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Station: Aloha, MI
Aloha, in Cheboygan County, was formed as a sawmill settlement about 1903. [MPN] The Detroit & Mackinac railway came through here and established a station stop. The town, on the east side of Mullet Lake, quickly became a tourist spot, and the D&M established a beautiful but rustic depot here.
Photo info: Top, a winter view of the D&M depot here. Note the lookout tower on Mullett Lake, and the stone fireplace from the outside. The train order/block signal protrudes towards the main track at the depot. [CMUL]. 2nd photo, the D&M depot at Aloha. [Alan Loftis Collection] 3rd photo, a color postcard of the depot in the early 1900's. The depot had a look-out tower which gave views of lake sunsets and of oncoming trains. [T. J. Gaffney Collection] 4th photo, the highway entrance to Aloha with the D&M crossing in the distance at the entrance to town. 5th photo, a southbound D&M passenger train arrives at Aloha to pick up passengers. Bottom, an old photograph of the inside of the rustic depot at Aloha. Note the stone fireplace and log construction. [Alan Loftis Collection]
Coordinates: 45.526190, -84.465361
Notes
From reader Casey Bartman: The village had a separate passenger station and freight house. The passenger station was destroyed by fire but the freight house survived. In the 1970's it was owned by the Tenny family who owned the general store in the village. The freight house was turned into a pinball arcade until it too was lost in a fire.
Some newspaper articles suggest that the D&M railroad built and owned this resort.
Time Line
1907. The D&M removed 1.1 miles of track on the back end of the Aloha Pit Track. [DMAR-1907]
1909. The D&M owned picnic grounds at Aloha. [MRC-1909]
1920. A 12-mile gravel road is being built to connect the Aloha resort with the village of LeGrande. [DFP-1920-0321]
1924. In the Matter of the Application of the Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company for Authority to Make Its Stations Aloha, Tower, Saganing, Long Lake and Lupton Non-Agency Stations. D-1955. September 15, 1924.
Application having been filed herein by the Detroit and Mackinac Railway Company by Henry K. McHarg, Jr., Vice President and General Manager, for leave to change the character of service given at the above named stations from agency stations to non-agency stations; and the same having been brought on for hearing and the testimony taken in relation thereto having been duly considered;
It is HEREBY ORDERED by the Michigan Public Utilities Commission, That said Detroit and Mackinac Railway Company be and it is hereby authorized from and after October 1st, 1924, to change the character of Service given at its stations at Aloha, Tower, Saganing, Long Lake and Lupton, from agency stations to non-agency points.
MICHIGAN PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION
Bibliography
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
- [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
- [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
- [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
- [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
- [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI
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