The Michigan Railroad Story Article Count: 2

The Michigan Railroad Story is a series of articles which examines the role and impact of railroads in the migration of people to and around Michigan and the development of industry and natural resources in our state.

Belt Lines, River lines Article Count: 1

Bridges Article Count: 1

Car Builders Article Count: 8

Car Ferries | Ports | Docks Article Count: 0

Car Ferries | Ports | Docks

Northport MI

Railroads, ports and docks go hand and hand, especially in the early days. The first settlers came to the lower and upper peninsula of Michigan by water.

Detroit's early railroad depots were along the water. The Michigan Central railroad's main passenger station from around 1845 to 1908 was at the foot of Third Street. It was no coincidence that the Detroit and Cleveland Navigation Company was located across the street. Settlers could get off their steam-powered paddle-wheeled ship, freshen up, and then cross the street to board their passenger train go to west to Ann Arbor, Jackson, and even Chicago.

Detroit's other early railroad, the Grand Trunk, started their passenger trains at the Brush Street station, at the foot of brush (just west of the present Renanisance Center). The third railroad into Michigan from Toledo was the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern which also used the Brush Street station.

As railroads developed across Canada from Toronto and Buffalo, railroad passenger ferries brought people across the river to Detroit, followed by railroad car ferry operations which also terminated near both of these waterfront depots.

Railroads also had car ferries which operated from ports on Grosse Isle, Port Huron, the Straits of Mackinaw, and many towns along both sides of Lake Michigan.

Ports were also used to transload mine products from railroad to ship, and visa versa. Copper ports included Houghton and Hancock. Iron ore shipped from Marquette, Gladstone, Escanaba, and a number of other locations even including St. Ignace for a short period. Limestone was shipped from many ports along Lake Huron (some of which continue to today).

Coal shipped to almost everywhere. Whenever you had an industrial port, boats brought coal north from Ohio and other states to power industrial and municiipal power plants.

The Car Ferries | Ports | Docks section of RRHX attempts to document the major connection points between rail and water in and near Michigan.

Photo info/credit: The Manistique, Marquette and Northern Ferry No. 1 at the dock at Northport loading rail cars for a trip across Lake Michigan to Manistique. [Alan Loftis collection]

Car Ferries Article Count: 50

Ports Article Count: 30

Crossings | Interlockers Article Count: 1

Coal Facilities Article Count: 48

Dispatching Centers Article Count: 6

Disrupters, Progress Article Count: 18

Evolution of Michigan Railroads Article Count: 0

Evolution - Lower Peninsula Article Count: 0

Evolution - Lower - 1830s Article Count: 4

Evolution - Lower - 1840s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1850s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1860s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1870s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1880s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1890s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1900s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1910s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1920s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1930s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1940s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1950s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1960s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1970s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1980s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 1990s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 2000s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Lower - 2010s Article Count: 6

Evolution - Upper Peninsula Article Count: 0

Evolution - Upper - 1850s Article Count: 3

Evolution - Upper - 1860s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1870s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1880s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1890s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1900s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1910s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1920s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1930s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1940s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1950s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1960s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1970s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1980s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 1990s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 2000s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Upper - 2010s Article Count: 6

Evolution - Detroit Region Article Count: 0

Evolution - Detroit - 1830s Article Count: 3

Evolution - Detroit - 1840s Article Count: 9

Evolution - Detroit - 1850s Article Count: 6

Evolution - Detroit - 1860s Article Count: 1

Evolution - Detroit - 1870s Article Count: 7

Evolution - Detroit - 1880s Article Count: 5

Evolution - Detroit - 1890s Article Count: 8

Evolution - Detroit - 1900s Article Count: 10

Evolution - Detroit - 1910s Article Count: 8

Evolution - Detroit - 1920s Article Count: 7

Evolution - Detroit - 1930s Article Count: 2

Evolution - Detroit - 1940s Article Count: 3

Evolution - Detroit - 1950s Article Count: 1

Evolution - Detroit - 1960s Article Count: 6

Evolution - Detroit - 1970s Article Count: 7

Evolution - Detroit - 1980s Article Count: 8

Evolution - Detroit - 1990s Article Count: 1

Evolution - Detroit - 2000s Article Count: 1

Evolution - Detroit - 2010s Article Count: 1

Evolution - Grand Rapids Region Article Count: 0

Evolution - Marquette Range Article Count: 0

Evolution - Marquette - 1850s Article Count: 2

Evolution - Marquette - 1860s Article Count: 1

First or Famous Article Count: 1

Helper Districts Article Count: 1

Historical Markers Article Count: 1

Historical Societies | Museums Article Count: 5

Ice Houses Article Count: 1

Industry Article Count: 0

Cement | Paving Article Count: 1

Chemicals Article Count: 2

Coal Gasification Plants Article Count: 2

Energy | Power Plants Article Count: 1

Iron and Steel Article Count: 1

Logging Article Count: 1

Oil Refineries Article Count: 19

Vehicles | Suppliers Article Count: 2

Wood Products | Mills | Salt brine Article Count: 2

Interurbans Article Count: 1

Locomotives Article Count: 2

Locomotive Builders Article Count: 4

Maps Article Count: 0

County Maps Article Count: 129

Mines and Mining Article Count: 1

Copper, Silver, Gold, Uranium Mines Article Count: 0

Keweenaw County Mines Article Count: 27

Houghton County Mines - North of Portage Canal Article Count: 27

Houghton County Mines - South of Portage Canal Article Count: 16

Test message. Mines south of Portage Canal

Ontonagon County Mines Article Count: 42

Marquette County Mines Article Count: 2

Iron Mines Article Count: 0

Marquette County Iron Mines - Negaunee east Article Count: 99

Marquette County Iron Mines - Ishpeming west Article Count: 79

Marquette County Iron Mines - Gwinn and Princeton area Article Count: 13

Marquette County Iron Mines - Champion and Republic areas Article Count: 53

Baraga County Iron Mines Article Count: 11

Dickenson County Iron Mines - Iron Mountain and north Article Count: 23

Dickenson County Iron Mines - Quinnesec & Norway east Article Count: 35

Florence County (WI) Iron Mines Article Count: 2

Iron County (MI) Iron Mines - Crystal Falls area Article Count: 65

Iron County (MI) Iron Mines - Iron River area Article Count: 64

Gogebic County Iron Mines - Wakefield east Article Count: 34

Gogebic County Iron Mines - Bessemer area Article Count: 32

Gogebic County Iron Mines - Ironwood west Article Count: 20

Iron County (WI) Iron Mines - Hurley west Article Count: 4

Detroit area Article Count: 5

A listing of mines, and processing facilities in southeast Michigan, generally located in Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston and Monroe counties in the Lower Peninsula. These are mostly underground salt mines and open aggregate mines (such as road gravel).

Eastern upper, Northeast lower Article Count: 10

A listing of mines and processing facilities in northeast lower peninsula of Michigan, centered north, west and south of Alpena and north and east of St. Ignace in the Upper Peninsula. These are mostly limestone, rock and gravel mines extracted mostly by the open pit method.

Gogebic range Article Count: 1

A listing of mines, stamp mills and smelters in the Gogebic range of Michigan, generally located in Gogebic County and nearby Iron County, Wisconsin in the Upper Peninsula. These are mostly iron mines, but include other minerals such as copper in the White Pine area..

Marquette range Article Count: 1

A listing of mines, stamp mills and smelters in the Marquette range of Michigan, generally located west and south of Marquette in Marquette county in the in the Upper Peninsula. These are mostly copper mines, but include other minerals such as gold and uranium..

Menominee range Article Count: 5

A listing of mines, stamp mills and smelters in the Menominee range of Michigan, generally located in Dickenson and Iron counties of Michigan in the Upper Peninsula. These are mostly iron but include other minerals.

Saginaw Bay area Article Count: 5

A listing of mines and processing facilities in the Saginaw Bay area of Michigan, generally located in Arenac, Bay and Saginaw counties of the Lower Peninsula. These are mostly aggregate, salt, and marl mines..

West Michigan area Article Count: 2

A listing of mines and processing facilities in west Michigan, generally located in and near Grand Rapids in the Lower Peninsula. These are mostly gypsum, lime and other products for producing plaster but include other minerals..

Mining Companies Article Count: 11

This is a listing of major mining companies which owned more than one mine location.

Mining - Other Article Count: 1

A listing of other mines, mills and processing facilities in Michigan not included in the other categories.

Named Trains Article Count: 1

Narrow Gauge Article Count: 1

Old Photos Needed Article Count: 83

Testing...

Passes Article Count: 40

Postal Stamps Article Count: 1

Railroad Men (and Women) Article Count: 9

Testing.

Railroads in History Article Count: 0

Railroads in History chronicles 463 railroad complanies which were actually operated in Michigan at one time or another.

There are about twice as many railroad companies which were authorized by the State of Michigan, or incorporated under railroad and general corporation law. Many were "paper" railroads and never built. Some were "construction railroads" which were built and immediately sold to other railroads.

This website covers only railroads which were built and operated. "Paper" railroads where construction was not begun are not included.

For a comprehensive listing of all railroad companies, see the two excellent volumes known as Michigan Railroad Lines, by Graydon Meints, and available through Amazon books or other book sellers. These books are also available through public library exchange.

General Information About Railroads in History Article Count: 4

A Article Count: 21

B Article Count: 35

C Article Count: 66

D Article Count: 59

E-F Article Count: 22

G-H Article Count: 40

I-J Article Count: 22

K-L Article Count: 33

M Article Count: 73

N-P Article Count: 46

Q-S Article Count: 47

T-V Article Count: 32

W-Z Article Count: 14

Railroad Resorts Article Count: 1

Rolling Stock Article Count: 1

Roundhouses Article Count: 104

Signals Article Count: 2

Stations | Locations Article Count: 0

Stations and Locations are a compilation of cities, villages, hamlets, interlocking towers, industrial locations, logging camps, control points, and other locations along railroad lines in Michigan.