Mike Hankwitz explains to history buffs where the village of Buttersville once stood.
PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — Nearly 70 history enthusiasts spent Saturday traveling the former route of the Mason & Oceana Railroad during a sold-out fundraising bus tour organized by the Mason County Historical Society.
The tour began and ended at Historic White Pine Village, located near the site of the former town of Buttersville, which once served as the industrial center of the Butters & Peters lumber enterprise and the Mason & Oceana Railroad.
Part of the historical society’s America 250 programming, the tour explored the history of the narrow-gauge railroad that played a significant role in the development of Mason and Oceana counties during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Participants visited locations tied to the railroad’s history, including Buttersville, Riverton, Wiley, Lost (Pleiness) Lake and Fern, along with a bonus stop at the Eden Township Indian Cemetery on Major Road.
Terry Dean performs as Horace Butters during a stop at the Pere Marquette Township Conservation Park.
Narrators and conductors for the tour were Rob Alway and Mike Hankwitz, both members of the Mason County Historical Society Board of Directors. They also researched and organized the tour.
Throughout the day, participants learned how the Mason & Oceana Railroad evolved from a logging railroad into a common-carrier line that connected isolated communities, transported lumber and agricultural products, and served as an economic lifeline for the region. The tour examined the railroad’s impact on settlement patterns, industry and transportation while exploring the stories of the people, businesses and communities that developed along its route. Transportation was provided by Mason County Eastern School District.
Some of the tour participants had connections to the railroad including Marianne (Powers) Penney and her daughter, Sarah Verschueren. Marianne’s great-grandfather, Joshua Powers of Custer, was the first M&O employee to be killed on the job. Powers was an engineer and died on Sept. 22, 1885 during a storm. High winds blew down a tree that struck the cab of the locomotive Powers was operating while traveling through Crystal Township in Oceana County. He was pierced by a large tree limb and died instantly. Powers left behind his wife and five children.
Kevin Knowles attended the event because the railroad crossed his property in Eden Township. Knowles said there are still remnants of the train in that area.
Organizer Mike Hankwitz said the railroad helped spark his interest in railroad history. He said many years ago he purchased the book “The Mason & Oceana Railroad at Buttersville, Michigan,” by Robert W. Garasha from the White Pine Village gift shop. Garasha had written the book as his master’s thesis while attending Harvard University. Since that time, Hankwitz has spent many years exploring Buttersville and many other local railroad sites. For several years, his brother, Terry, who taught at Mason County Central Middle School, would bring hsi students to the site for archeologic digs.
Adding a theatrical element to the tour, members of Stage Left Theatre Co. portrayed historical figures connected to the railroad and communities along its route. The dramatizations were coordinated by Terra McIntosh, who also wrote the scripts. Actors included Karla Cain, Wally Cain, Andrew Schrader and Terry Dean.
During a stop near the former community of Fern in Eden Township, actor Andrew Schrader portrayed George Yockey, a railroad worker who was injured while working for the M&O.
Following the tour, participants returned to Historic White Pine Village for dinner, where Mason County Historical Society President James Jensen presented a program on the history of Horace Butters and Richard Peters, the business partners whose lumber enterprise and industrial operations led to the creation of Buttersville and the Mason & Oceana Railroad. Jensen’s presentation provided additional context about the men, their partnership and the community that grew around their operations.
Marianne (Powers) Penney, right, and her daughter, Sarah Verschueren.
The tour was presented by the Historical Society with support from Shelby State Bank. Proceeds benefited the historical society, a nonprofit organization that operates the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, Historic White Pine Village, the Rose Hawley Archives and the Mason County Emporium and Sweet Shop.
The historical society’s next fundraising events will be its popular cemetery tours, which feature costumed portrayals of notable Mason County residents. This year’s tours are scheduled for June 11 at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington, July 9 at Towns Cemetery in Amber Township and Aug. 15 at Scottville Brookside Cemetery. Read more here.
The organization is also planning a special event on July 3 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Historic White Pine Village. The museum village opened July 3, 1976, as part of the nation’s Bicentennial celebration and has become one of Mason County’s leading historical attractions.
The Mason & Oceana Railroad operated for less than 30 years, but organizers said its influence on the settlement, industry and transportation networks of western Michigan continues to be felt more than a century after the last train ran.
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