Daylight only! The location of this cache is the former Chesapeake and Ohio depot. The depot and right of way are now the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail. Please respect trail rules.
"Photo courtesy of Michigan Railroad History (RRHX), Alan Loftis Collection"
Vestaburg Depot near the turn of the century
Vestaburg:
According to the 1907 Michigan State Gazetteer and Business Directory, Vestaburg had a population of 350, a post office, Methodist church, Church of God, pickle salting station, grain elevator, bicycle repair, dress maker, carpet weaver, grocer, creamery, general store, dressmaker, blacksmith, hardware, a boarding house, a barber and a school. Today, Vestaburg still has a post office and its own school system, home of the Wolverines.
"Photo courtesy of Michigan Railroad History (RRHX), photo by Alan Loftis"
Depot abandoned by the C&O as it looked in 2003. Thank the village for rescuing it.
Railroad:
The Howard City branch of the Pere Marquette Railroad had its roots in several subsidiaries owned or leased by the Detroit, Lansing & Northern Railroad. The Saginaw and Western was selected to represent the line in the cache title because it completed the branch and it had the longest ownership prior to the Pere Marquette.
In 1873, the Saginaw Valley and St. Louis Railroad built from Saginaw to St Louis. In 1875, the Saginaw and Grand Rapids Railroad connected St. Louis and Alma. Also in 1875, the Chicago, Saginaw and Canada Railroad built the line between St. Louis, Alma, Elwell, Riverdale, Vestaburg and Cedar Lake. In 1878, the CS&C, in receivership, extended the line from Cedar Lake to Edmore where it connected the Detroit, Lansing and Northern Railroad. In 1879, the CS&C extended the line through Six Lakes to Lakeview. In 1883, the CS&C was reorganized as the Saginaw and Western Railroad. In 1886, the S&W extended the line through Amble to Howard City where it connected with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad and another D&LN line through Greenville to Ionia. In 1897, the S&W, the S&GR and DL&N were reorganized as the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western. In 1899-1900, the DGR&W became part of the Pere Marquette Railroad.
More highways, trucks, and personal automobiles siphoned business away from railroads. Mergers also contributed to some lines being unnecessary. The line between Lakeview and Howard City was abandoned and removed in 1943. The PM became part of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1947. What remained of this line was part of the Grand Rapids Division , which ran from Elmdale, through Lowell, Belding, Greenville, Stanton and to Edmore and then east to Saginaw. In the fifties, sixties and seventies, it was not unusual to see very long trains on this alternate route to Grand Rapids. The C&O was merged into CSX Transportation in 1987. The line was removed between Edmore and Elwell in 1988. The line was abandoned between Alma and Elwell in 2003.
Today, the right of way between Edmore and Alma is part of the Fred Meijer Heartland Trail, a very nice paved trail to ride or walk. The depot is used by the trail and the village of Vestaburg for special events and arts and craft shows. Look on the trailhead sign for more information. Thanks to Friends of Fred Meijer Heartland Trail and the “depot lady” for allowing us to have a cache at this site.
Listing updated 11/1/2013, 3/17/2014 by aghudley.
Sources:
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