Port Austin Depot c1915

This photograph shows the Port Austin railway depot around 1915, operated by Michigan’s Pere Marquette Railway. The modest, wood-framed structure was typical of rural train stations built in small towns throughout the Thumb region during the early 1900s. Visible behind the depot are grain elevators, indicating the area’s agricultural prominence. Railroads were vital to the economic development of Port Austin, facilitating travel and transporting local produce to markets across Michigan and beyond. (Photo: Pejsha Photo Collection)