Grand Maris on Lake Superior in Alger County was first noted on early maps in 1660. A permanent settlement began after the Civil War. The village was platted in 1884. The town was the center of logging operations as the forests around Grand Maris were harvested. The Manistique Railway ran north to this town from Schoolcraft county via Seney, providing one round-trip per day.
The town was isolated, being reached only by lake or rail. There was no road before 1920.
Photo info: Top, a logging train somewhere between Grand Marais and Seney, provided by Gregg Bruff, Park Ranger at the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, US Park Service. This photo is located in the Park's museum collection. 2nd image, a map of Grand Marias copied from a 1900 blue print in the State of Michigan Archives, showing how the Manistique Railway entered the town. [Dale Berry].
1889. The village of Grand Marais, Alger County, is greatly wrought up, says a letter from Ishpeming. Supervisor Bogren and two other citizens are in jail on charges of illegal liquor selling, and Schoolmaster Hackett has left the country, a warrant for his arrest on the same charge being out. It seems that selling whiskey on the sly was recognized as a laudable pursuit, but the State law has interfered, and the underpinning of the social fabric has been knocked from under the best society of the village. [NREP-1889-0905]
1893. Manistique Railway main line finished from Camp 10 to Grand Marais [MRL]
1894. May. Some years ago Henry Gamble and W.R. Burt, of Saginaw, purchased tract of timber near Grand Marias on Lake Superior, and built a sawmill. Through Mr. Burt's influence an appropriation was secured for the removal of a sandbar at the mouth of the harbor. Burt and Gamble suspended operations there. Last year Alger, Smith & Co., who own some 300 million feet of pine timber between Seney and Grand Marias, built a railroad from Seney to Grand Marias.
It is now in operation and large quantities of long timber are being hauled over it to Grand Marias, where it will be made up into rafts and towed to the lower lakes. Alger, Smith & Co. have also purchased the old Burt and Gamble sawmill and will operate it for manufacture of short logs. This firm also purchased a dock frontage, and started a raft of 3 million feet from Grand Marias to Bay mills, where the logs will be manufactured at the Hall & Munson mill.
The Locke & Stevens sawmill at East Tawas is to be removed to Grand Marias, and the town will likely become quite a lumber manufacturing point. [SCH-1894-0524]
1895. The mail from Seney to Grand Marais is still carried by dog sledges (sic) notwithstanding the fact that the Manistique Railway has been completed to the latter place and has a train daily each way. The people are kicking and want the mail sent by train. [CCA-1895-0214]
1910. Present prospects are that the Village of Grand Marais practically will go out of existence as a result of the recent foreclosure sale of the Manistique railway to the Manistique Lumbering Co., holder of the bonds, and the decision of the latter to abandon and dismantle the property. Only a partial train service is being maintained at present, and it is stated that even this will be discontinued at the end of the month. Attempts to induce capital to take over the property have failed. Grand Marais is largely dependent upon the railroad for its supplies and for the shipment of lumber and other products, it is considered to have received its death blow. [UVC-1910-1028]
1910. All lumbering operations cease and the railroad was closed. [TTUP]
1920's. A road was put into operation from Seney to Grand Marias. After the railroad closed in 1910, the only way to reach the town without the railroad was by lake vessel. [TTUP]
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
