This cache is located on the former grade of the Pennsylvania Railroad, now the White Pine Trail, in the town of Comstock Park. The cache is located south of the former Comstock Park depot site.
Historic view of Comstock Park in the late 1800's
The town of Comstock Park began in 1837 as North’s Mill when Daniel North, the first settler, built a sawmill on Mill Creek. The mill changed hands many times over the years and a small modest town began to develop around it. In 1848, the settlement was officially recognized with a post office by the name of Mill Creek. In 1867, the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad built a depot here on its route from GR to Cedar Springs. The new railroad brought a wave of settlers into the town and it began to grow. A few years later in 1872, the Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore Railroad finished a line from GR to Sparta that crossed with the GR&I here. The GRN&LS also constructed a depot here, this brought even more settlers. By 1895, Mill Creek had a population of 25. In 1911, the town was renamed Comstock Park, after Charles A. Comstock, a former mayor of Grand Rapids. From there, the town just kept growing and continues to grow today, with a population of 10,674. Comstock Park is also the home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.
The Grand Rapids & Indiana spent thirteen years as a paper company before being built. Service began between Grand Rapids and Cedar Springs on Christmas Day, 1867. By the middle of 1869, the rails were down as far as Morley and on to Paris in the fall of 1870. Trackage was also completed between Grand Rapids and Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 1871, the GR&I acquired the Cincinnati, Richmond & Fort Wayne Railroad Company, extending the GR&I to Cincinnati. Trackage was extending northward as well. By late 1872, a branch was completed between Walton to Traverse City. By the end of 1873, the line reached Petoskey and in 1882, Mackinaw City, becoming the longest north-south line in the country, at that time. As such, it had a large role in the settlement of northern Michigan. In 1886, the railroad also built a line connecting Grand Rapids and Muskegon.
The primary business in the early years was timber and lumber. This shifted to tourism and the GR&I advertised itself as "The Fishing Line". In partnership with the Michigan Central Railroad, the company built and opened the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island in 1887. In 1918, the GR&I was acquired by the Pennsylvania Railroad, which operated it until 1975. The Michigan DOT purchased it and leased it to the Michigan Northern Railroad until 1984.
Today, most of the line is gone. The portion of the line between Grand Rapids and Cadillac has become the White Pine Trail. The line between Marne and Muskegon has become the Musketawa Trail.
Sources:
Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad.
Pennsylvania Railroad.
"Images of America: Plainfield Township" By: Anne E. Byle, ©Arcadia Publishing, 2008
"Michigan Place Names", Walter Romig, © 1986 Wayne State University Press
[ay]
