Railroad: Mason & Oceana Railroad Company, The

The Mason & Oceana railroad was organized in 1887 by the Butters Lumber Company and it was used as an industrial property by the company until 1886, when it became a common carrier. 

Butters, Peters Logging railroad → Mason & Oceana Railroad → Abandoned

Chartered: 1886 and built as an industrial 3 foot gauge railroad

Operated: 35 Years, 23 Years as a common carrier.

Became: 1886 a common carrier railroad

Operations Ended: 1909 - Abandoned.

Reference: [MRRC][M&O]

Image info: This is a view in the woods somewhere near Ludington of a Mason & Oceana train, with two women sitting at the left side taking it all in. 1910.

Notes

This was a closely held company with five stockholders. It was gradually built from Buttersville in Mason County to Maple Ridge in Oceana County (40 miles) between 1887 and 1904. It was abandoned between 1906 and 1909. [MRL]

Horace Butters invented the "Skidder" to take over the work of the "Jammer". The skidder's steel cables were powered by a small boiler and winches, to bring products out of the forest by overhead wire.

The nickname of this railroad was the "Miserable & Ornery". [M&O]

Time Line

1874. Horace Butters arrives in Manistee to log the forests, originally from Maine. In 1878 he entered into a partnership with Richard G. Peters, forming Butters, Peters & Co. which became Butters & Peters Salt & Lumber Company. Peters came from New York via Cincinnati, Ohio. They settled their operations at Buttersville across the Manistee River and Manistee Lake because land was less expensive there. They built a log dump into the river. In 1880 they built a saw mill and shingle factory. [M&O]

1875. The railroad was a 3 foot narrow gauge and generally followed the river southeast from Buttersville. It was named as the Mason & Oceana railroad at this time. The Butters organization was a pioneer using narrow gauge for logging of the forests.

1886. The railroad was chartered as a common carrier railroad, serving people and logging companies other than their own lumber interests.

1887. January. The railroad was constructed southeast as far as Crystal Valley (later known as Peachville), 21.28 miles. The line was equipped with sidings and lumber spurs along the route. 

1887. SNAPSHOT. Rolling stock consisted of 4 locomotives, 1 passenger car, 2 camp cars, 1 box car, 24 flat cars, 80 logging cars and 1 snow plow. Only one engine had steam brakes. There were 3 stations and 31 employees. Telephone line was laid for 17 miles. [M&O]

1888. The town of Buttersville had a population of 1,900 and boasted a Methodist church, school pall park and pavilion. Company boats provided passage to Manistee, across the river. Scales were built and the railroad telephone line was extended to 27 miles. Additional cars were purchased and air brakes added to all locomotives. A U.S. mail contract was obtained. The greatest portion of traffic was forest products, but the railroad transported grain, flour, salt and many other products.

1897.  An attorney for Chicago capitalists propose building an electric railroad from Hesperia to Ludington and try to purchase the M&O right-of-way, which is no longer of use by the Butters & Peters company. No arrangement was made. [BEN-1897-1203]

1895. February 26. The M&O train was blocked by snow for five days. Telephone lines were down. Trainmen carried mail pouches over their shoulders and walked the rest of the way to Buttersville. [M&O]

1990's. A large coal dock is installed at Buttersville. It had dual-gauge track from the river to the dock. A dual-gauge scow brought coal cars across the river from Manistee. This standard gauge track was eventually installed to all lumber mills on the south side of the river and lake. [M&O]

1900. An extension from Lake Station to Colfax, three miles was opened. It never had passenger service. The telephone line was turned over to the Pere Marquette Telephone Co. Automatic couplers for all cars were purchased from the Michigan Malleable Iron Company in Detroit.

1900. The railroad commission approves maps showing a proposed extension of the M&O to Hesperia. [LSJ-1900-0804]

1901. A five mile extension of the M&O was completed in late 1901 to Goodrich. By 1902, the railroad anticipated reaching Grand Rapids. [M&O]

1901. Rumors have been afloat that the PM system has purchased the roadbed of the Mason & Oceana railroad, which is building to Ludington from Hesperia. Mr. M.H. Butters denies this positively. [DFP-1901-0611]

1901. The M&O increases its capital stock from $150,000 to $280,000. [DFP-1901-0811] Increased from $280,000 to $380,000 in 1902. [LSJ-1902-0407]

1902. The Butters organization is now known as the "Butters Syndicate".

1903. Another five miles of track were laid from Goodrich to Maple Range.

1903. SNAPSHOT. The railroad operated 9 stations, and employed 2 engineers and two firemen, 1 conductor, 3 brakemen, 12 laborers and 32 yardmen. The road operated 5 locomotives, one 12-wheel passenger car, 1 baggage car, 6 box cars, 4 stock cars, 30 platform cars and 130 other cars (presumably logging cars). Ninety percent of the tonnage hauled was forest products. [MCR-1904]

1906. The section of line from Goodrich to Maple Ridge was abandoned, logging having run its course. Trains consisted of 10 to 40 cars, depending on the power of the locomotive. Geared engines were used on branch lines and rod locomotives on the main line.

1906. Marshall Butters has revived his plan to extend his railroad, the M&O, to Grand Rapids. The road is built from Ludington to Cobmoosa, Oceana county, a distance of about 25 miles. Mr. Butters was in Grand Rapids and stated that contracts had been let to Chicago parties for the grading. Surveyors will go over the proposed right of way this fall before cold weather sets in and will make a new survey. The road will be standard gauge and Mr. Butters says it will have car ferries in connection. The road would penetrate a rich fruit belt. [DFP-1906-1008]

1908. In a related activity, the new Grand Rapids & North Western railroad was granted a charter with Marshall F. Butters as president of the company. It had planned to use the Bridge Street terminal of the Grand Trunk railway in Grand Rapids. The railroad also planned to offer car ferry service from Ludington to Milwaukee. [M&O]

1909. August 25. About midnight, a blaze was discovered in the "hog house" at Buttersville where wood was ground up for fuel. The town was "bone" dry because of a lack of rain. High wind fanned the blaze. The town and the Butters buildings were burned. Traffic on the M&O rapidly reduced. 

The stock of the railroad was transferred from the Butters organization to the Grand Rapids & North Western, which operated it briefly under lease while winding down operations.

1909. December 1. The last narrow gauge train was operated on the M&O. The line was abandoned. Rails were removed except for a section from Buttersville to Walkerville, which were left to facilitate standard gauge construction, which was never accomplished.