Station: Bruce's Crossing, MI

Bruce's Crossing was settled about 1865 on a north-south Military Road which came through here. This was a relay station for U.S. Mail. [MPN]

Bruce's Crossing was a station stop on the Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic railroad between Marquette and Duluth in southeast Ontonagon County at milepost 250.1. The station was located east of US-45 and was built about 1890. [UPM] The station was in Section 27, T48N-R40W. [DSSM]

Image info: A view of the Bruce's Crossing’s depot in the early 1900's. [CMUL]

Notes

Three miles west of Bruce's Crossing in Stannard Township, the DSS&A crossed the Baltimore River on a thirteen-span steel trestle which was built in 1899 by the Lassig Bridge and Ironworks Company of Chicago. It is 8' wide, 435' long and rests on concrete abutments and steel piers ranging from 20' to approximately 125' in height, and consists of thirteen steel deck girder spans. [UPM] The structure is currently used as a snowmobile/RV trail.

Bruce Crossing was named by a man named Bruce who lived for many years near the South Shore station inquiry among the old settlers in the village reveals. They, however, know little of the origin of the town and the last that was heard of Bruce was that he was living at Lake Gogebic. [IDG-1929-0711]

Time Line

1889. February. The star service (stage coach) between Rockland and Watersmeet has been curtailed to end at Bruce's Crossing, omitting Watersmeet, decreasing distance twenty miles. [DFP-1889-0209]

1902. December 10  Boiler Explosion Kills Three Men. The boiler in Smith & Steinbraker's sawmill, four miles north of Bruce's Crossing on the Military road, Ontonagon County, blew up killing Mr. Steinbraker and two others, one of whom was a Mr. Hughes.

1916. The DSS&A builds a new station here. [MCR-1916]

1918. The DSS&A had an operator/agent here during the day shift. [TRT]

1962. The Soo Line was awarded $8,367 by the state administrative board to modernize flasher signals on US-45 near Bruce Crossing. [EDP-1962-0505]

1964. July. In a public notice, the Soo Line announces they intend to retire and remove the depot at Bruce Crossing. [IDG-1964-0716]