The site of this cache is on the Pere Marquette State Trail, near where the water tower was at the former Chesapeake and Ohio (CSX) depot.
"Photo by AGHudley, © 2013."
Evert depot in 2013. Thank the city for rescuing it.
Evart:
The village of Evart was founded in 1871 by D. A. Blodgett and James Kennedy. It was named for Frank (Perry) Everts, a civil war veteran and early pioneer of Osceola Township. During the incorporation process, Everts’ name was misspelled and that spelling stuck. Early on, Evart was platted and incorporated as a village by 1872, Evart was tied very closely to the timber business. When the timber was all harvested, the fact that Evert survived and grew while other villages of the time did not was because of the railroad line and the cross-lake business it provided and businesses that the line attracted.
Charles Conn collection, Folder 1, Box 5,6, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, used with permission of Mr. Conn.
Waiting for the eastbound train at Evert, early 1900s.
Railroad:
The rail line through Evert got its start in 1860 when the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad began constructing a line between Mt. Morris and Saginaw. It was opened in January of 1862. It reached Flint in December of that year, Holly in 1864, Midland in 1867, and Averill in 1868. By the end of 1870, the line had extended to Clare and Lake. It finally reached Evert in September of 1871 and Reed City in December that same year. By 1874, the line extended to Ludington where a cross-lake break bulk and railroad car ferry service was created. On January 1st, 1900, the F&PM, Chicago & West Michigan, Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western were consolidated as the Pere Marquette, becoming the largest rail line in Michigan. The PM grew to a peak of 2393 miles with lines extending into Ontario, Indiana and Ohio and elsewhere with trackage rights. In 1929, the C&O had a controlling interest in the PM and consolidated the PM into the C&O in 1947.
In 1972, the C&O, Baltimore & Ohio and Western Maryland were consolidated on paper as the Chessie System, keeping their individual identities until the late 1980’s. In 1980, the Seaboard Coast Line was added and the new company was known as CSX Corporation. CSX began to downsize its operations and in doing so, began to dismantle this line. In 1987, the portion of the line from Midland to Baldwin was taken out of service, and officially abandoned in 1988.
Sources:
Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad
Pere Marquette Railroad
Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad
CSX
Pere Marquette Historical Society
C&O Historical Society
RRHX: Evart
History of Evart
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