Missaukee Junction to Michelson

The Missaukee Branch

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The Missaukee Branch complex included a number of branch lines that stemmed from the main part of the branch, itself branching from the PRR mainline at Misaukee Junction and heading east to Lake City and ultimately to Falmouth, MI. Other branches include:

  • Jennings Branch: This line branched from the Missaukee Branch at Round Rock Junction and headed north to the town of Jennings, MI.
  • Lake City Branch: This short branch joined the Missuakee Branch at Lake City Junction (at Sandstown) and a little over a mile north to Lake City.

Each of these branches were abandoned at various times, and the last vestige of this branch complex included the main part of the branch between Missaukee Junction and Lake City. In its later years, the line was operated by the Cadillac and Lake City Railway, from 1964 to 1971. This remaining section was finally abandoned in 1984.

Historic ICC Abandonment Filings

PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
Docket Number: 4723 Date: 1927 Section: 1
Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway Company for certificate of public convenience and necessity to abandon the Jennings Branch, extending from Round Lake Junction to Jennings, Missaukee County, Michigan, 3.7 miles in length and that portion of the Missaukee Branch extending from Veneer Junction, Missaukee County to Michelson, Roscommon County, Michigan, a distance of 16.34 miles.
Length: 20.04 miles Citation: 117 ICC 595  
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
Docket Number: 8200 Date: 4/15/1930 Section: 1
App. of. Grand Rapids & Indiana Ry. Co., and the Pennsylvania. RR. Co., its lessee, for a certificate to abandon that portion of the Missaukee Branch of Grand Rapids & Indiana Ry. Co., extending from Merritt, Missaukee County, to Michelson, Roscommon County, Michigan, a distance of 6 miles.
Length: 6 miles Citation: 166 ICC 495  
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
Docket Number: 12049 Date: 5/16/1938 Section: 1
App. of Grand Rapids & Indiana Ry Co. and Pennsylvania RR Co. Lessee for authority to abandon Missaukee Branch of Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway Company between Veneer Junction and Merritt, all in Missaukee County, Michigan.
Length: Unknown Citation: 228 ICC 711  
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
Docket Number: 14066 Date: 12/21/1942 Section: 1
Application of Grand Rapids & Indiana and Pennsylvania Railroad Co. for authority to abandon the Missaukee Branch 15.32 miles Lake City Br. 1.23 miles of Veneer Branch 4.54 miles all in Missaukee Co. Mich, and also abandonment of all operations thereover by the Pennsylvania R. R. Co as Lessee, total distance of 21.19 miles.
Length: 21.09 miles Citation:  
PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD
Docket Number: 22776 Date: 9/13/1963 Section: 1(18)
Application and Ret. to Q. for authority to abandon their Missaukee Branch extending easterly from Missaukee Junction to Falmouth, Mich., also a line of track from Sands Town Junction switch to Lake City. The total miles of main track to be abandoned is 21.17 mi., all in Wexford and Missaukee Counties, Mich.
Length: 21.17 miles Citation:  

This railroad ran from Missaukee Jct. North of Cadillac to Lake City. It was mostly a tourist railroad. It was formerly The Grand Rapids & Indiana then The Pennsylvanis RR. The PRR also ran S.E. to Falmouth. Before these railroads it was a logging railroad, part of which was called the Jennings & Northeastern. I believe the owner was a Mr. Mitchell who also owned a loggng line in Florida. The C&LC took its name to Colorado and ran a short line there. The track in Michigan was torn up in the 1980's

Elvin Howland
Michigan, Florida, MI
6/28/2010

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Prr missauke branch ran from just north of cadilliac to Lake city mi. from lake city it ran east to verneer jct where one branch ran to Falmouth mi. The other branch ran to Merritt and then on to Michleson mi, which was a loggong town. I was told by one lady now over 100 years old about riding the train to school in morning and home again in the afternoon. Her family live about 3 miles out west of michelson. From Merritt east the old grade is easily seen. Where M-55 crosses the west branch of the muskegon river, you can see the old bridge abutments and grade for the railroad. There is a small roadside park there.

blake
houghton lake, MI
11/16/2010

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I remember Seeing the Cadillac & Lake City Railway for the first time when my parents, younger brother Ed and i came across it literally when we got stopped at the line's US-131 rail crossing in summer 1968. We saw 2-8-2 #2 backing towards Missaukee Junction wye with two coaches, a few boxcars, and a red caboose.

Lawrence Lewis
Bay City, MI
4/2/2011

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I remember riding the Lake City to Cadillac around 1968 with my family. It was very exciting for a small boy to ride a steam engine. Now my boy loves to see and talk about trains.

G. Kingsley
Grand Ledge, MI
9/21/2011

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Some very interesting truths and half truths.

The line was first a GRI, then Penn, and finally a tourist line when Penn wanted to dump it(it also ran some freight). It's existence as a tourist line was only a brief swan song.

The map has some flaws. The GRI ran a branch into Jennings and there it stopped. It's purpose was to serve the Mitchell Bros. Lumber Mill. This was a huge operation. From there, Mitchell Bros ran a narrow gauge north following the route on the map but everything north of Crooked Lake was narrow gauge Mitchell Bros. This much I am sure of. The lumber yard featured an extensive dual gauge interchange. Seek out a copy from the 1906 county atlas and I will blow your mind.

The area around Michelson showing a "Y" is questionable; I have only been able to document a single line there (no branch?) and that seems to be the shortest duration of any section of the line. FYI, the extension into Lake City from Sands Town was added later after the line was running to Falmouth.

The ICC Abandonment Filings above are very interesting with the first two seeming to abandon the same branch to Michelson twice. The initial abandonment to Jennings seems correct as the Mill closed in the early 20's and the need for the line died quickly.

Lastly, the Cadillac and NE railroad was a separate and much earlier narrow gauge line.

I would be very interested in finding out more about the alleged connection with Mitchell to Florida. Mitchell was instrumental in getting the GRI to run through Cadillac and did much to advance that town. The State of Michigan MDOT office is now housed in their old office building, a grand building with six main offices each finished in a different wood. Little record of the Mitchell Bros. remained. Did find reference that much of their NG rolling stock went to Wisconsin.

Wes Sherman
Charlotte, MI
6/27/2012

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I was raised in Jennings, and my family said that at one time a train fell into crooked lake, whats the history there, i cant seem to find the detials

Prescott
Jennings, MI
2/24/2013

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Regarding the train engine that allegedly fell into Crooked Lake . The Michigan DNR surveyed the lake extensively during the Superfund site cleanup in the '90 s . No evidence of a train engine or any large metal object was found . Folks who are familiar with the operation of the Mitchell Bros narrow gauge line claim no such incident happened . There would have been photographs taken and there are no known photos . There are still many smaller artifacts of the lumber mill and the railroad present around the mill site and the former right-of-way .

Richard Onan
Crooked Lake . Missaukee Co., MI
3/13/2013

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