Oceana County MI Archives History - Books .....Railway 1882
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Jan Cortez http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00020.html#0004939 December 4, 2008, 1:35 am

Book Title: History Of Oceana County

This county has good railway service, all under one management, as the Chicago 
and West Michigan, which with its branches, is about 500 miles in length.  The 
management is excellent, and accidents are almost unknown.  G. C. Kimball is 
general manager, F. A. Nims solicitor, and A.M. Nichols is general freight and 
passenger agent, and to the energy, and shrewd and obliging management of the 
latter, the success of the road is greatly due.

The road passes north from Montague through the entire of Grant and Shelby 
Townships, into the east of Golden, thence turning to west to Pentwater, with 
branch of about four miles from Mears to Hart.

For a number of years rival routes to reach the county - the "Gardner" road, 
from Kalamazoo, via Grand Rapids, and the "Joy" road from Muskegon and New 
Buffalo - with an ultimate triumph to the latter.  Other roads from Newaygo 
County, via Hesperia, were also projected, but have come to naught.  In 1871, 
disheartened by former failures, the people of the county were quiet on 
railway matters, until the arrival of Samuel A. Browne, when he, as President, 
with others, formed a company and projected the Montague, Pentwater & Manistee 
Road, and it was built by Thompson, Smith & Co., of Detroit, under a contract 
from James F. Joy, as President of the Chicago & Michigan Lake Shore road.  In 
1881 the name was changed into Chicago & West Michigan Railway.

Hart, the county seat, being without a railway, its enterprising men went to 
work and paid for one by private subscriptions to the amount of $12,000, which 
were all honorably paid up.  There were twelve citizens who backed all the 
notes:  T. S. Gurney, W. M. Wigton, J. K. Flood, W. Coolidge, J. R. BUtler, A. 
R. Chappell, F. J. Russell, O. W. Knox, W. E. Thorp, W. J. Sprigg, E. T. 
Mugford, Wigton & Bosworth, K. E. Reed.  The road is four miles long, and is 
from Mears, and the citizens of Hart paid for right of way, grading, site for 
depot and depot building, and gave money for a water tank, which they never 
got.

Additional Comments:
HISTORY OF OCEANA CO., CHICAGO, H.R. PAGE & COMPANY, 1882

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