Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company collection
Scope and Contents
Most noteworthy in the collection are the various annual reports, ranging from 1872 to 1940, and employee timetables for the period 1887 to 1919.
The early annual reports give details on equipment and construction, as well as past accomplishments. The latter reports are primarily summarized accounting balance sheets. The remainder of the collection provides data on timetables, efforts by the GR&I to promote patronage by extolling the various recreational amenities in Northern Michigan and a small sampling of legal issues that face the railroad.
The collection provides unique insights into the operation of a turn-of-the century Michigan railroad. Since the GR&I operated under direct control of the PRR, however, most of the GR&I detailed records became part of the PRR records.
Dates
- 1875-1950
Creator
- Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway Company (Organization)
- Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company (Organization)
Biographical / Historical
The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad (GR&I) was begun by a group of businessmen in Hartford City, In. in 1854. Their goal was a road to the Michigan border, near Sturgis, to tap timber reserves. When they were unable to raise the necessary funding, the project was taken over by a group in Ft. Wayne, In.
The Ft. Wayne group’s goal was a line from Ft. Wayne to a point on Michigan’s Little Traverse Bay, also hoping to tap timber reserves. Financial problems and the Civil War prevented completion of any of the line until 1867, when the first 20 mile segment from Grand Rapids, Mi. north to Cedar Springs was opened.
Financial problems resurfaced in 1869. The Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR) saw the line as a feeder to its newly acquired right of way into Chicago via purchase of the Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago Railroad (PFW&C). The PRR set up the continental Improvement Company (Continental) to complete construction. For its efforts, the PRR received $8 million in GR&I bonds, which gave the PRR full control of the GR&I.
Over the next four years Continental completed construction north from Cedar Springs to Petoskey, via Big Rapids, Cadillac, Elmira and Melrose. South of Grand Rapids, the link to Ft. Wayne was completed in October 1870. In 1871, the GR&I gained control of the Cincinnati, Richmond & Ft. Wayne Railroad. This road ran from Richmond, In. to Adams, In., which had trackage rights over the PFW&C, to reach Ft. Wayne.
On July 3, 1882, the GR&I opened the last link in its mainline from Petoskey to Mackinaw City, completing the 460-mile north-south line. By the early 1890’s financial problems became severe and creditors foreclosed on the line in 1896. The PRR again came to the rescue, but began exerting greater influence over GR&I operations.
The financially reorganized road became the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway. In 1920 the PRR administratively combined all its lines west of Pittsburgh into divisions of the parent road. Though the PRR maintained separate entries for the GR&I for another 20 years, this combination ended the GR&I’s visibility as a separate entity.
For additional history see the draft paper by Lewis B. Clingman, included in the collection. [1/2002]
Extent
1.8 Linear Feet (Five boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad Company collection is a small representation of the operations of this regional transportation business, which had its home office in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was initially known as the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway Company.
The collection includes documents of the operations and business affairs of the railroad during the last quarter of the 19th century, and the first four decades of the 20th century. The bulk of the collection is the annual reports of the firms, from 1872-1940. Also included are representative employee timetables, public timetables, advertising and miscellaneous corporate documents.
A map of the rail lines effective March 21, 1904 can be found housed in Collection 240, box 2.3, showing service from Cincinnati, Ohio north to Chicago and through Michigan to Mackinaw City. Lines also ran east and west. The GR&I used at least two generations of the Union Station as its depot in Grand Rapids.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Library purchase and unknown, accession numbers 00.000, 00.[1987].1
- Title
- Finding aid for the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad Company collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- James B. Winslow
- Date
- June 1996
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503 USA
616-988-5497
localhis@grpl.org