News History & Fun in Michigan
Railroads built Reed City. Lumber sustained it. Then a massive oil well briefly turned the town into national news. This story traces the surprising history of Reed City Michigan.
Armada’s early photos reveal a small town in motion—fair arches over Main Street, a rail depot linking farms to markets, and a 1915 Carnegie library that still serves readers. This is how a crossroads became a community.
A 1910 portrait of Engine 109’s crew—Campbell, Cole and Giester—at the controls of a Pere Marquette branch locomotive in Sandusky, Michigan, capturing a vital chapter in local rail history.
Akron, Michigan, once an industrial center, thrived in the early 20th century due to coal and railroads. A video showcases its vibrant community, industry, and spirit, highlighting its historical significance in Michigan’s growth.
Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad (P.O. & N) ran from September 1889 until the last service run of the full length of the line on February 9, 1984.
It seems we have rediscovered what electric service can do. Many of our Great-Great Grandparents envisioned and used an advanced transportation system using electric trains. These small city-to-city or city-to-beach routes will mirror the services that autonomous vehicles are anticipated to do.
Excerpt on the Pointe Aux Barques Resort taken from the Standard Guide to Mackinac Island and Northern Michigan Resorts 1899.
The Standard Guide; Mackinac Island and Northern Lake Resorts. It is a visitors handbook written in 1898 detailing early tourism to Mackinac Island. For 25 cents it gave the potential visitor a glimpse of what to expect at Michigan’s premier tourist destination. However, the ads and descriptions of the other northern Michigan resorts of the day are fascinating.
Today Pigeon is the wind capital of Michigan. Once a rural railway stop for the Pontiac, Oxford, and Port Austin Railroad and Saginaw, Tuscola, Huron Railroad
