Pointe Aux Barques Depot Preserves a Powerful Slice of Michigan History

This early 1900s photo captures the rural railroad depot at Pointe Aux Barques, Michigan, taken by Louis James Pesha. The image includes a windmill-powered water tower, a wooden depot station, and both a horse-drawn buggy and early automobile, capturing a transitional moment between eras. The depot sat along the Pere Marquette Railway line, which connected Port Huron to communities throughout Michigan’s Thumb.

Primarily serving the seasonal residents of the Pointe Aux Barques Resort Community, the depot was a critical link to the outside world. Trains brought guests, mail, and daily newspapers from Detroit, anchoring the community to regional commerce and news. According to a 1925 timetable, the route included stops at Harbor Beach, Bad Axe, and Port Austin before reaching Pointe Aux Barques and Grindstone City, with trains arriving around 2:30 p.m. and departing again in the morning hours.

Pesha’s image preserves the story of this modest but vital piece of transportation infrastructure. The Pointe Aux Barques depot remains a reminder of how railroads once shaped travel, commerce, and leisure across the Thumb.