Time Line - 1880

Last Year | Next Year

• February 8: Chicago & Grand Trunk Ry. completes line from Valparaiso, Indiana to Chicago, completing the Grand Trunk's connection between Port Huron and Chicago.  [MDOT/IT-10/1972]

• February 12: Lake Huron & Southwestern Railway is sold to the Tawas & Bay County Railroad. [MRRC]

• April 1: Chicago & West Michigan opens line from White Cloud to Mud lake. [MRRC]

• July 1: Grand Rapids & Indiana RR began summer-only "dummy trains" to resorts north of Petoskey.  [MDOT]

• August: Toledo, Ann Arbor and Grand Trunk Railway opens line from Ann Arbor to South Lyon. [MRRC]

• September 10: Ontonagon & Brule River Railroad chartered to construct a rail line from Ontonagon southeast to the Wisconsin state line.  [MDOT]

• September 13: The Port Huron & Detroit completes its line from Croswell to Sand Beach (Harbor Beach). [AB]

• September 30: Flint & Pere Marquette opens line from Clare to Harrison. [MRRC]

• October 1: Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette opens line from Marquette to Onota. [MRRC]

• October: Toledo, Ann Arbor & Grand Trunk Railway is completed between Toledo and Ann Arbor. [MRRC]

• December 31: Michigan Railroad Mileage Totaled 3,823 miles. [MDOT]

• C&NW completes line from Quennesec to Iron Mountain.  [MSL]

• The C&NW completes its line into Florence, WI from the east. [ICHS]

• The Detroit, Lansing & Northern Railroad builds a branch line from Edmore to Remus and later this year is extended to Big Rapids where a connection is made with the GR&I. Later becomes part of the Pere Marquette.  [PM45][I&L]

• The Saginaw Bay & Northwestern Railroad builts north from Mt. Forest to Bentley. It comes under Michigan Central Railroad ownership in 1883.

• Ephraim Shay of Cadillac developed the Shay gear-driven steam locomotive. From 1800 to 1945, 2,770 Shays were built, chiefly for logging and mining railroads. [MDOT]

• Steam heat is introduced in passenger cars.[STOV]

• Mather introduces the first, humane stock car. [SAM]

• Lima Machine Works builds the first Shay Locomotive. [SAM]

• It was noted that during a large fire in Negaunee, the fire equipment from Ishpeming was quickly loaded on railroad cars and taken by a locomotive to the fire. [EHMT]

• Streetcar line is extended out East Jefferson to the city limits, at Grosse Pointe. [DWS]

• New (current) depot built at Chelsea on the Michigan Central with unusual gabled roof. It is used in 2001 as a community center and museum. [MHM]

• The Michigan Central builds a new stone depot at Lawton. It continues to exist in 2001.  [MRP-I]

• Nationally, there are 93,267 miles of railroad track, 3,938 miles in Michigan. [STOV]

• Michigan Central builds a depot in Niles and Augusta. Still in existence as of 1974. [IT-12/1974]

• Grand Trunk builds new depot at Holly. Continues to exist into 1974. [IT-12/1974]

• The most important industries in Detroit were iron and steel, tobacco products, foundries, machine shops, meat packing,flour milling, boots and shoes, and men's clothing. [BOM]

• Experiments begin using electric lighting in underground mines. [IOHT] 

Time line Key:

• Railroad event in Michigan
• Event relating to mining
• Event related to car ferries
• Event outside of Michigan
• Improvement in Technology
• Railroad built or extended
• Railroad abandoned and/or removed
• Economic panic or depression