Pere Marquette Railroad Co. collection

Collection

Identifier: Collection 037

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection documents the operations and business affairs of the Pere Marquette from 1900-1946. Includes various company publications consisting primarily of annual reports from 1900-1929 and 1946 and tourist brochures for the online northern Michigan resorts, plus hunting and fishing grounds. The annual reports include information on equipment, motive power and construction, as well as accounting and balance statements. Includes financial testimony and records from 1913, regarding the events surrounding the railroad's 1912 receivership. Also contains a 1916 menu highlighting Grand Rapids, in the miscellaneous section, as well as other items.

Pere Marquette Magazine and Pere Marquette Service were the publications of the Public Relations Department to promote railway policies and interest and reestablish credibility following the second financial reorganization. Service was an in-house publication, directed toward employees and related industries. Both journals reflect the railway in Michigan and the U.S.

Only select documents reflecting the history and operations of this company are included in this small collection. The bulk of the holdings are the Pere Marquette magazine from 1900 to 1931.

Dates

1900-1940, 1946

Biographical / Historical

The Pere Marquette Railroad Co. was created November 1, 1899 by combining the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad Co., the Chicago & West Michigan Railway Company and the Detroit, Grand Rapids & Western Railroad Company. Each of these roads was itself a result of combining earlier lines. In 1900 the Muskegon Lake Railroad was added, and in 1903 eight more smaller Michigan lines were purchased. The resulting line operated across much of Michigan's lower peninsula, also extending into Indiana, Illinois and Ohio and from Detroit through Ontario, Canada to Buffalo, New York where connection was made with many of the Eastern roads. The Pere Marquette’s headquarters was at Detroit.

In 1912 the line went into receivership, was reorganized and renamed the Pere Marquette Railroad. This lasted until April 1917, when the railroad again went into receivership and following a second reorganization emerged as the Pere Marquette Railway Company. It was absorbed by the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad in 1947.

Extent

5.1 Linear Feet (Twelve boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The Pere Marquette Railroad operated across Michigan's lower peninsula and extending into Indiana, Illinois, Ohio and New York. The Pere Marquette’s headquarters were at Detroit. The Pere Marquette used the Union Station in Grand Rapids. In 1947, the Pere Marquette was merged into the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad.

This collection documents the operations and business affairs of the company from its creation in 1899 through 1946. It contains various company publications including annual reports, advertising brochures, financial documents and miscellaneous items. Also included are Pere Marquette Magazine and Pere Marquette Service, publications used to improve ridership and usage and promote the company’s image.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Library purchase, accession numbers 00.000, 00.[591].1

Related Materials

See also Coll. 54-4 Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad folder, for 2 photos of Pere Marquette railroads, source unknown. 1/30/2002. Coll. 216 GRPL Ephemera Collection. P2004.027

Pere Marquette Railway Archives at the Joint Archives of Holland.