Railroad (White Pine Trail) History
The Grand
Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight
railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio and the Straits of Mackinac in
Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854.
After
grappling with financial difficulties for many years, the company opened
service between Bridge Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Cedar Springs,
Michigan on December 25, 1867, a distance of about 20 miles.
The gross
earnings of the railroad in 1867 were about $22,700. In July 1868 it
had 2 engines in service: the Pioneer and the Muskegon. At that time
the company also utilized a single passenger coach and single baggage car, six
box cars, 24 flat cars and five hand cars.
By 1869
the railroad was again in trouble with its creditors, and the courts appointed
a receiver, Jesse L. Williams of Fort Wayne, Indiana, to control the
company. Under Williams' direction the Continental Improvement
Company was hired on May 1, 1869 to complete the line between Fort Wayne and
Little Traverse Bay in Michigan. Fifty-one days later, on June 21,
1869, the Continental Improvement Company had laid the last rail connecting
Cedar Springs to Morley, Michigan. Williams was discharged as
receiver on June 20, 1871.
The track
from the south into Grand Rapids was completed September 13,
1870. The line extended north to Paris, Michigan by October 1, 1870
and a train first traveled between Fort Wayne and Paris on that date.
In June
1871 the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company took control of the road and
property of theCincinnati, Richmond and Fort Wayne Railroad Company, extending
the line south to Cincinnati.
The
Traverse City Rail Road Company, a branch providing service between Walton
Junction on the main line to Traverse City, was completed in December 1872,
bringing a wave of immigration to that area. This branch offered
service to Traverse City, Northport and many towns between by 1909.
The line
between Paris and Petoskey, Michigan was completed November 25,
1873. The road was opened to Mackinaw City, Michigan and the Straits
of Mackinac on July 3, 1882. The total length of the line at this time was 529
miles.
In 1886
the company added an "airline" branch from Grand Rapids to Muskegon,
Michigan, allowing travel between the two cities in about 1 hour.
As of July
1888, the railroad had expanded its fleet to 66 locomotives and 3,100 cars. Its
gross earnings were close to $2.3 million in 1887.
In 1891
the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad featured the longest North-South line in
the country. The railroad served to accelerate the settlement of Northern
Michigan, which was largely a wilderness in the mid-19th century.
On July 2,
1896 the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad reorganized as the Grand
Rapids and Indiana Railway.
During the
last quarter of the 19th century, Northern Michigan had few residents, but the
railroad netted a profit of over $300,000 as early as 1876. Most of
the profit came from hauling lumber from northern Michigan
south. The 244,000 tons of lumber hauled in 1876 represented 70
percent of the railroad's freight business for that year, and shipping forest
products remained the main source of business for the railroad for the next
decade.
By the
late 1880s the forests were depleted and the railroad began to depend more on
tourist business. Even before completing the line to Mackinac City,
the railroad marketed itself as "The Fishing Line" and published
tourist guides advertising the fishing opportunities and resorts along its
line.
In 1886
the Grand Rapids & Indiana joined with the Michigan Central Railroad, which
had built its own line into Mackinaw City in 1881 and the Detroit and Cleveland
Steamship Navigation Company to form the Mackinac Island Hotel
Company. This new company built the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island,
which opened in 1887.
By 1907
four passenger trains were running north to and from Mackinaw City
daily. Passenger train fares were not enough to support the railroad
and ridership declined. In 1909 the railroad reported a profit of
24.4 cents for every passenger for each mile carried; by 1921 the railroad was
losing 19.5 cents per passenger mile.
The Grand
Rapids and Indiana Railroad was bought by the Pennsylvania Railroad in
1918. In 1975 the Michigan Department of Transportation bought the
railroad and it largely ceased operation in 1984, although the portion of track
from Cadillac north to Petoskey is operated by Great Lakes Central Railroad.
The
Michigan Northern Railway also operated some of the GR&I system until the
mid-1980s in northern Michigan.
During the
1990s much of the old railroad right of way between the north side of Grand
Rapids and Cadillac, Michigan was taken over by the Michigan Department of
Transportation, then the Michigan Department of Natural Resources
purchased the right of way with a grant from the Michigan Natural
Resources Trust Fund and then the right of way was turned into the White Pine
Trail State Park.
The above information is accurate as best known.
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