see a light rail trolley line that ran along . . . — — Map (db m174212) HM
Transportation transformed the landscape of rural West Bloomfield
as electric trolleys and automobiles appeared around the turn of the 20th century. Many people traveled here for the first time from Detroit and Pontiac, and . . . — — Map (db m105114) HM
The trolleys made it easy to travel
through the lakes of Oakland County. In the early 1900s people got off or waited at platforms that were built for access to the track. The Detroit United Railway (DUR) bought land from local . . . — — Map (db m105074) HM
To change directions, trolleys had to turn around.
At this location, at the back of what had been the parade grounds of the Michigan Military Academy, the Detroit United Railway (DUR) built a "wye." This Y-shaped track allowed . . . — — Map (db m105150) HM
1872 The Detroit & Bay City Railroad Company laid its tracks through Rochester and brought the first train to town in October.
The railroad brought rapid transportation and communication to a sleepy village, and with it the economic . . . — — Map (db m219723) HM
1899 The Detroit Sugar Company built a huge sugar beet processing mill on the northwest side of the village, along the Paint Creek. A street running westward from North Main to the plant (appropriately named Sugar Avenue) was laid, and . . . — — Map (db m219779) HM
This picture shows the rear of the Detroit United Railway powerhouse, across Chapman Pond. It was taken southwest of this location, near the Michigan Central Railroad train depot. The pond covered an area of approximately 18.5 acres where the . . . — — Map (db m154225) HM
An interurban railway was brought to town by the Detroit, Rochester, Romeo, and Lake Orion Railway (DRR&LO) in 1899.
Its powerhouse, located next to Paint Creek, used steam generators to produce electrical power for the entire Flint Division . . . — — Map (db m101924) HM
In March 1879, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad (GTW)—Michigan Air Line Division made its way to Rochester. This rail line eventually extended from Jackson to Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester, and on to Richmond for a total distance of 106 . . . — — Map (db m160442) HM
Main Street has always been the lifeblood of any town. Rochester's Main Street (also known as Rochester Road or M-150) has seen a number of different modes of transportation like horses and buggies, electric streetcars, automobiles, bicycles and . . . — — Map (db m179744) HM
In 1872, Lysander Woodward, Rochester resident and president of the Detroit and Bay City Railroad, brought the railroad through Rochester. It was purchased in 1881 by the Michigan Central Railroad. Rochester flourished because of the railroad. . . . — — Map (db m179920) HM
Built ca. 1900, the dam was used to generate power for the Western Knitting Mills near Chapman Pond. Remnants of the dam are still visible near the Michigan Central Railroad bridge. In June 1946, torrential rains washed out the earthen . . . — — Map (db m179569) HM
Paint Creek begins in a Brandon Township wetland and flows southeast to Rochester where it empties into the Clinton River. Today a thriving trout stream, the creek was important for waterpower during the nineteenth century. Needham Hemingway dammed . . . — — Map (db m137897) HM
In 1863, William (1820-1911) and Caroline (1833-1892) Yates moved from New York to Michigan and purchased 80 acres of land. Using an existing dam on the Clinton River, they opened a water-powered lumber mill. The business soon grew to include a . . . — — Map (db m118906) HM
In the late nineteenth century, the community of South Lyon was served by three rail lines operating from the 1871 Pere Marquette depot, which burned in 1908. By the time this one-story Queen Anne depot was erected by the Grand Trunk Western . . . — — Map (db m150858) HM
Merrill B. Mills had many plans in the early 1890s
for his land around Sylvan Lake. His Sylvan Lake Improvement Association developed lakeside subdivisions and a resort hotel. The Sylvan Lake Inn was built in 1893 on this Point, including a . . . — — Map (db m173569) HM
The world got bigger for most people around 1900
Trolleys and automobiles appeared in southeast Michigan around then, and more people could enjoy distance places. Travel time from Detroit to Sylvan Lake's natural beauty and attractions was . . . — — Map (db m173418) HM
Built by William Lakie as a dairy barn in 1912, this structure is now a church. At one time the electric interurban railway ran past this barn and picked up milk cans gathered from surrounding farms. After the Presbyterian Church purchased the . . . — — Map (db m95558) HM
Residents gossiped, picked up their mail and bought dry goods, live chickens, and interurban tickets in the general store located at Troy Corners along Livernois at Square Lake Road. The Detroit United Railway or interurban line from Detroit stopped . . . — — Map (db m200016) HM
Cass Lake was the quiet pleasure
of farmers and merchants until the first trolley rail system was built through the area in 1895, bringing "weekenders" from Pontiac and Detroit to the area. In 1912 real estate developer Joseph . . . — — Map (db m105182) HM
Many Detroiters escaped to nature on the trolleys
of the Detroit United Railway (DUR) in the early 1900s. The Orchard Lake Beach stop was located here, where the parallel Grand Trunk Railroad and DUR trolley tracks crossed . . . — — Map (db m105107) HM
A former railroad corridor, the West Bloomfield Trail Network stretches 4.25 miles through West Bloomfield, Orchard Lake, Keego Harbor and Sylvan Lake.
The West Bloomfield Parks and Recreation Commission bought it from the Grand Trunk . . . — — Map (db m105288) HM
The heart of the lake country was well-served by the trolleys
in the early 1900s. No stop in the entire Detroit United Railway (DUR) trolley system was more popular than the Orchard Lake stop located here, where the parallel . . . — — Map (db m105135) HM
The West Bloomfield Trail was once a railbed of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s to serve far-flung agriculture and industry. The light rail electric trolley track that was built in 1899 is noticeable at Cass Lake . . . — — Map (db m174210) HM
Railroad locomotives thundered through this countryside
for more than 130 years. The Michigan Air Line Railroad was completed in 1884, a branch of the historic Grand Trunk Railroad that became a vital shipping network between manufacturing . . . — — Map (db m155852) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m136763) HM
Ogemaw Springs is the oldest village in Ogemaw County. The spring that gives the town its name provided the sole supply of water for early settlers. It also supplied water for the boilers of the railroad steam engines that served the area’s lumber . . . — — Map (db m182295) HM
Settled in the year 1874 by the Jackson, Lansing & Saginaw Railroad, the new community was named for Augustine Smith Gaylord, an attorney for the railroad. Born in Jefferson, Ohio in 1831, he started the Saginaw Public School System in 1851. He . . . — — Map (db m33369) HM
This depot and substation served the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon Railway, an electric interurban railroad that operated from 1902 to 1928. A third rail in the country and an overhead wire in cities supplied the train’s power. Frequent runs . . . — — Map (db m154390) HM
Built in 1870, this building has been prominent in Grand Haven's history, both as a railroad depot and as a historical museum. For many years downtown Grand Haven enjoyed train whistles and churning locomotives arriving here with passengers and . . . — — Map (db m152891) HM
This depot was constructed in 1870 as the western terminus of the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railroad. The line was later owned by the Grand Trunk Western Railroad. The station served Grand Haven as a passenger depot until passenger service . . . — — Map (db m88965) HM
This signal for many years guarded the east-end approach to the Grand Trunk Western Swing Bridge over the entrance to the Spring Lake channel.
This electrified signal with its colored lights indicated to the engineer of the train whether the . . . — — Map (db m4786) HM
Built in 1925 by Ogle Construction Co. of Chicago. Illinois.
All ladders, stairways and other steel hardware were stripped from the tower when it was removed from operation in the early 1950's.
In use, a hopper car of coal was spottedover . . . — — Map (db m4780) HM
This caboose of the Grand Trunk of Canada was of the 1894 design and was transferred to the Grand Trunk Western.
Early car department records indicate that it was rebuilt in 1925.
This all-wood caboose was used by the conductor as a . . . — — Map (db m4781) HM
Built by the Western Railroad Supply Company of Chicago, Illinois.
The Disappearing Banner Type Autoflag was designed to be placed at the side of the road, with the banner overhanging the roadway, plainly visible to approaching traffic.
This . . . — — Map (db m154227) HM
Built in December, 1946 by the Ralston Steel Car Co. in Columbus, Ohio.
It was used for transportation of automobile parts, furniture, and general merchandise.
Later it was retired from service and used as a storage car in the Chesapeake . . . — — Map (db m4783) HM
Built in November, 1941 by the St. Louis Car Company of St. Louis, Missouri.
The caboose was truly a rolling office, complete with a coal stove, ice box, drinking water tank, sink and sleeping bunks.
The conductor used desk space provided . . . — — Map (db m4782) HM
Built by the Lima Locomotive Works, Lima, Ohio in November 1941. The boiler number is 7837.
This is one of two surviving steam engines of its type that were used in fast freight service between Chicago, Saginaw, Detroit and Toledo. Engine 1223 . . . — — Map (db m4785) HM
On October 15, 1908, raging fires
swept the pine forests of Presque
Isle County. When the flames approached the village of Metz, a train
jammed with women and children left
for Posen, five miles away. At
Nowicki's siding, two miles out . . . — — Map (db m233736) HM
Prudenville Timber and the 1862 Homestead Act began drawing people to Prudenville in 1870. Named for early developer Peter Pruden, the community was also known as Edna for a time. As the commercial center of Roscommon County, Prudenville boasted . . . — — Map (db m182286) HM
William J. Terney, lumber baron and Civil War veteran, moved to the Roscommon area in 1887 and erected this house in the late 1880s. Shortly afterwards, he began extensive lumbering operations here and was instrumental in bringing the railroad . . . — — Map (db m232306) HM
Burt Opera House
In 1888, this settlement was named in honor of Wellington R. Burt, the lumber tycoon who arranged for the Cincinnati, Saginaw and Mackinaw Railroad to run through this village. During his 1888 gubernatorial campaign, Burt . . . — — Map (db m180508) HM
The first twenty-five miles of track for the Port Huron and Northwestern Railroad opened from Port Huron to Croswell in 1879. Marlette citizens lured the railroad by raising $15,000 toward construction of the tracks. The line extended from Saginaw . . . — — Map (db m154436) HM
Durand Railroad History
Durand's first settlers began farming here in 1837. Its first railroad, the Detroit and Milwaukee, arrived in 1856, thirty-one years before the village of Durand was officially organized. The settlement became a . . . — — Map (db m119234) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m119232) HM
On November 15, 2001 at 6:15 A.M. 29 miles east of here at the Andersonville Siding M.P. 37.5 on the Holly subdivision, train E243 enroute from Flatrock, MI to Flint, MI collided with train L533 that was bound for Detroit, MI
Killed were . . . — — Map (db m239859) HM
