Station: Buttersville, MI

Buttersville was a 1870's town on the south side of Pere Marquette Lake, across from Ludington. The town was formed around the Butters and Peters Salt and Lumber Company. It was also the headquarters for the Butters logging railroad which became the Mason & Oceana railroad. The limber operation had a cooper shop, salt block, shingle and saw mills, water works, repair shot, salt wells, coal dock, ferry landing depot, water tank, 3-stall engine house, and warehouse.

There was a steep grade leaving Buttersville, so a helper engine was often needed. A "Dinky" was usually pressed into this service. [M&O]

The area of Buttersville was eventually incorporated into the City of Ludington.


Notes


Time Line

1890's. The turntable at Buttersville was removed and replaced by a wye to the east of town. [M&O]

1909. August 25. A blaze was discovered in the "hog house", a building where wood was ground up for fuel. A wind  and dry conditions caused the fire to destroy the town. [M&O]

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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