SWS - Barker Creek on the C&NM (C&O) Traditional Geocache

^{1927 Base Map of Kalkaska County, courtesy of the Seeking Michigan (Michigan Archives), used with permission.}
Portion of Whitewater Township, Kalkaska County

Barker Creek:

What became northwest Kalkaska County was first settled in 1855 by William G. Copeland. Allegedly, Mr. Copeland built a dam somewhere on the creek, but never constructed a mill there. The settlement of Barker Creek was established in 1866 with the arrival of William H. Bockes and John H.F. Letherby. It was largely reliant on the timber harvest and on agriculture. A post office was established February 2^nd, 1874, with Mr. Bockes as postmaster. A station was built when the railroad arrived in 1892.

By 1897, the population was reported to be 75. In addition to the railroad station and post office, the town had a saw mill, a shingle mill owned by Bockes and Hewitt, a general store, a drug, hardware and machinery store, a barber, blacksmith, livery, a cobbler, and Justice of Peace John H.F. Letherby. The town also boasted a Citizens' Cornet Band. By 1907, Catholic and Methodist Episcopal Churches were also reported.

With the demise of the lumber business, the improving infrastructure of roads, and likely in some part to the growth of nearby Williamsburg and Kalkaska, Barker Creek began a steady decline in the 20^th century. The post office was closed on May 19^th, 1937. Barker Creek gradually became a ghost town. Part of the town site is now occupied by a nursery and landscape business.

The Railroad:

The rail line through Barker Creek was was constructed in 1891-92 from Traverse City as the Chicago and North Michigan Railroad, a wholly owned (paper) subsidiary of the Chicago and West Michigan Railroad. The line reached Williamsburg on January 3^rd, 1892 and was opened to Bay View on July 17^th. It was operated from the start as part of the C&WM.

In 1899, the C&WM, the Flint & Pere Marquette and the Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western were merged into the Pere Marquette Railroad, which began operations on January 1st, 1900. The PM became part of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1947. The C&O became part of the Chessie System in 1973, but retained its identity. The station at Barker Creek was closed by the PM prior around the time the post office closed.

The branch to Elk Rapids was abandoned in 1979. The C&O stopped operations on the line in 1981 and abandoned the Petoskey Subdivision on February 20th, 1982, one hundred years after arriving in Williamsburg. This reduction in size was due to the creation of CSX Transportation. A portion of the line from Grawn, through Traverse City, to Willimasburg and another portion from Charlevoix to Bay View were purchased by the State of Michigan and operated by the Michigan Northern Railroad until the late 1980s. The portion from Grawn to Williamsburg is still in service as the part of the Great Lakes Central Railroad, although the Grawn portion hasn't been used in some time.

Sources:

• Chicago and West Michigan Railroad
• Pere Marquette Railroad
• Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
• RRHX: Michigan Railroad History Home Page: Railroad History of Michigan
• Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1877, R.L. Polk & Co.
• Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1897, R.L. Polk & Co.
• Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, 1907, R.L. Polk & Co.
• Seeking Michigan - Base Map of Kalkaska County (1927).
• Whitewater Township Historical Society.
• Michigan Place Names, Walter Romig, © 1986 Wayne State University Press
• Michigan Railroads and Railroad Companies, Graydon M. Meints © 1992, Michigan State University Press
• Michigan Railroad Liness, Graydon M. Meints © 2005, Michigan State University Press