Detroit and Charlevoix Railroad
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railroad |
| Founded | 1901 |
| Founder | Willis C. Ward, Franklin B. Ward, George K. Root |
| Fate | Merged into Michigan Central Railroad |
| Headquarters | United States |
Area served | Northern Lower Michigan |
Key people | Willis C. Ward (President), Franklin B. Ward, George K. Root (Secretary) |
| Products | Transportation of lumber and freight |
| Parent | Michigan Central Railroad (from 1907) |
The Detroit and Charlevoix Railroad was established in Northern Lower Michigan primarily to facilitate the movement of processed lumber from forested areas to commercial markets. Eventually, it became part of the Michigan Central Railroad network.
History
David Ward (who passed away on May 29, 1900), possessed 70,000 acres of timberland spanning Otsego, Crawford, Antrim, Charlevoix, and Kalkaska counties. He required a reliable transportation method to deliver timber to sawmills located in Bay City, Michigan. In 1893, he initiated construction of the Frederic & Charlevoix RR Co., a logging railway that linked with the Michigan Central Railroad Mackinac Division at Frederic. This line extended 42.66 miles reaching East Jordan, Michigan, then known as South Arm on Lake Charlevoix. By 1897, the final three miles into East Jordan were removed for reasons that remain unclear.
Death of David Ward
Following Ward’s death in 1900, his vast timber holdings were inherited by six heirs who agreed to a 12-year management arrangement overseen by his son Willis C. Ward, grandson Franklin B. Ward, and son-in-law George K. Root. These managers were granted full discretion over timber operations and profit distribution among the children, with the estate set for equal division after the 12-year term. This structure encouraged aggressive harvesting to maximize financial returns before the estate was partitioned.
Establishment of Detroit & Charlevoix Railroad
The estate’s administrators determined that transporting unprocessed timber to Bay City was inefficient. They decided to construct a state-of-the-art sawmill close to their timberlands and enhance the railroad to accommodate Class I freight cars for shipping finished lumber to major markets such as Chicago. On January 1, 1901, Willis C. Ward (President), Franklin B. Ward, and George K. Root (Secretary) officially formed the Detroit & Charlevoix Railroad Company with a capital stock of $525,000, transferring all assets from the Frederic & Charlevoix RR Co. The railroad operated three steam locomotives equipped with air brakes, 25 Russel logging cars, 29 platform cars rated for 60,000 pounds also fitted with air brakes, two snow plows, and two passenger coaches. Plans were made to upgrade the track for interstate railcars, reinstate service into East Jordan, and extend the line an additional 13 miles northwest toward Charlevoix.
During the winter of 1901, construction commenced on a steam-powered double-band sawmill generating 600 horsepower at Deward—a settlement named after D.E. Ward—located near the Manistee River’s headwaters approximately 11 miles from Frederic and about 30 miles from East Jordan. The mill’s annual production capacity was designed to reach 20 million board feet. Supporting facilities included a railroad switch yard, mill pond, tramways, boarding houses, machine shops, barns, offices, a schoolhouse, general store, railroad station, and residential buildings—all constructed using milled lumber covered with tarpaper.
In October 1908, an intense forest fire exacerbated by unsound lumbering practices devastated much of the remaining timber stands. By 1912, all of the original 70,000 acres had been clearcut; subsequently, the sawmill was dismantled and sold off. The area of Deward gradually returned to its natural state thereafter.
Michigan Central Railroad
On May 1, 1907, the Michigan Central Railroad purchased the entire capital stock of the Detroit & Charlevoix Railroad. Subsequently, on September 27, 1912, the Detroit & Charlevoix Railroad was merged into Michigan Central, with the transaction valued at $518,735.86. In 1916, the line recorded an operational deficit amounting to $5,428.91. Following this, the Detroit & Charlevoix designation was discontinued, and the track was renamed the East Jordan Branch. Operations along this branch by Michigan Central ended by 1930, leading to the abandonment of the line in 1933.