Time Line - 1900

Last Year | Next Year

• January 1: Chicago & West Michigan, Flint & Pere Marquette, and Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western are consolidated to form the Pere Marquette RR, the state's largest railroad system under one management.  General offices are moved from Saginaw to Detroit. [MDOT][PMHS][COHS-8/1997]

• January 1:  Pere Marquette opens line from Freeport to Belding.  [MRRC]

• Early: The Copper Range Railroad builds their Painesdale Branch from Painsdale Jct. (one mile south of the Atlantic Mine station) to Champion Mine at Painesdale, a length of 4.38 miles. The line passes through the Baltic Mine, Tri-Mountain Mine, and the Champion Mine. [CRH]

• Winter:  A Detroit & Mackinac passenger train is delayed for 10 hours at Lengsville, 13 miles north of Bay City, due to heavy snowfall.  [GW]

• May 13: Detroit & Mackinac extended from Onaway to Tower.  [NK]

• June: D&M opens spur to Tawas Beach Park, operates a tourist and resort business there.

• July: Link and pin couplers comes to an end on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern.  [LS]

• Summer: Lake Shore shops in Adrian, present since the road began, are moved to Air Line Junction near Toledo. This had a serious effect on unemployment in Adrian. Over half of the men moved to Toledo to work there. [LS]

• August 3: Interurban service between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek and Gull Lake and Battle Creek officially begins, although "test" cars have been running since the first of the year.  [MT]

• August 15: A head-on collision north of Pierson on the Grand Rapids & Indiana RR, caused by operator error, killed 8 persons. [MDOT]

• August: Onaway & North Michigan Ry. opens 5.5 mile line in and around Onaway, known as the "Dinky line". Closed in 1930. [MRRC]

• September 16: The first electric interurban car arrives in Flint. [EMR4]

• November: Union depot in Grand Rapids is opened. [MDOT/IT-4/81/PMHS/AAD]

• December: The Mineral Range completes the Mass City branch, from Keweenaw Bay to Riddle Junction, near Rockland in Ontonagon County: [MRL]

• December 1: D&M opens Harrisville cutoff. Discontinues line north of W. Harrisville (Lincoln). [HI]

• December 7: T&W officials ride the first car over the interurban line from Toledo to the Wabash tracks at Adrian.  [EMR4]

• December 27: The Lake shore opens their new station in Elkhart, Indiana. The 2nd floor included the passenger-conductor bunkroom, brakeman's bunkroom, two rooms for the trainmaster, and the claim agent's office. [LS]

• December 28: Escanaba and Lake Superior opens line from Watson to Channing. This was the result of an agreement with the Milwaukee & Northern for the purpose of hauling iron ore to the Milwaukee & Northern docks in Escanaba. This arrangement was terminated in 1936 when the Milwaukee Road decided to enter a pooling arrangement with the C&NW rather than undergo the heavy expense of major improvements to the Escanaba Docks. [MRRC/EDP-12/27/1950] 

• December 31: Detroit United Railway consolidates city street car lines. [DWS]

• December 31: Michigan Railroad Mileage Totaled 7,946 miles - 12/31/1900, [MDOT]

• GTW builds new depot at Haslett Park (Lake Lansing). [GTWHS 08/01]

• Port Huron Southern completes initial 3 mile line between Port Huron Salt Company and the Pere Marquette railway junction at Tappan (Port Huron). [IT-4/81]

• Carey Hoop Co. builds a private logging road near Stutsmanville in Emmett County. [MRRC]

• Houghton County Traction Company opens street car line between Houghton and Boston Mine. [SSJB]

• The Copper Range Railroad erects a coal-unloading hoist on the Portage lake at West Houghton to provide for large coal tonnage which would be required by the South Range mines. [CRH]

• Houghton County Traction Co. extends street car line to Calumet.  Branches are eventually built to Lake Linden, Hubbell, and Wolverine. [SSJB]

• The  Milwaukee Road builds a branch line from Kelso Junction to Crystal Falls. [MSL]

• Empire & South Eastern Railroad builds 10.7 mile logging ling from Empire to Empire Jct. [MRRC]

• The Copper Range Railroad begins building its line between McKeever and Calumet, serving the South Range mines and mills. [MOD-6/1985]

• The Copper Range Railroad opens a four mile branch line between Mill Mine and Painesdale. [CRAR]

• The Copper Range builds a roundhouse at Houghton which uses a 60 foot turntable. It holds 10 locomotives.  The railroad also builds depots at Houghton and at Range Jct, which are the largest on the line. The Range Jct. depot is built in conjunction with the B&NW and Milwaukee Road [CRH]

• The Copper Range RR reaches mines at Elm River, Winona, Wayndot and Belt. [CRH]

• Michigan Central RR builds a brick freight house, across from the Ypsilanti depot. [MRC-09/88]

• The Pere Marquette relocates it line in Howell, to west of Walnut Street where a route was cut through the hill.  This location straightened the line. [COHS-2/1998]

• Hancock and Calumet Railroad changes from 3' to standard gauge between Hancock and Keweenaw Co.  [MRRC]

• The Grand Rapides, Newaygo and Lake Shore Railroad builds a new wooden depot in Grant. [MRP-I]

• The GTW builds a new wood depot in Lapeer. The depot is stilled used today by Amtrak. [MRP-I]

• 793 individuals were killed or injured in railroad related accidents this year. [AAD]

• Grand Trunk builds depot at Lapeer and Davison. Depots continue to exist into 1974. [IT-12/1974]

• State law now requires trains to come to a complete stop at railroad grade crossings which are not protected by an interlocker. [AAD]

• Alexis, Ohio crossing is finally converted to a full interlocking. Until this time, all trains were required to come to a complete stop at this busy crossing. [EMR4]

• The Copper Range Railroad purchases passenger cars from the Pullman Company. [CRH]

• Almost 100% of railroad track in the country is made of steel. [STOV]

• Nationally, there are 193,346 miles of railroad track. [STOV]

• The D&M builds 82 miles of logging branches west from the Black River (Tower), west of Onaway using 50 lb. rail taken from the main line between Bay City and Alpena. The immediate purpose of these branch lines are for taking out logs and lumber. Part of this track will be available for the planned extension of the line to "Cheboygan and Mackinaw, and in case we build across the country to Petoskey". In addition, the report notes that the railroad cut down grades between Alpena and LaRocque during the year. That line was originally a logging road and has enabled the railroad to add 10 freight cars to the number of cars being hauled in freight trains. The railroad also plans to lay heavier 70 lb. rail gradually during the coming year. [DMAR-1900]

• The D&M begins construction of a new engine house with 6 stalls and a small shop attached at Alpena.  Also installed is an iron turntable and water tank. The old yard is also remodeled. [DMAR-1900].

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