The Chicago, Saginaw & Canada Railroad Company was a project developed and advocated by Capt. E.L. Craw of Fruitport, MI in the mid 1870's. Capt. Craw envisioned this railroad crossing the "mitten" of Michigan, beginning at Muskegon and extending through Alma, St. Louis and East Saginaw, ending up along the St. Clair river near Port Huron.
The railroad was built in 1875 from St. Louis, MI west via Alma and Lake VIew to a connection with the GR&I at Howard City. Grading work was also performed in East Saginaw, and a railroad swing bridge was built over the Saginaw River between East Saginaw and Saginaw. The bridge was never used by the CS&C and later sold to James Joy's Detroit & Bay CIty railroad for use in their new line between Denmark Junction to Saginaw. The D&BC likely also used the CS&C's graded line in the city.
Built → Chicago Saginaw and Canada Railroad → Saginaw & Western railroad
Built: 1875 from St. Louis MI to Riverdale
Operated for 8 years.
Became: Saginaw & Western in 1883 (Owned by the Detroit, Lansing & Northern railroad)
Reference: [MRRC]
The CS&C was a competitor to the parallel Saginaw Valley & St. Louis railroad which alsp intended to build a similar line through St. Louis and Alma. In fact, the CS&C used the SV&StL tracks from Paines to St. Louis before moving over to their own line. The two railroads, which were represented by different interest groups in Saginaw and East Saginaw disagreed and jockeyed with buying out each other in the mid-1870's.
Both lines were finally merged into the Detroit, Lansing and Lake Michigan, and became part of the Pere Marquette system in 1900.
Several newspaper report said that this railroad competed with the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis railroad west from Saginaw.
1872. CS&C is incorporated. [MRRC]
1873. Capt. E.L. Craw, President of the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada Railroad company has filed articles of association of said company with the Secretary of State. The capital stock is $4.2 million. The road extends from Grand Haven to St. Clair, 210 miles. The directors are Edward L. Craw of Fruitport, Joseph McChesney of Chicago, Amos C. Barstow, William Carliss, E.P. Mason, William H. Bradford, of Providence, RI, John F. Slater of Norwich, Conn and Rowland Hazard. [DFP-1873-0117]
1873. An ad for the DL&N notes that their line connects with the CS&C at Edmore. [LSJ-1873-0410]
1873. A stockholders meeting notice reports that the company's office is in Fruitport, MI. [DFP-1873-0523]
1873. It is now announced that the CS&C railroad will be graded as far as the GR&I crossing at Sand Lake the coming winter, leaving it ready for iron soon as Spring opens. Capt. Craw has made such arrangements with Eastern capitalists as will insure the completion of the line. [LCS-1873-1113]
1874. September. An agreement was entered by the executive committee of the CS&C and the SV&SL allowing the CS&C to lease or purchase the SV&SL road at $300,000, subject to a bonded debt of $450,000, or if leased at $54,000 per year. This agreement is subject to the CS&C building a bridge across the river (in Saginaw), all of which has been carried out.
For years, certain capitalists of Saginaw City have opposed every enterprise calculated to benefit East Saginaw, and controlling the SV&SL ignored the agreement of both roads, and called a meeting of the stockholders at Saginaw City yesterday to vote on the extension of that road, independent of the CS&C road. The meeting was largely attended and it was voted to increase the capital stock of the SV&SL to $850,000 and extend the road from St. Louis to Grand Rapids, the eastern terminus being Saginaw City.
A minority of the stockholders hotly contested the action of the majority, but did not control shares enough to influence the meeting. Railroad men and capitalists freely express the opinion that the SV&SL do not really intend to extend the road, but bluff of the CS&C to get better terms.
Captain Craw, of the CS&C, left for the East yesterday to purchase a construction train, and as soon as it arrives a track will be laid from St. Louis to Lake View, and also through (Saginaw). Capt. Craw says the CS&C has the ability and will construct an independent line from (Saginaw) to St. Louis. [GRE-1875-0505]
1875. May. The CS&C line from St. Louis to Lake View is graded awaiting rail. [GRE-1875-0505]
1875. May 6. The CS&C road through East Saginaw is graded and the bridge across the river is nearly completed. [PHTH-1875-0506]
1875. May 23. The new locomotive for the CS&C railroad arrived yesterday and an excursion was given by Capt. Craw to St. Louis (MI) today, 200 people of Saginaw participating. The train was drawn by the new engine. Track laying on the new road west of St. Louis will commence next week. Forty miles of the road is ready for the iron. [PHTH-1875-0524]
1875. May 27. The schooner Escanaba arrived at the port at East Saginaw from Cleveland, with a cargo of 524 tons of railroad iron for the CS&C railroad. The draw (bridge) on the new CS&C railroad bridge at East Saginaw was swung for the first time last evening. [PHTH-1875-0603]
1875. May. Workers put the iron swing span on the Detroit, Saginaw and Canada railroad bridge over the Saginaw river. It was swung for the first time on June 2nd. [PHTH-1875-0511] It was noted that in addition to the iron swing section, and approaches to the bridge were of timber.
1875. June. Captain Craw's road, the CS&C, is to be pushed this summer and the contract for putting down the first 30 miles of iron west of St. Louis has been awarded to M. Aldrich of East Saginaw. The first locomotive, the "Ben Richardson", has arrived from Cleveland and is already at work with Ed Chapell of Fruitport, as engineer. [GRE-1875-0609]
1875. June 10. The injunction to restrain the CS&C railroad company from driving piles in the channel of the (Saginaw) river in the construction of their new bridge at East Saginaw was dissolved in the Circuit Court, and the work has been resumed. [JCP-1875-0610]
1875. August 12. The iron on the CS&C railroad (Capt. Craw's road) was laid to Elm Hall yesterday. [GRE-1875-0813] It is the intention of the company to commence running trains to St. Louis as soon as the new engine and passenger cars arrive, which are expected in a few days. Two trains will be run each way daily. Capt. Craw is in excellent spirits over the favorable outlook of the affairs of the company, and it is more probable that the road will be completed as far as promised before winter sets in. [GRE-1875-0817]
1875. August 24. This evening as the work train on the CS&C was backing up to couple on to a boarding car at Riverdale, a man named Murphy who was standing on the track, did not observe the approaching train and was knocked down, the car passing over his leg, crushing it and badly injuring his right leg. He will be brought to East Saginaw in the morning where amputation will be performed. [DFP-1875-0825]
1875. Another new locomotive for the CS&C road arrived at St. Louis this morning from Pittsburgh. [DFP-18o75-1007]
1875. The Ithaca Journal says that Capt. Cram has negotiated a loan of $250,000 for the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada railroad. [LSJ-1875-1207]
1875. The CS&C builds from Cedar Lake to Alma. [PM45]
1875. October 10. The CS&C advertises their new Time Table No. 1 running two trains east and west each day. No. 1, a second class train leaves Riverdale at 7:15 am arriving at St. Louis at 8:15 am. It returns as 2nd class No. 4, leaving St. Louis at 2;15 pm and arriving at Riverdale at 3:30 pm. No. 3, a 1st class train leaves Riverdale at 4:45 pm arriving at St. Louis at 5:30 pm. It returns as No. 2 (1st clas) leaving St. Louis at 6:45 pm and arriving at Riverdale at 7:30 pm. An intermediate stop for all trains is at Alma, and flag stops are at Seville and Sullivan's. All trains connect with the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis at St. Louis. Trains run on Chicago time. John A. Elwell, CS&C Secretary. [SWC-1876-0111]
1876. January 19. The annual meeting of the stockholders of the CS&C railroad company is held at the offices of the company in St. Louis, with Capt. Ben Richardson, Managing Director, presiding. Capt. E.L. Craw tendered his resignation as President. The same directors were re-elected with one replacement. Officers of the company elected were William J. Kelley of Philadelphia; Col. J.A. Elwell of New York as Secretary; E.P. Ferry of Grand Haven as Treasurer, F.A. Nims of Muskegon at Solicitor, and Capt. Ben Richardson of New York as Managing Director.
The board stated the road is in operation for 20 miles west of St. Louis and ready for iron to Lake View which will occur in early spring, and the push on to intersect with the GR&I about nine miles west of Lakeview. "We are pleased to state that Capt. Craw will lose none of his identity with the enterprise by the change (of his resignation) but on the contrary will labor actively for the final consummation of the project, in which he has been so deeply interested, and the success of which thus far is largely due to his untiring energy". [GRE-1876-0125]
1876. February 8. The present terminus of the road is Cedar Lake and the road is doing a healthy business. [SWC-1876-0208]
1876. August. An attachment has been issued against the property of the CS&C in the suit of Benjamin Richardson on three notes for $185,000. [KGAZ-1876-0813] Joseph E. Shaw of East Saginaw has attached the CS&C railroad to secure the payment of a claim amounting to $5,000. [DFP-1876-1003]
1876. December 2. The CS&C railroad has passed into the hands of a receiver, temporarily at least, but trains are still running regularly between St. Louis and Cedar Lake. [DFP-1876-1202]
1877. January 8. The East Saginaw people who gave notes for the aid of the CS&C railroad have had their promises to pay surrendered and money paid back. The right of way is still held for railway purposes. [PHTH-1877-0108]
1877. March 12. Gen. Daniel E. Sickles is the holder of 250 shares of stock of the CS&C railroad and has brought an injunction against Benjamin Richardson to restrain the disposition of $3,575 of bonds of the railroad company. The matter came up for argument today in the supreme court. [SWC-1877-0315]
1878. May 16. Col. Elwell lessee of the CS&C railroad has purchased a new 30-ton locomotive, 16x24 inch cylinder, 5 foot drive wheels, manufactured in Pittsburgh, which is expected to arrive on Wednesday. [SWC-1876-0516]
1878. August. In what is described as "A Blow at Saginaw", the pending connection between the CS&C and the DL&N at Edmore will result in all CS&C traffic going south via the DL&N and cutting Saginaw out of the traffic. A Vestaburg business man describes the old adage of "Brother at war with brother," in that Saginaw City has so long feared that East Saginaw might possibly be benefited in some degree through the enterprise of Saginaw City, that they have lain dormant in a measure in their "bulldoze attitude", thus preventing the Saginaw valley from becoming a railroad center. The SV&SL has driven all trade from St. Louis and vicinity west via Stanton to Detroit, leaving Saginaw out in the cold. He notes that we can get better rates from St. Louis to Cincinnati via Stanton over the DL&N than we can from St. Louis to Detroit's Grand Trunk Junction on the D&M. A short time we will find the SV&SL out and alone. The CS&C has purchased the depot ground, about one block north of the St. Louis depot, with the right of way to cross Mill Street, thus leaving them independent of the Valley Road.
A gentleman who is largely interested in St. Louis and the Saginaw's severely censured the management of the SV&SL and remarked that but for what he considered their short-sighted and "dog-in-the-manger" policy, the SV&SL road would now be running into East Saginaw (over the graded CS&C bridge and right-of-way), and it would control the CS&C, and having connection in this city with the F&PM and Mr. Joy's road as soon as completed to Vassar, would be able to control the vast traffic that is now apparently to be diverted from its natural outlet. [SWC-1878-0808]
1878. August 15. The newspaper notes that because of the "exactions" of the SV&SL road, the CS&C was compelled to look elsewhere, and extended their line 3 1/2 miles to Edmore and a connection with the Stanton branch of the DL&N, giving them a through connection to Detroit.
The two roads used the same depot at St. Louis on the west side of the village, but the CS&C road has acquired grounds and propose to locate a depot of their own in the village. In order to reach the new grounds it was necessary to cross the SV&SL track a few rods east of their present depot and the latter road proceeded to resist. The SC&C was successful. Public sentiment at St. Louis is represented to be wholly n the side of the CS&C road. Hereinafter all freight from Saginaw west of St. Louis will have to be transferred and reshipped at St. Louis, while the bast lumber, stave and other freight traffic that has heretofore reached the Saginaw's, will now to in the opposite direction to Detroit. [SWC-1878-0815]
1878. August 17. There was a fine railroad fight at St. Louis, Mich. last week. It was caused by an attempt on the part of the CS&C railroad to put track across the line of the SV&SL railroad. One engine was ditched, a superintendent was choked, one railroad president reviled and three or four agents, conductors and others drew blood on each other. [NTR-1878-0817]
1878. September. The Saginaw Cornier says: The disturbance which occurred some weeks since, when the Chicago, Saginaw Canada Road (CS&C) laid their track across the Valley Road (SV&SL), broke out again at Ithaca Monday morning. The Valley Road Company had secured an injunction from Judge Hart of the Circuit Court of Ithaca, restraining the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada from crossing the of the first-named road, without a hearing of Chicago, Saginaw & Canada's side of the case and at 5 o'clock Monday morning a gang of men from the Valley Road proceeded to tear up that portion of the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada track crossing their line. The watchman in the village sounded the alarm bell, the people turned out in mass and laid down track of the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada which had been torn up, and put it in good shape, the Valley gang sneaking away without further disturbance. The affair created considerable excitement. [DFP-1878-0911]
1878. October. The D&BC will be completed to East Saginaw, the line from Vassar being graded and the iron laid. The bridge across the Saginaw River is completed. It is the bridge built by Capt. Craw for his proposed CS&C railroad and was bought at a "very reasonable" rate on the collapse of the scheme to bring Craw's project into Saginaw on a line close to and parallel with Jerome's SV&SL. [DFP-1878-1031]
1878. This bridge was purchased by James Joy on the Detroit & Bay City railroad to be used on the extension of the D&BC branch to Saginaw from Vassar. The cost of the purchase was $20,000 about the same cost as the original construction three years before. It was noted that the bridge was never used prior to Joy's purchase and was part of Captain Cram's DS&C scheme to connect Saginaw, St. Louis and the GR&I railroad. The CS&C was in receivership for much of its existence. [BHHP-1878-1101]
1879. The CS&C builds the Lakeview Branch from Edmore to Lakeview. They also construct the line from Edmore to Cedar Lake. [PM45]
1879. May 4. A suit has been commenced in the 6th United States Circuit Court, Western District of Michigan by the mortgage bondholders of the CS&A for foreclosure. The suit is brought by Ashbel Green and William Bond, as trustees on behalf of the claimants. Benjamin Richardson, Gen. Daniel E. Sickles, William J. Kelly,, Joel B. Eghardt, Philetus Sawyer, F.H. Nims, J.E. Shaw, H. Hodgson, Thomas W. Ferry and others. General Sickles owns 163 bonds of the road, for $1,000 each, and he testified that his coupons for May, 1876 were returned protested. [DFP-1879-0504]
1879. October 10. Col. John A. Elwell, manager of the CS&C railroad, ran a special train containing a few invited friends to Saginaw last Sunday, to attend the funeral of the late L.H. Eastman. The road being clear, the train is said to have made a mile a minute, which was the fastest time every before made over the road, and the fastest time made in going to a funeral on record. [DFP-1879-1010]
1883. May 10. The Chicago, Saginaw & Canada railroad was knocked down (purchased) by Col. Elwell, the highest bidder this morning, in front of the United States building, by Master in Chancery Henry M. Hinadill. The sale was commenced yesterday for the benefit of the bondholders of the road, under a decree of the United States court.
J. B. Mulliken, of the Detroit, Lansing & Northern road, opened the sale by offering $250,000 for the concern. The bidding continued until eleven o'clock, when Col. Elwell offered $376,000, and was then adjourned until the afternoon, when the price was farther advanced to $398,000.
This morning the sale was resumed with all the interested parties present. Col. Elwell advanced the price to $400,000, and no higher bids being offered, the road was knocked down to him at that figure, He made the purchase in behalf of the Detroit, Lansing & Northern railroad company, who will operate it in the future. The road is 38 miles long, extending from Lake View, Montcalm County, eastward St. Louis, Gratiot County extending from Lake View, Montcalm County, where it connects with the St. Louis & Saginaw road.
The western terminus of the road at Lake View is but ten miles from Howard City on the G. R. & I. railroad, and the probabilities are that it will soon be continued on to that point, making a nearly direct route between this city and Saginaw. "Saginaw and Grand Rapids will in a short time be able to shake hands together over this road" remarked Mr. Mulliken, of the D., L. & N. road this morning, soon after the sale. The proposed 10 mile branch will cost about $100.000. [GRP-1883-0510]
1883. May. Now that the Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad has been sold for $400,000, the creditors of the company can easily figure how much cash they are to get. From the proceeds the costs of the litigation and sale, some $5,000, and the receiver's certificates, about $125,000 - issued for the purpose of extending the road to Lake View, etc. will be paid in full. There will then be a balance of $270,000 with which to pay a principal and interest of indebtedness of $997,533.41, so that about twenty-seven cents on the dollar will be paid.
However, the holders of the bonds as owners or as collaterals share precisely pro rata on their bond holdings, so that some will be paid nearly or quite their whole lien in full, while others will get much less; but no creditor, no matter how large his collateral, can take more than his full claim for actual credits, or debts due.
The decree shows the creditors, and amounts due to be:
The remaining creditors will get nothing. Whether any appeal from this decree will he taken, or not, has not yet been announced by the respective claimants or their attorneys. [GRE-1883-0510]
1883. June 10. Officials of the DL&N were in St. Louis last week taking an inventory, etc. Col. Elwell formally turned over the road to the new proprietors Sunday. [DFP-1883-0612]
1883. June 16. Treasurer Charles Merriam of the DL&N has issued a circular which explains fully the situation of the new purchase by that company. The CS&C railroad was purchased in the interest of the DL&N at its foreclosure sale May 10 for the sum of $400,000. The road requires an expenditure of $50,000 to $100,000 to put it in good condition. It is the connecting link of this road on the east with the Saginaw Valley & St. Louis (SV&SL) company, a distance of 23 miles, and crossing the DL&N runs westerly in the direction of Howard City to Lakeview, a distance of 13 miles, its total length being 36 miles.
A new company has been formed under the name of Saginaw and Western Railroad Company, with power under its articles of association and mortgage to issue bonds and stock, respectively to an amount not exceeding $15,000 per mile. These bonds are to be dated July 2, 1883 to have thirty years to run from July 1, 1883 and are to bear interest at the rate of six percent per annum, payable semi-annually January 1 and July 1. They are to have the guarantee indorsed upon them of the DL&N railroad company, both as to principal and interest; and payment of same is still further secured by a lease of the road by the DL&N company. It is proposed to issue at once $432,000 of these bonds, of $1,000 denomination and to offer them to the holders of the stock of the DL&N railroad company. [GRE-1883-0616]
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