Railroad: Escanaba and Lake Superior railroad (new)

The Escanaba & Lake Superior railroad was organized in 1900 and built their main line from Wells to Channing in northern Dickenson county. A connection was also built in 1901 between Wells and Escanaba where the E&LS established a station and freight facilities. Wells was the railroad's headquarters and they also had their shops there. This railroad was constructed mainly for logging purposes, but began hauling ore under a trackage rights agreement with the Milwaukee Road. This lasted until the depression era when MILW and C&NW pooled their resources and began shipping ore only on the C&NW.

The original E&LS main line still exists in its entirety, but it is used to store unused railcars. It is in poor condition north of Groos.

In 1980, the former MILW lines in Michigan were purchased by the E&LS or the State of Michigan (with the E&LS as the operator), as well as lines to and north of Green Bay, Wisconsin. They also maintain trackage rights on the CN (former Soo Line main line) from Wells, MI to Pembine, WI which gives them a connection with their line to Green Bay.

Built and purchased → Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad → Active

Built: 1900 from Wells to Channing.

Operated for 122 years, continues

Purchased: In 1980 from the Chicago, Minneapolis, St. Paul & Pacific, lines north of Green Bay, Wisconsin and in the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Became: Active corporation

Reference: [MRRC]

Image Info: Top, E&LS 14 poses at the Baldwin Company for a builders photo in 1917. This locomotive was used by E&LS until 1948. [Greg Bunce collection]. 2nd photo, E&LS No. 18 is photographed at the Wells shops in the 1940's. {Jim Tarbell photo, Doug Leffler collection].

Notes

The E&LS was built by I. Stephenson, a Marinette lumberman and capitalist, to haul out the timber from his fast holdings in the region. [EDP-1938-0805]

Began operating line of the Milwaukee Road in Michigan in1980. Some lines sold to State of Michigan in 1982-83 but still operated.

Time Line

1900. December 28. Line was opened from Wells to Channing. [MCR-1904]

1901. March The Escanaba & Lake Superior road will operate two car-ferries between Escanaba and St. Joseph. At the latter place connection with be made with the Three I's. [Indiana, Illinois & Iowa railroad, a Vanderbilt line] [DD-1901-0323]  Note: We are not sure that this service started.

1902. The line was extended south from Wells to Escanaba. The CM&StP has a contract for use of the line between Channing and Wells for the purpose of hauling iron ore and coal to the CM&StP docks. [MCR-1904]

1902. The Northland Branch is opened 8.1 miles. It is cut back in 1915 and 1921, and completely abandoned (the remaining 8 miles) in 1938. [MRL]

1903. SNAPSHOT: Eight stockholders in 1903 are from Marinette and Milwaukee, WI as well as Wells, Michigan. In 1903, the company was very profitable with a margin of about 30% after funding interest on debt. The E&LS employed 5 engineers, 6 firemen, 5 conductors and 10 brakemen, 1345 laborers and 20 shopmen. (MILW supplied their own crews using trackage rights). The E&LS operated 63 miles of road and branches, along with 5 miles of spurs. There were 46 stations along the line. They owned six locomotives, 3 passenger and baggage cars (8-wheel), 35 stock cars, 73 platform cars, 8 ore cars, 164 Russell logging cars, and 3 way cars. Almost all passenger trains were mixed trains.  The top four categories of tonnage hauled were logs (81%), lumber (10%), stone sand (4%), merchandise (2%) - not including MILW ore. The railroad owned their own telegraph line from Wells to Channing. The railroad did host CMSt&P trains and their tonnage may have been recorded separately. [MCR-1904]

1903. August 4.Charles Brandt, a CM&StP fireman was killed at Northland, after his engine broke away from the tender and he fell through breaking his neck. [MCR-1904]

1903. October 4. Fred Streckeback, a CM&StP fireman was killed five miles east of Channing. His train ran into a washout and the engine went over on its side killing him. [MCR-1904]

1937. October. The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear a complaint brought by the E&LS against the ICC which has allowed the C&NW and Milwaukee Road to pool ore shipments to Escanaba. The pool left out the E&LS, who's line has been used for 30 years by the Milwaukee Road to reach the port of Escanaba. The E&LS contends that the ICC's jurisdiction was limited by the requirements that division of traffic in a pooling arrangement should be assented to be all carriers involved, and the the E&LS had not give assent. [IDG-1937-1018]

1968. The Hanna Mining Company purchases the Escanaba & Lake Superior railroad (between Wells and Channing) through a wholly-owned subsidiary, Wells Randville, Inc.. The company is planning for use of the E&LS as an ore road - which it used to be - to the point of optioning a site for a dock in Wells, a suburb of Escanaba, and of asking the Michigan Conservation Department for permission to cross state forest lands with a spur track from the Groveland Mine at Randville to the nearest E&LS trackage at Ralph, a distance of about 14 miles. The C&NW complained to the ICC that Hanna "through the device of numerous affiliated and subsidiary corporations was unlawfully acquiring control and management of two or more carriers (railroads) subject to the jurisdiction of the commission, in violation of the Interstate Commerce Act and the Clayton Act." The two companies, behind the scenes, continue to negotiate an arrangement where the C&NW would continue to haul Hanna ore from the Menominee Range to Escanaba. [EDP-1968-0419]

1978. The E&LS was sold to John Larkin. Up to this time it was owned by the M.A. Hanna Company (Hanna Mining Company). [GS] The Hanna company likely owned the railroad to insure reasonable ore transport costs from its mines to Escanaba.