Railroad: Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western railroad

The Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railway Co. was incorporated in 1872 and opened a line from Wisconsin to Ironwood, Bessemer, Wakefield and Watersmeet in 1884. The line provided passenger and freight service to western Gogebic County communities of Bessemer, Ironwood, Wakefield, Marinesco and Watersmeet and also served the mines in the Gogebic range. The line was sold to the Chicago & North Western railroad in August, 1893. [MRRC]

The Vieux Desert & Lake Superior railroad was apparently never built, but consolidated into the MLS&W in 1883.

Vieux Desert & Lake Superior railroad → Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railway → Chicago & North Western railroad

Incorporated: 1872

Built: 1883 from Wisconsin state line to Ironwood, Bessemer and Watersmeet

Operated in Michigan: 10 Years.

Became: Chicago & North Western railway in 1893.

Reference: [MRRC]

Map

Photo info: A map of the MLS&W railroad around 1885. [Wisconsin Historical Society].

Notes

Time Line

1872. The railroad was incorporated.

1883. Line completed in Michigan, Watersmeet to Ironwood.

1884. The MLS&W builds a 1.8 mile branch line to the Colby mine. (Pulled up in 1887).

1885 - The MLS&W installs a 8 mile long branch from Wakefield north to Connorsville, mostly for logging purposes. They also build off this branch to the Sunday Lake Mine, and in 1890 to the Castile and Meteor mines. The line is cut back to Castile Mine in 1929 and abandoned/removed between Sunday Lake mine to Wakefield in 1959.

1885. A 1.6 mile spur is built by the MLS&W from the main line to the Norrie Mine. This line also reaches the East Norrie Mine. They also build off this branch to the Pabst Mine, including the Aurora, and Vaughn mines.

1886. The MLS&W builds a spur to the Peterson Mine. This line is extended 1/3 mile in 1950. They also build a spur to the Ironton Mine in 1886, and extended to the New Davis in 1890. This branch is removed in 1941.

1886. The MLS&W builds a spur off the New Davis Mine spur to the Puritan Mine. They also build a mine off this spur to the Newport Mine.

1886. The MLS&W builds a 2.3 mile spur from the Norrie Branch to the Newport Mine. The Newport Mine opens in 1886.

1888. The Lake Shore was operating daily mainline passenger trains on the Milwaukee to Ashland route as well as frequent branch service to Rhinelander, Wausau, Oconto, Two Rivers and Oshkosh. Schedules indicate that almost eleven hours were required for the 367-mile Milwaukee-Ashland run. [Wiki]

1890. The MLS&W builds a spur from their main line to the Eureka Mine, about 1.1 miles long. The mine produces ore until 1950. It was north of Ramsey.

1893. Line sold to Chicago & North Western railroad.