Boyne City Railroad
The original railroad was established by William Howard White of Boyne City, Michigan in 1893.
The company needed an economical way to supply the lumber camps and haul the cut timber to the saw mills located in Boyne City.
It was proposed that the railroad would eventually reach Alpena on Lake Huron, 62 miles (100 km) to the east.
On November 25, 1905, the railroad reached the town of Gaylord where it intersected the Michigan Central Main Line, 26 miles (42 km) east of Boyne City.
In addition, the Southend Branch Line was built between 1908 and 1912 from the railroad junction named Project (the current parking lot of Boyne Mountain Resort) to the Upper Jordan River Valley (south of M-32) to harvest the W.H.
[3] In late 1916, the B.C.G & A was stalled 9 miles (14 km) from Alpena, MI at the Thunder Bay River since the company had run out of money.
In February 1917, the Michigan Trust Company, Grand Rapids, MI announced a tentative reorganization plan in which the B.C.G&A would issue $800,000 in 20 year bonds paying 5%.
The $800,000 would be issued as follows: $195,000 to the previous bond holders and other debt holders, $330,000 to the Michigan Trust Company (receiver) in payment of receivers claims and $275,000 sold for cash to provide funds to complete the line to Alpena, MI.
As a caveat, Michigan Trust Company required that all earnings in excess of expenses including interest be deposit annual by March 1.
[4] On December 20, 1918, the BCG&A reached Alpena, Michigan on Lake Huron where it intersected the Detroit and Mackinac Railway main line.
White Company had 4 saw mills in Boyne City with a combined capacity of 200,000 board feet (470 m3) of lumber.
White Company marketed the cut over land to farmers in Ohio, southern Michigan and Indiana.
The rationale was that the BCG&A provided a modern transportation system to new immigrants not only for getting there, but also for shipping their farm products and the necessary goods to them.
Unfortunately for the immigrants, Northern Michigan has a short growing season and the majority of the cut over land was of poor farming quality.
During the final two years of its operating life (1976–78), the short line was known as the Boyne Valley Railroad, and offered excursion passenger service only.
• M-65 west: the road is used to access private homes and hunting properties in an area formerly known as the Spratt Club.
A concrete bridge foundation is visible at the junction of the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroad and Webster Road.45°5′10″N 84°50′52″W / 45.08611°N 84.84778°W / 45.08611; -84.84778 • Hallock Road & Parmeter Road-Otsego County: From there it meanders cross-country towards Gaylord passing just east of the former town and station of Hallock, Michigan.
Alongside the road there is excavation evidence as well as bridge pilings crossing the Jordan River.
O’Brien Pond is formed by the old road bed of the Boyne City & Southeastern Railroad.
A Russell snowplow owned by the BCG&A is located at the Mid-Continent Railway Museum in North Freedom WI.
