This strange looking dock sits along the river walk near downtown Port Huron. It was used by the railroad for a ferry that transported rail cars across the St. Clair River to Canada. It was constructed in 1903 and operated until 1933 when the need for it declined during the Great Depression.

In 1950 after Dow Chemical opened a plant in Sarnia the ferry service was put back into operation because of the rail traffic between the plants in Midland and Sarnia. In 1994 the ferry officially retired and the dock was left abandoned. In 2013 the old dock was refurbished by the Community Foundation and it makes for a nice platform to watch the many ships that travel down the St. Clair River.

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This steam locomotive sits in R.A. Greene Park in Jackson. The Grand Trunk Western 5030 was built in 1912 and proudly pulled train cars along Michigan’s railroad tracks for years.  On June 5th, 1923 A train was commissioned to take the Knights Templars of Michigan to a Masonic convention in Flint. The 5030 picked up passengers in Grand Rapids, Ionia, and stops along the way. As it was traveling near Durand the gravel roadbed gave way and the train derailed killing the engineer and fireman and three other passengers. 32 other Knight Templars riding the train were injured.

The locomotive was repaired and continued riding the rails of Michigan. It traveled to Jackson on a regular basis and after it was retired from service in the 1950s it was donated to the city. It is surrounded by chain-link fence, probably to keep people from climbing on it, but it feels more like a caged animal to protect people from getting hurt.

Last thing I read about it was that Jackson sold the locomotive to a historic train organization in Pennsylvania. As far as I know it is still in the park until funds are raised to move it to its new home out east.

PS. Thank you so much to all the people that came out to see me last night in Lakeview. It was nice to meet all of you, and thank you to the Tamarack District Library for Inviting me.

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This giant concrete structure towers over the Lake Michigan town of Grand Haven. It is a coal tipple used to feed coal into steam locomotives. The Grand Trunk Western Railroad operated a large rail yard in Grand Haven when ferry service transported rail cars across Lake Michigan. In the 1950s diesel powered locomotives replace the old steam ones and the tipple was no longer used. In the 1970s the Grand Trunk ended freight service to Grand Haven and the rail yard was abandoned. The area has since been turned into a park and the old 1223 locomotive and a few historic rail cars stand on display in the park.

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This old depot was one of only a few train depots in Michigan with “Witch’s Hat” design. It was built in 1907 and stands in the town of Saranac between Ionia and Grand Rapids. It has  been a while since any train has stopped at the old depot. It now serves as a history museum and the old railroad tracks are now the Fred Meijer Grand River Valley Trail.

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The town of Holly had two railroad lines and together they built this beautiful red and yellow brick depot. The Detroit and Milwaukee Railway and the Flint and Holly Railroad founded by Michigan Governor Henry Crapo carried passengers into Holly. Probably to the now famous Battle Ally, which you can read my post about it HERE. The two railroads built a wooden depot in 1864 which burned down in 1884. The current depot was constructed in 1886. It had two ticket windows, one for each railroad. The last passenger train left Holly and the brick depot in 1964.

A non-profit group is in the process of trying to move and restore the old depot. you can see thier facebook page HERE

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Sometimes I think that I was born in the wrong century. I often wonder what it was like riding the train from town to town in Michigan in the early 1900’s. I have to admit when it comes to trains I am a buff like Sheldon Cooper and have visited train museums. I like to visit the old train depots left over from that bygone era, like the beautiful old depot in Muskegon. The Historical marker next to it reads:

The Union Depot was 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 Richardsonian Romanesque station. Several national political figures paused at the depot during whistle-stop campaigns. In 1896, William Jennings Bryan stopped during the first of three unsuccessful presidential bids. The 1952 campaign brought Republican vice presidential candidate, and future president Richard M. Nixon to Muskegon as well as President Harry S Truman who stopped on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson. The Union Depot closed in 1971. It was donated to Muskegon County in 1992 and restored as a visitors’ center and museum.

Reminder. I will be at the Walker Memorial Library giving a presentation on March 16th, at 6 pm.

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This tan and green depot stands in the small town of Bloomingdale. It is between Kalamazoo and South Haven and the depot was originally called the Kalamazoo and South Haven Railroad Depot, it was completed in December 1870. Harvey Howard, owner of the local sawmill, and his brothers Zenas and Joseph supplied the lumber and built the depot. Its original location was an acre of land donated by Augustus Haven. The park built on the depot grounds in 1912 is named in Haven’s honor. The first passenger train arrived in Bloomingdale on July 4, 1870. The railroad stopped using the rail line in the 1970s. It is now part of the Kal-Haven Trail State Park for bikers and hikers to enjoy. Bloomingdale is about the halfway point of the 33 mile trail.

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