Station: Chatham, MI

Chatham, located in Alger county, was founded in 1896 around a lumber camp.  It was a station on the Munising Railway (later the Lake Superior & Ishpeming) and the village was developed by the Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company which used wood from the forests for supports in the underground mines of the Marquette iron range.

Photo info: Top, an early photo of the depot with a hand cart nearby.  Note the wire insulators hanging from below the depot roof [Alan Loftis collection]. 2nd photo, the same LS&I depot and right-of-way in 2002.  [Dave Fulkerth photo].  3rd and 4th photos, the depot has been restored in these 2022 views. [Dale Berry]. Bottom photo, a sawdust loading device still in position in Chatham in 2002.  [Dave Fulkerth]

Notes

The DSS&A Chatham Station was located at Rocky River Road and was built about 1900. [UPM]

The State of Michigan Experimental Farm was located here. [LSMI/1903]

Time Line

1925. A fire started by children playing with matches, virtually wiped out the small village of Chatham, 30 miles east of Marquette. The Alger county infirmary, the Chatham school, a hotel, the LS&I station and section house, a garage and the residence of C.C. Brown are the only buildings left standing undamaged by the blaze. Fifteen buildings now being in ashes. Two stores, a pool room, a bakery, a barn, apartments, the post office and two warehouses were burned. [BCE-1925-0408]

Industry

Hale & Nevins mill plant - (xxxx ← 1906 → xxxx) - owns considerable timber in the vicinity and manufactures pine and cedar shingles and hemlock and hardwood lumber. [AML-1/6/1906]