A Condensed Time Line of the Pere Marquette

Updated: 02-SEP-2009

This time line is a "work in progress" which outlines the major events in the history of the Pere Marquette between 1900 and its merger into the Chesapeake & Ohio in 1947.

	1900		Pere Marquette Railroad formed by merger of Chicago & West Michigan, Flint & Pere Marquette and the Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western.
	1900		PM entered into agreement with the Pennsylvania and Michigan Central for operation and maintenance of Grand Rapids Union Station.
	1901		Carferry Pere Marquette 17 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1901		New 12-stall roundhouse built at Saginaw.
	1902		Carferry (first) Pere Marquette 18 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	Fall, 1902		River ferry service begun between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario.
	Fall, 1902		Summer season steamship service between Ottawa Beach (Holland) and Milwaukee ended.
	Jan., 1903		Lake Erie & Detroit River RR acquired (across Canada).
	1903		River ferry service begun between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.
	1903		Ex-Port Huron & Northwestern line to Almont converted to standard gauge.
	1903		PM jointly formed Marquette & Bessemer Dock & Navigation Company with Bessemer & Lake Erie RR to haul coal hoppers from Conneaut, Ohio to Erieau, Ontario and Port Stanley, Ontario via carferry.
	1903		Break bulk freighters Pere Marquette 2, Pere Marquette 3 and Pere Marquette 4 sold to Gus Kitzinger.
	1903		Collier Marquette & Bessemer No. 1 placed into service on Lake Erie.
	1903		Carferries Pere Marquette 19 and Pere Marquette 20 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1903		Sandusky Branch built between Poland (Jct.) and Sandusky
	May, 1903		Harbor Beach and Port Hope R.R. Co. completed between namesake villages.
	May 6, 1903		Saginaw, Tuscola and Huron R.R., Bay City Belt Line R.R., Sanilac R.R., are merged into P.M. on same day.
	Late 1903		Carferry service begun between Ludington and Kewaunee, Wisconsin.
	Dec., 1903		Trackage completed from New Buffalo to Michigan Central RR at Porter, Indiana- direct service to Chicago begun.
	Dec. 21, 1903		Harbor Beach and Port Hope R.R. Co. merged into the Pere Marquette.
	1904		PM leased to Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton RR.
	1904		PM river ferry Pere Marquette 14 launched.
	1904		Coach shops constructed in Saginaw.
	1905		New shops complex built at Wyoming.
	1905		St. Thomas, Ontario shop facilities constructed.
	1905		Carferry Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (1st) placed into service on Lake Erie.
	June 21, 1905		PM gained control of Toledo Rwy & Terminal Co.
	Dec., 1905		First receivership began.
	1906		Line from Rodney to Chippewa Lake abandoned.
	1906		Break bulk freighter Pere Marquette 5 sold to Barry Brothers.
	1907		Last narrow gauge locomotive, 4-4-0 "D" retired.
	1907		First receivership ended.
	Dec. 4, 1907		PM relinquished control of Toledo Rwy & Terminal Co.
	Dec. 7, 1909		Carferry Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (1st) lost on Lake Erie.
	Sept. 9, 1910		Carferrry (First) Pere Marquette 18 sunk 20 miles off of Sheboygan, Wisconsin.
	1910		Carferry Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 (2nd) placed into service on Lake Erie.
	1911		Carferry (second) Pere Marquette 18 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1911		PM sold to J. P. Morgan.
	1911		20 new, larger stalls added to Saginaw roundhouse.
	1911		Major upgrading of facilities in the Port Huron area began.
	Apr., 1912		Second receivership began.
	May, 1912		Control of PM by Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton ended.
	1912		Ludington roundhouse constructed.
	1913		Rail service between Holland and Ottawa Beach ended.
	1913		Port Huron roundhouse and coal dock are completed, as well as the bascule bridge over the Black River.
	1914		PM lease of London & Port Stanley RR (acquired with LE&DR in 1903) ends.
	1915		Line from Stratford to Spencer abandoned.
	1917		Carferry Pere Marquette 16 sold.
	Mar. 15, 1917		PM sold to Pere Marquette Railway Company in foreclosure sale.
	Apr., 1917		Second receivership ended; Name changed to Pere Marquette Railway.
	1917		New engine facilities constructed at Flint.
	1918		Line from Spencer to Kalkaska abandoned.
	1919		New yard construction begun at New Buffalo.
	1919		New yard and roundhouse facilities construction begun at Plymouth.
	1920		Rebuilding and enlargement of Saginaw Yard begun.
	1920		New Buffalo yard construction completed.
	1920		Plymouth yard facility construction completed.
	1921		Lines from Kalkaska to Rapid City and from Carters to Clary abandoned.
	1921		Massive Saginaw Yard improvement project completed.
	June 7, 1921		PM incorporated Flint Belt RR Co.
	Aug. 8, 1921		Pennsylvania RR granted trackage rights over the PM from Alexis, Ohio to Carleton, Michigan.
	1922		Line from Leota to Harrison abandoned.
	1923		Massive upgrading of Wyoming Yard and Shops begun; Ex-Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western Ionia shops closed; Much car repair work transferred from Saginaw to Wyoming.
	1923		Flint Belt bypass of downtown Flint put into service. .
	1923		Construction of Ottawa Yard begun at Erie, Michigan.
	1924		Oris P. and Mantis J. Van Sweringen completed acquisition of control of PM, Nickel Plate and Erie.
	1924		Carferries Pere Marquette 21 and Pere Marquette 22 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1924		New coach yard and engine terminals built for Union Belt Railway of Detroit (PM, Pennsylvania and Wabash) in Detroit.
	1924		Line from Buchanan to Benton Harbor abandoned, except for northernmost three miles.
	Nov., 1924		Ottawa Yard placed into service.
	1925		Massive upgrading of Wyoming Yard and Shops completed.
	1926		Line from White Cloud to Big Rapids abandoned.
	1927		PM river ferry Pere Marquette 12 launched.
	Nov. 10, 1927		Marquette & Bessemer Dock & Navigation Company discontinued sailings to Erieau, Ontario.
	1928		Westmost 5 miles of Holland-Macatawa Beach branch abandoned.
	1929		PM Class MK-6 2-8-2s #1095 through #1099 acquired second-hand from the Erie (their Class N-1, #3011, #3020, #3068, #3100, and #3105).
	1929		Chesapeake & Ohio acquired controlling interest in the PM.
	1929		Yards at Wyoming, Saginaw and Lansing enlarged.
	Nov. 24, 1929		Carferry City of Saginaw 31 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1930		PM Class SF-6 2-10-2s #1198 and #1199 acquired second-hand from the Hocking Valley Railroad (their Class F-1, #141 and #143).
	1930		Mershon-Zilwaukee spur abandoned.
	May 22, 1930		Carferry City of Flint 32 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1931		Saginaw coach shops renovated.
	Dec., 1931		PM acquired control of Manistee & North Eastern RR
	Feb. 13, 1932		Marquette & Bessemer Dock & Navigation Company formally abandoned-- all sailings discontinued.
	Aug. 5, 1932		River ferry service suspended at Port Huron. (Resumed by C&O in the 1950s)
	1932		Lines from Fostoria to Otter Lake abandoned.
	1932		Manistee & North Eastern began operations over portions of PM trackage, abandoning its own parallel tracks in these places.
	1933		Lines from Pentwater to Mears, from Otter Lake to Otisville, from Port Austin to Grindstone City, and from Haynor (Kidd) to Stanton abandoned.
	1934		PM river ferry (second) International (built in 1872 for Grand Trunk Rwy) sold and converted to a derrick barge.
	1934		Line from Fruitport to Muskegon abandoned.
	1934		Reeds Lake Branch removed between East Grand Rapids and Fuller Street.
	1935		Original PM carferry Pere Marquette (built in 1897) scrapped at Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
	1935		Line from Freeport to Elmdale abandoned.
	January, 1935		Business Car #2 purchased from Georgia Car & Loco.
	1937		First N-class Berkshire locomotives received from Lima.
	1937		First steel cabooses on the PM received from Magor.
	1938		Carferry Pere Marquette 20 sold to Michigan State Ferries for use at Mackinaw City.
	July, 1939		First diesel switcher, EMC SW1 #10, arrived on property.
	August, 1939		Business Car #1 purchased from W.F. Kinny.
	1940		Carferries Pere Marquette 17 and Pere Marquette 19 sold.
	1941		Carferry City of Midland 41 placed into Lake Michigan service.
	1941		St. Thomas, Ontario shop facilities upgraded.
	1941		Lines from Ionia to Haynor (Kidd) and from Bay City to Wolverine Mines #2 and #3 abandoned.
	1942		Lines from Almont to Port Huron, from Paw Paw to Lawton, and from Howard City to Greenville abandoned.
	Apr., 1942		Second diesel switcher, EMD SW1 #11, delivered to PM.
	1943		Lines from Barryton to Mecosta, from Beaverton to Coleman, from Lakeview to Howard City and from Big Rapids to Remus abandoned.
	1944		Lines from Weidman to Remus and from Harrison to Clare abandoned.
	June 10, 1945		Reconstructed bridge over Saginaw River at Saginaw placed into service.
	1945		PM river ferry Pere Marquette 10 launched.
	January, 1946		Business Car #3 purchased from Monroe Automotive Equipment Co.
	June, 1946		Two EMD E7A passenger diesels delivered to PM for use on new Pere Marquette streamliner.
	Aug. 10, 1946		Pere Marquette streamliner inaugurated between Grand Rapids and Detroit, as the nation’s first all-new postwar streamlined passenger train.
	June 6, 1947		Pere Marquette Railway merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio.

Wyoming Yard and Shops, 1956
Wyoming Yard and Shops, c. 1956
C&O Rwy. Photo -CSPR

PMHS, P.O. Box 233, Perry, MI 48872-0233