Railroad: Houghton, Chassell & Southwestern railroad

The Houghton, Chassell & Southwestern railroad was built in 1909 between Chassell, along Keweenaw Bay, sixteen miles southwest to Section 34, T52N-R35W. This was a logging railroad owned by C. H. Worchester. The line was abandoned a few years later, date unknown. [MRL]

Built → Houghton, Chassell & Southwestern → Abandoned

Built: 1909

Abandoned: Date unknown

Reference: [MRRC]

Image info: Engine 12 of the Houghton, Chassell & Southwestern delivers a loaded log train to the DSS&A at Chassell. #12 was a former Duluth & Northern Minnesota 4-6-0 and was purchased from the Alger-Smith Lumber Co. [CRR]

Notes

This road is separate and distinct of the Mass City branch of the DSS&A.

This railroad occasionally rented COPR engines on a daily basis. The engine house of the railroad stood at a location later used by the Standard gas station in Chassell. It had 3-stalls with a nearby shop for car and locomotive repair. The railroad had no turntable. Wyes were located at Chassell and Camp #7. A long siding near the mill could hold 35 cars. Several sidings along the line were used for car storage. The railroad owned a large "V" plow with 12-foot extension wings, and sometimes rented the Mineral Range railroad's rotary snow plow to clear snow. [CRR]

Time Line

 1881. The Sturgeon River Lumber Company of Handcock purchases land here and establishes a town site and saw mill. Their logs were cut and driven down the Sturgeon River to Portage Lake and rafted to Hancock. Around 1902, the lumber interests were sold to Chicago business interests. [CRR]

1883. The DSS&A reaches Chassell, on their new route to Houghton. [CRR]

1909. A standard gauge railroad line, three Houghton, Chassell and Southwestern railroad was begun. It ran southwest out of Chassell through Chassell, Portage and Laird townships along the Pike River. A shay locomotive was purchased. It was noted in the press that the line was built in a "more substantial manner" than a usual logging line. [CRR]

1928. At the time of the railroad's abandonment, the main line had been extended to serve constantly changing logging branches. The end of track eventually reached Section 33, T52N-R35W, about six miles from a connection with the Mineral Range's Keweenaw Bay Branch near Alston. The maximum distance reached was about 35 miles. [CRR]