Where the Grand Rapids and Indiana (now the White Pine Trail) crossed the Pere Marquette Railroad (now the Pere Marquette State Trail) in Reed City, the cross tracks have been historically preserved. (photo by Omer Young)
By Joan Young, MCP Contributor
I’ve Been Workin’… er… Walkin’ on the Railroads
Recently, my life has been overflowing with historic railroad opportunities. Not locally, but looming large was a quick trip to Indiana to see Big Boy, the largest steam locomotive ever built, on its historic cross-country tour. I had previously seen the second-largest steam locomotive, a Yellowstone, in a museum, but seeing an engine of this magnitude puffing along gleaming steel rails was truly impressive.
Closer to home, I was able to participate in the Mason County Historical Society’s tour of the Mason and Oceana Railroad. This logging line eventually stretched from the mill at Buttersville nearly to Hesperia. It ran out of steam — money, that is — before it was able to cross the White River.
However, there are a number of local places where you can sample an impressive assortment of historic railroads on foot.
Starting with the Mason and Oceana, a short section of the former grade can be found along the south shore of Pere Marquette Lake. You can access it from the pavilion at Conservation Park off Lakeshore Drive in Ludington. It is not yet a designated trail, but for those who like collecting rail beds, this location remains publicly accessible.
Of course, the largest railroad to serve Ludington was the Flint & Pere Marquette Railway, which later became part of the Pere Marquette Railway and CSX Transportation. The line remains active today under the name Marquette Rail. A portion of the original Flint & Pere Marquette grade, associated with local lumberman Eber Brock Ward, can be hiked on the North Country Trail for about a half-mile north of the 76th Street Trailhead in Lake County.
Also in Lake County, hikers can walk about a quarter-mile on the raised grade of the Manistee and Luther Railroad through a bottomland hardwood swamp. There are interesting plants to see along the way, but it can host a Luftwaffe of mosquitoes, so come prepared. Access this section by heading north on the North Country Trail from the Freesoil (8 Mile Road) Trailhead.
A remaining portion of the grade of the Manistee and Northeastern Railroad as part of the North Country Trail west of Hodenpyl Dam (photo by Joan Young)
R.G. Peters is another familiar local rail and lumber name. If you visit the Lake Michigan Recreation Area at the west end of Forest Trail in Mason County, head south on the Violet Campground Loop and look for a sign marking the Peters Grade, another former logging railroad. The grade can be followed, more or less, along the base of the ridge carrying the Nordhouse Dunes Nipissing Trail all the way to Nordhouse Lake.
The Michigan East and West Railway was a reorganization of the Manistee and Grand Rapids Railroad. Its wide, benched grade can be crossed on the North Country Trail just north of where the trail crosses 3 Mile Road in Lake County.
If you could follow the Michigan East and West eastward, you would find its former log station at Sauble still standing at the corner of Hamilton and 3 Mile roads. Continuing east, you would pass through Peacock, where portions of the line remain visible. At Tustin in Osceola County, the route passed beneath what is now the White Pine Trail, the former Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad.
The White Pine Trail itself can be hiked or biked for 92 miles between Grand Rapids and Cadillac. While in Tustin, the Pine River Museum is worth a visit. It features interesting photographs showing how the two rail lines interacted.
The Pere Marquette State Trail system follows the former Pere Marquette main line and is now continuous from Baldwin to Midland under a variety of trail names.
Just west of Hodenpyl Dam in Manistee County, the North Country Trail follows the former Manistee and Northeastern Railroad, which once connected Manistee and Traverse City.
Various other narrow-gauge logging railroad grades can occasionally be spotted. Again on the North Country Trail, about a half-mile of Lake County Railroad grade is incorporated into the trail just south of 8th Street in Lake County.
A short portion of the Danaher and Melendy Railroad berm is part of the North Country Trail in Newaygo County, but you will have to wait for another time for me to tell you exactly where to find it.
To my knowledge, none of the former Ludington and Northern Railroad — the “dummy train” — is publicly accessible today. There is, however, a monument to the short line, which ran from Ludington to Epworth, at Ludington Waterfront Park — a pleasant stroll in its own right.
The White Pine Trail and Pere Marquette State Trail are now nonmotorized, multiuse trails. But as a certified historic transportation junkie, I love finding bits of old rail grade in the woods, whether incorporated into a trail or simply crossing one. In my imagination, I can still hear the whistles, the click of wheels on rails and the rhythmic exhaust of steam locomotives.
Have you discovered old local rail grades that can be explored? Please tell me where.
Contact the author at jhyshark@gmail.com.
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