Railroad: Detroit and Charlevoix Railroad Company, The

The Detroit & Charlevoix railroad was built around 1893 by lumber baron David Ward to connect the forests with a connection at Fredrick to the Michigan Central. The line was extended west to East Jordan. Ward passed away in 1900 and the railroad and timber holdings were operated by his children and associates. The D&C was reorganized in 1901 and a large sawmill was built at Deward, along the line. The timber holdings were depleted and the saw mill removed in 1912. In 1907, the Michigan Central purchased the railroad and operated it as a branch line until 1932.

Frederick & Charlevoix railroad → Detroit & Charlevoix railroad → Michigan Central railroad

Railroad Operated Independently: 6 years

Built: 1901 (may have acquired Frederick & Charlevoix, a logging road)

Became: Michigan Central in 1907.

Reference: [MRRC]

Notes

This line was completed Frederick to East Jordan in 1901. Leased to MCRR in 1907.

Time Line

1901. August. The D&C has been a  logging road, but now under Mr. Haire's control it will be fully operated with passenger trains, etc.. Haire was a former trainmaster on the Michigan Central. Deward was named after the late David Ward. At Deward, it is proposed to erect lumbering mills, as complete as any in the business, to cost $200,000. GRP-1901-0815] Note: A proposed extension of the D&C from East Jordan to Charlevoix was disputed by most heirs of the Ward estate and not built.

1901. Road completed from Frederick to Alba on September 2. And from Alba to South Arm on September 16. The line had one branch from Blue Lake Junction eight miles west. [MCR-1903]

1901. Clark Haire, trainmaster of the Michigan Central in Jackson has resigned. He has accepted the control of the Detroit & Charlevoix, which traverses valuable pine forests from Frederick, Crawford County to East Jordan, Charlevoix county, a distance of 45 miles. The railway is owned by the David Ward estate. The road has been a logging road, but now, under Mr. Haire's control will be fully operated with passenger trains, etc. The equipment is all on the ground and Mr. Haire assumes control at once. The headquarters will be at Deward, named after the late David Ward. At this place it is proposed to erect lumbering mills as compete as any in the lumbering business, to cost $200,000. The Detroit & Charlevoix makes connections with the Michigan Central, the Pere Marquette, the Grand Rapids & Indiana and with Lake Michigan, and is believed by those interested to have a promising future. [PHTH-1901-0819]

1902. SNAPSHOT. Four of five directors of this road were named "Ward", living in Orchard Lake, Bay City and Pontiac. There were 7 stockholders. This is 60 lb. rail in good condition. The company owns a telegraph line. The company uses the GR&I depot at Alba, and the MC railroad depot at Frederic. The road has 3 modern locomotives equipped with air brakes and 25 Russell logging cars of heavy capacity with patent couplers. It has 29 60,000-pound capacity platform cars, equipped with couplers and air brakes; 2 snow ploughs (sic) and 2 good passenger cars, equipped as required by law. The company runs 1 mixed train each way daily between Frederic and South Arm (East Jordan). The road employed 35 people, including 2 station agents, 2 enginemen and firemen, 2 conductors and 2 other trainmen. 7 section chiefs and hands. [MCR-1902 and 1903]

1902. Rail is 60 lbs to the yard. Railroad is described as in good condition. The road crossed the GR&I at Alba and the EJ&S at EJ&S crossing, 1 mile west of Jordan river. Alba was protected by an interlocker. There were 7 stations along the line. [MCR-1903]

1903. SNAPSHOT: The line is open from Frederick to South Arm, via Alba, 43.5 miles. The railroad had a branch from Blue Lake Junction west for eight miles. Other branch lines and spurs were five miles in length. This was a standard gauge railroad. There were 7 stations along the line. The road employed 4 engineers, 4 firemen, 3 conductors and 4 brakemen. The tracks were maintained by 19 laborers. 28,363 new ties were installed in 1903. The railroad owned four locomotives, 2 passenger cars (8-wheel), 39 platform cars, 39 log cars and one way car. All cars had automatic couplers and locomotives and passenger cars had air brakes. The line used their own telegraph line for 12 miles, and used their own telephone line on the rest of the line. [MCR-1904]

1904. Willis Ward, president of the D&C railway, has ordered the general offices of the railroad to be transferred from Deward to the terminal of the railway at South Arm. It is expected that the offices will be established about September 1. They will build offices just north of the depot. Clark Haire, general manager of the railway, will occupy the E.C. Plank residence, the latter gentleman taking possession of his newly built home. W.C. Haire, auditor for the company will occupy the Wm. Harrington residence, Mr. Harrington removing to his house in South Arm. [CCH-1904-0730]

1905. May 20. The stockholders of the D&IC were in our city looking over their interests here, and on Wednesday a party of the Michigan Central officials were in town. [CCH-1905-0520]

1905. August. The Michigan Central absorbs the Detroit & Charlevoix railroad. [RG-1905-0818:56]

1907. July 18. The NYC railway system has acquired through the Michigan Central, one of the most valuable logging and timber railroads in the state, the Detroit & Charlevoix line. The road is 44 miles long and runs through an extremely valuable timber tract in the northwestern portion of the state. The eastern terminus of the line is to be changed from Frederick to Grayling which is a division point on the MC. It is said to be the intention to build a short cut-off line a little southwest of Deward to Grayling, tapping another valuable timber section. [LSJ-1907-0718]

1907. July 20. As the result of the sale of the D&C to the MC railroad, timber lands in Crawford, Antrim and Charlevoix counties belonging to the David Ward estate will be opened up. The total of 78,000 acres includes large tracts of cork pine, the straight, tall trees without branch, the famous Michigan white pine. It is estimated that there are 300 million feet of white pine lumber in these trees, and from 1 to 2 million feet of hardwoods. [PHTH-1907-0720]

1910. October. In compliance with the policy of the MC officials to economize where practical, the general offices of the D&C are being transferred to their headquarters at Detroit. Several of the assistant officers are here packing up and they expect to make the transfer next Wednesday. Auditor W.P. Squier, who has been with the road for years, has been offered a fine position at the Detroit offices, but he decided long ago that East Jordan was a good town to tie to and will remain with us. Several months ago he accepted the presidency of the new Peoples' State Savings Bank and for a while will divide his attention between the bank and settling up D&C matters at Detroit. 

1916. November. A Michigan Central circular advises that the line has been taken over and will now be operated as the East Jordan Branch of the MC. [DFP-1916-1103]