Station: Atlanta, MI

Atlanta was settled about 1881 in central Montmorency County by Alfred West of Capac, Mich. while he was building a road from Torch Lake near Traverse City to Alpena, a State project. He became aware of the lumbering potential in the county. He established a mill on the banks of the Thunder Bay River. He named the new town Atlanta, because the terrain reminded him of Atlanta, Georgia where he fought in the Civil War. It becomes the county seat. [LITF]

The town was served by the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena railroad for a short period between 1920 and 1932. This was likely during the period of harvest of hardwood forests in the area. The Michigan Central and Detroit & Mackinac railroads came within about five miles of Atlanta from the southwest and north with forest branch lines but never reached the town site itself.

Photo Info: Top, the Boyne City, Gaylord & Alpena railroad depot in Atlanta, MI. 2nd and 3rd photos, a BCG&A train with a snow plow opens the line through Atlanta. [All, Dale Berry collection] 4th photo, a USGS map of the old BCB&A right-of-way. The railroad crossed highway M-33 in the vicinity of Freddie's IGA market. [USGS/Dale Berry]

Notes

Time Line

1894. June. The extension of Alger, Smith & Co.'s railroad from Lake May [Presque Isle county] into this county [Montmorency] is now being rapidly pushed forward. About 250 men are at work and it is expected that the line will be completed to Valentine Lake, six miles north of Atlanta, by the 1st of August, when the road will then run their passenger and freight train daily to and from Alpena. This will give the people of Atlanta and vicinity good connection with Alpena and which will receive much patronage. [DFP-1894-0603]

1895. Briley township (Atlanta) in Montmorency County, is agitating the question of bonding the township for $10,000 to boom the township, to build a gristmill, and to get the Alpena & Northern railroad to continue the road to Atlanta, the county seat. [OT-1895-0201] Editors note: The A&N road was not extended to Atlanta.

1931. November 28. The BCG&A railroad provided notice to shippers that the railroad company will no longer accept freight for shipment and trains will cease operation on December 1, train service discontinuing between Gaylord, Atlanta and Alpena. The line was completed to Alpena 12 years ago, the W. H. White Lumber Co. of Boyne City being the principal owners. It was primarily built for hauling the timber, mostly hardwood, to the mills of the company at Boyne City. The timber supply was exhausted five or six years ago and since that time there has been little freight business. A gasoline car has been practically all the company has had on the line in the way of a traffic vehicle for about four years. Stations on the line were Boyne City, Gaylord, Atlanta, Spratt, Herron and Alpena. [DFP-1931-1129]