Station: Champion, MI

Champion was a village in western Marquette County named after its proximity to the Champion Mine which opened in 1867. This was a station on the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic railway. The mine closed in 1910 but the village remained.

Champion was a junction point for the DSS&A and the Milwaukee Road which came up from Chicago and Milwaukee. The two roads worked together for years to provide Milwaukee Road passengers with connections east to Ishpeming, Negaunee and Marquette, as well as northwest to Houghton, Hancock and Calumet.

Photo Info: Top, an early view of the DSS&A Champion depot. [PWL]. 2nd photo, the same depot at Champion in the late 1950's. [Alan Loftis collection]. 3rd photo, a Milwaukee Road train stops at the Champion depot. This view looks west [CMUL]. 4th photo, the northbound Copper Country Limited stops at the Champion depot before proceeding west on DSS&A tracks. [Bill Rosenberg Collection]. 5th, another view in 1973. This depot served both roads in Champion. [Greg Bunce], 6th and 7th photos, 2003 views of the Milwaukee Road 2-stall engine house at Champion after the road was abandoned. [Greg Bunce]

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Notes

Champion was served by three railroads, the DSS&A, Milwaukee Road and the C&NW.

The C&NW used trackage rights off their Republic branch, from Wabik to reach Champion, under agreement dated August 22, 1887. [CNWV]

The DSS&A and the Milwaukee & Northern each had an individual depot here with the M&N south of the DSS&A depot. Both are noted on maps as early as 1888. By 1902, both roads consolidated depot operations in the MILW depot as a "union" depot, and the DSS&A depot became a freight house. [SBM-1892/1902]

The MILW/C&NW depot here was of the bay window type. It was removed in 1931. The joint line had a 50' passing track. There was also a stock loading chute here.

This was in Section 31 of T48N-R29W.

Time Line

1886. The washout on the line of the Marquette, Houghton & Ontonagon railroad is growing worse. Lake Michigamme is higher than ever before known and covers seven miles of track between Champion and Michigamme. Railroad men are taking every precaution to prevent bridges going out. One section of the track slid several rods into the lake but has been brought back to place. At Baraga and Newtonville the Sturgeon River is very high. Several trains have derailed, but no serious smashup has yet occurred. [DFP-1886-0424]

1902. The Milwaukee Road renews the engine house at Champion at a cost of $1,500. [MCR-1902]

1903. The DSS&A crossed over the C&NW one mile east of Champion. [MCR-1904]

1907. Passengers in the Milwaukee Road Calumet sleeper refused to leave the car at Champion and ride in the day coach (to Calumet). The car and passengers were left at Champion. The train was running late and the officials wished to get it through in time so that the return trip could be started on time. The occupants of the sleeper were notified at Channing that the car would not be pulled through but they refused to leave and ride in the day coach, believing that the train officials were "running a bluff". The conductor tried to persuade them at Champion to leave the sleeper but without avail. [DD-1907-0209[

1918. The C&NW had an agent  operator here on the day shift. The DSS&A had an agent, along with agent/operators on the 1st and 2nd shifts here. [TRT]

1936. Robert Wallace, one of the oldest conductors on the Superior division of the Milwaukee road, died suddenly in his room here while awaiting a call to take his train to Milwaukee Thursday night. He was about 63 years old. Wallace, who lived in Iron Mountain, failed to respond when a messenger went to inform him it was time to take out his train. The door to his room was forced and he was found near death, apparently from heart disease. He died a short time later. [IDP-1936-0627]

Map