Manistique and Lake Superior Railway
Encyclopedia
The Manistique and Lake Superior Railroad (M&LS) was an American
Class III railroad
serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
from 1909 to 1968. It provided service from Manistique, Michigan
to a junction with the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
at Doty, Michigan, southeast of Munising, Michigan
. Its nickname was The Haywire.
The M&LS was chartered in 1909 to penetrate what was then a booming lumber
and pulpwood region of the central Upper Peninsula. Almost from the start, it served as an affiliate of the Ann Arbor Railroad and was connected with the larger railroad's northwestern terminus at Elberta, Michigan
, by Ann Arbor Railroad car ferry
. The Elberta-Manistique run was one of the longest regularly scheduled railroad car ferry runs operated in North America.
After the old-growth timber of the central U.P. had been harvested, the transportation needs of the local area served by the Manistique & Lake Superior declined. While the cold, swampy region continued to yield pulpwood, the construction of M-94
generally parallel to the M&LS right-of-way
further reduced the need for the little railroad.
By the 1960s, the Manistique & Lake Superior had been reduced to only one working locomotive
. The railroad and its car ferry ceased operations in July 1968.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Class III railroad
Class III railroad
A Class III railroad, as defined by the Surface Transportation Board, is a railroad with an annual operating revenue of less than $20 million . The term only applies to United States railroads, but is sometimes applied to other countries...
serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan
Upper Peninsula of Michigan
The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is the northern of the two major land masses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan. It is commonly referred to as the Upper Peninsula, the U.P., or Upper Michigan. It is also known as the land "above the Bridge" linking the two peninsulas. The peninsula is bounded...
from 1909 to 1968. It provided service from Manistique, Michigan
Manistique, Michigan
Manistique is a city in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 3,583. It is the county seat of Schoolcraft County and the only incorporated community in the county. The city lies on the north shore of Lake Michigan, at the southwest corner...
to a junction with the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway
The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
at Doty, Michigan, southeast of Munising, Michigan
Munising, Michigan
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,539. It is the county seat of Alger County...
. Its nickname was The Haywire.
The M&LS was chartered in 1909 to penetrate what was then a booming lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
and pulpwood region of the central Upper Peninsula. Almost from the start, it served as an affiliate of the Ann Arbor Railroad and was connected with the larger railroad's northwestern terminus at Elberta, Michigan
Elberta, Michigan
Elberta is a village in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 457 at the 2000 census. The village located in the east of Gilmore Township, on the south side of Lake Betsie, which is formed by the Betsie River before flowing into Lake Michigan. The village is on M-22 just...
, by Ann Arbor Railroad car ferry
Train ferry
A train ferry is a ship designed to carry railway vehicles. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to the wharves. In the United States, train ferries are sometimes referred to as "car ferries", as...
. The Elberta-Manistique run was one of the longest regularly scheduled railroad car ferry runs operated in North America.
M-94 (Michigan highway)
M-94 is a state trunkline in the Upper Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs for from K. I. Sawyer to Manistique. The highway is part of the Lake Superior Circle Tour during a concurrency with M-28. M-94 crosses the Siphon Bridge in Manistique, unique for the fact that the bridge roadway...
generally parallel to the M&LS right-of-way
Right-of-way (railroad)
A right-of-way is a strip of land that is granted, through an easement or other mechanism, for transportation purposes, such as for a trail, driveway, rail line or highway. A right-of-way is reserved for the purposes of maintenance or expansion of existing services with the right-of-way...
further reduced the need for the little railroad.
By the 1960s, the Manistique & Lake Superior had been reduced to only one working locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
. The railroad and its car ferry ceased operations in July 1968.