Manistee Railroad
HISTORY OF MANISTEE COUNTY, MICHIGAN
With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches
of Some of Its Men and Pioneers.
Published 1882 by H.R. Page & Co., Chicago
| THE MANISTEE RAILROAD | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This branch leaves the main line eighteen miles east of Ludington, at Manistee Junction, at which point the company has erected a neat depot building. The road runs northwesterly, and the first station is Tallman, four miles from the junction. It is a village of 500 inhabitants, laid out by R.G. Peters and Horace Butters, of the firm H. Butters & Co., some two years ago. The next is Lincoln, five miles distant, situated on a small stream bearing the same name. The station is named after the township and postoffice bearing the same name. There are many fine farms in the township, the timber being beech, maple, elm, basswood and ash, with some scattering cork pine. There are two sawmills in operation, one a water power by Tallman & Thompson, the other a steam power, owned by Rothchilds, Case & Co. The latter have a store, and have laid out a village. The road crosses the Sauble River at this point, on which considerable lumbering is done. The Little Manistee River is crossed by a substantial trestle work 1,800 feet long, and some thirty feet high. The village of Stronach is situated at the head of Manistee Lake, four miles from Manistee, and twenty-one miles from the junction. This is an active place, about 600 inhabitants, where large quantities of lumber and shingles are manufactured, and a salt well will this Winter be sunk. The road from Stronach runs along the easterly shore of Manistee Lake, through the extensive mill yards of John Canfield, R.G. Peters, and Wheeler, Magill & Co. The road bed has been built beyond Stronach, across a half a mile of swamp, two dredges having excavated channels on each side, throwing the earth in the center for the embankment, and three bridges have been constructed across the Manistee. The company has purchased some thirty-five acres of land and a number of feet of water frontage on the lake, adjoining the city limits for depot purposes, and buildings are being erected thereon. The road, which is entirely laid with steel rails, is twenty-six and one-half miles long, and the road bed is in excellent condition. The Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, of which the Manistee road is a branch, is one of the most successfully operated roads in the state. The gross earnings of this road for six months of 1881 and 1882 were as follows:
After payment of coupons, there remained $250,602.12 for six months, equal to 3.85 per cent on preferred stock. The pay rolls of the company for six months of 1882, ending June 30, including construction of cars and buildings, were $433,777.20. The gross earnings for July were $147,461.80, against $137,639.60 in 1881, and a gain of $9,822.20. There was expended for construction account in the first six months of this year the sum of $123,080.59. The increase in passenger traffic for the first six months of 1882 was $66,603.70, and for the month of July, 1882, $11,276.57. |
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| The AMERICAN EXPRESS COMPANY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| established an office in Manistee, in January, 1882, soon after the completion of the railroad. The office was first located on Oak Street, and Mr. J.M. Ramsdell was agent. He resigned early in February, and was succeeded by Mr. G.R. Giesman, and the office removed to the insurance office of Douville & Giesman. In March the office was again removed to its present location, at the corner of River and Maple Streets. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| THE MANISTEE FLEET | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The following is a list of steamers and vessels of Manistee, with the names of the owners. When it is considered that nearly all of these steamers, vessels, barges and tugs are first class, both in size and appointment, and that several carry near half a million feet of lumber each as cargo, it will be understood that Manistee stands second only to Chicago and Milwaukee in the magnificence of her fleet. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CANFIELD TUG LINE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dwight Culter, Jr., steamer. Tug Hunter Savidge. Tug C. J. Gnewuch. Tug Irma L. Wheeler Tug Frank Canfield Tug J. C. Osgood Tug C. Williams |
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| LOUIS SAND'S FLEET | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Propeller R. G. Peters Propeller Maggie Marshall Schooner Isabella Sands Schooner A. W. Lucky Schooner Arendel |
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| ENGELMANN'S FLEET | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Steam Propeller Albert Mitchell Schooner J. B. Prime Schooner M. Capron Steamer John A. Dix, Engelmann & Cochrane Schooner Annie O. Hanson, Engelmann & Babcock Schooner Cuba, same. |
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