| IONIA & STANTON RAILROAD |
| As early as February, 1868, a wooden railway was being seriously considered by the Ionia and Stanton people. There was a wooden railway being used in New York State and said to be working quite well after seven years. There was an estimate made of $2,000 per mile to build the road bed. Nothing more came of this project. In early Novenger, 1869, a subscription paper was being circulated to get stock sufficient to form a company to build from Ionia to Stanton. $14,000 in stock was subscribed. The distance was 22 miles and it proposed to use the track of the Ionia and Lansing road to a point four miles north of Ionia. [Note-1] This would have done away with a big expense of building through the bluffs north of Ionia. It was estimated that $3,000 per mile would get the road ready for the iron. In the week of November 27, 1869, meetings were held at Wood's Corners, Sheridan and Stanton to discuss the importance of the projected railroad. There seemed to be a great support for the project and $1,200 was subscribed at Wood's Corners. At Sheridan there was a large attendance including some from Stanton. Almost $3.000 was subscribed at Sheridan. On November 29 there was a big meeting held at Bayard's Hall in Ionia. There was a good number of people there from Stanton and Sheridan as well as Ionia. After the general public meeting, a meeting of the stockholders was held and it was found out that sufficient stock had been sold to form a company. Fred Hall was chosen chairman and the meeting proceeded. Osmond Tower was elected President and J.C. Blanchard as Treasurer. |
| There was no more news on the Ionia & Stanton road until March, 1871 when a meeting of the directors was held to pay some bills for printing bonds for the town of Fairplanes and the town of Ionia. It was resolved that the early construction of the road was in the best interests of Ionia, and the country north of Ionia. Measures were taken to obtain a lease of the Ionia & Lansing Railroad from Ionia north to a point at or near Stanton station. After this meeting there was no more news until July 19. 1872, when there was this report in the Ionia Sentinel: Another Railroad "The project of building a railroad from Ionia to Stanton has been often agitated, within the past two or three years, and a company was organized and a portion of the stock paid in. Several surveys of the line was made, which indicated a feasible route. These several projects have been abandoned and for the past year the citizens of Stanton have been casting |
| 1875 Easton TWP map showing Stanton Jct where the Ionia & Stanton Railroad branched off of the Ionia & Lansing Railroad. This junction later became known as Haynor. |
| about with their eyes in search of railroad communication from other points. The abandonment of the proposed road from Greenville to Stanton resulted in the Ionia and Stanton question being revived, and now we are glad to state that it is a fixed fact that these towns will be connected by railroad before the first of May next. A new company was organized on Tuesday under the name of the "Ionia, Stanton and Northern Railroad," by the election of the following Board of Directors: H.H. Smith, J.F. Joy, N.M. Turner, E.K. Wood, Wm.B. Stone, W.C. Page and E.H. Stanton. H.H. Smith was elected President, and E.H. Stanton Secretary and Treasurer, and H.H. Smith, N.M. Turner and E.H. Stanton are Executive Committee. [Note-2] Surveying is to be commenced on Monday, and the work of building the road undertaken without delay. The proposed northern terminus of the road will be Chippewa, where a junction will be made with the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad." When the Ionia, Stanton & Northern was organized, it is interesting to note that some of the Directors were men who were also on the board of Directors for the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan road, such as H.H. Smith and J.F. Joy. It was not long and Page & Wilson were advertising for 500 men. In August they had 300 men at work grading the road to Sheridan. They hoped to have six or eight miles done so the iron could commence being laid. On September 13, 1872 there were meetings of the stockholders of the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan and the Ionia, Stanton and Northern Railroads to consider an agreement of consolidation of the two companies. Also at this time one mile of iron was down and ten miles of the grade was ready for the same. The company hoped to have the grading done to Sheridan by the first of October. |
| This photograph was taken south of Stanton on the grading of the I., S. & N. R.R. Building railroads in this period was very labor intensive. That is the reason for hiring so many workers. Here a deep cut is being dug and the dirt is being carried further down the line for fill in a low spot. Steep grades were not railroad friendly. Photo from White Pine Library, Stanton. |
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| The Ionia Sentinel had this article from the Stanton Herald dated December 27, 1872: "The work of grading upon the railroad between this place and Sheridan is nearly completed. We hear that there are several car loads of iron at Sheridan, and the work of track laying will be resumed next Monday and continue without interruption until the iron is laid to Stanton. The deep cut within this corporation is so far advanced now that the contractors are certain to be out of the way before the track layers can reach them." The railroad company had to reach Stanton by February 1st. in order to secure payment from the subscription stock sold in that village. So the construction was pushed in the coldest of weather. Great piles of logs were set ablaze to thaw the ground so it could be graded. The ties were thrown on top of the ground and ice and sometimes just ice. By the end of January the track is laid into Stanton without the ballast. This will be done when the frost is gone in the spring. The track layers and graders were treated to a dinner at the Baily House and the village paper paraded its cannon and the whole community participated in the celebration. The reporter from Greenville says the Stanton depot is a neatly constructed building and nicely painted but needs two waiting rooms, not just one. He says that every depot should have at least two waiting rooms, one for ladies and one for gentlemen. Lumber and shingles in great bulk are piled up near the depot awaiting sale and shipment. The Ionia Sentinel says the route north of Stanton and final terminus is not yet decided. It is said it will be built next summer to a junction with the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad at a point about ten miles east of Evart. History now tells us that the line going north of Stanton was completed to Edmore in 1878 and then on up to Big Rapids in 1880. Lumber was the big item for railroads in this period!! This report from the Ionia Sentinel dated December 6, 1872: "E. Colby & Co. have contracted with the railroad company to ship 40,000,000 feet of logs over the Ionia, Stanton & Northern Railroad, to be delivered at their mill in this village [Ionia]. The contract amounts to $80,000. Their mill will be kept running all winter, and with its present capacity the above amount of logs will furnish work for two or three seasons." E. Colby & Co. saw mill was located on Mill street just south of the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan Railroad. Also in November, 1873 the D., L., & L. M. Railroad did a careful estimate of the number of feet of lumber for shipment from Greenville to Howard City and on the Stanton branch. This came to 80,000,000 feet of lumber waiting for shipment. Estimating 8,000 feet per car load this lumber would require 10,000 cars to carry it off in one day. This was profit for the railroads. |
| The Stanton branch was a rough piece of track. It required three hours to cover the 25 miles. In November, 1873 a Greenville reporter took a trip to Stanton by rail and this is what he wrote: "To Stanton by rail was our mode of conveyance. It is preferred to travel 46 miles by rail rather that 17 miles across the country on horrible mud roads in a storm, rain and snow such as visited this region last week, notwithstanding the great inconvenience of waiting so long in Ionia and occupying three hours in crawling 25 miles on the Stanton road. One mixed train with single passenger coach marked "I. & L. R.R." traveling the 25 miles four times each day. If one be acquainted with the conductor of one train, he is acquainted with the conductor of each of the four." |
| One Monday in January, 1873, the mixed freight met with a serious accident near Wood's Corners. The log train was backing up on its way to Sheridan, running quite slowly. Ice and snow had accumulated on the track and when the caboose struck the obstruction it was thrown from the track, turning over on its side. There were seven or eight passengers aboard, all of whom were more or less injured, but none seriously. F.W. Stevenson had his collar bone broken, A.B. Waterman was bruised about the face, and several others slightly injured. Mr. Reed, the section master, was standing on one of the flat cars and was thrown nearly twenty feet, stunning and bruising him considerably. |
| Note-1 From the book Michigan Railroads & Railroad Companies, the Ionia and Stanton Railroad Co. was incorporated for $180,000 on December 29, 1869. They were to own 22 miles of track from Ionia to Stanton. The disposition of this company unknown. Note-2 From the book Michigan Railroads & Railroad Companies, the Ionia, Stanton & Northern was incorporated for $500,000 on July 16, 1872. They were to own 62 miles of track from 3 mi. north of Ionia via Sheridan and Stanton to Chippewa. |
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| On November 20, 1872 the Ionia Sentinel reports: "A mixed train for the accommodation of freight and passengers is to be put upon the Ionia, Stanton and Northern Railroad in a few days. The citizens of Sheridan are happy." October 1, 1872, the Ionia, Stanton & Northern Railroad merge into the Detroit, Lansing & Lake Michigan Railroad. Hereafter the I., S., & N. will be operated as a branch of the D., L., & L. M. R.R. By Dec. the line is completed to Sheridan and trains will be running soon. E.H. Stanton & Co. of Sheridan were the first to ship lumber over the Ionia, Stanton & Northern Railroad. On the Stanton branch the train leaves Ionia at 2 P.M., arriving at Sheridan at 3:15; returning, leaves Sheridan at 4:15 P.M., arriving at Ionia at 5:40. |