Station: Aloha, MI

Aloha, in Cheboygan County, was formed as a sawmill settlement about 1903. [MPN] The Detroit & Mackinac railway came through here and established a station stop. The town, on the east side of Mullet Lake, quickly became a tourist spot, and the D&M established a beautiful but rustic depot here.

Photo info: Top, a winter view of the D&M depot here. Note the lookout tower on Mullet Lake, and the stone fireplace from the outside. The train order/block signal protrudes towards the main track at the depot. [CMUL]. 2nd photo, the D&M depot at Aloha. [Alan Loftis Collection] 3rd photo, another view of the Aloha depot. [David McNeill Collection]. 4th photo, a color postcard of the depot in the early 1900's. The depot had a look-out tower which gave views of lake sunsets and of oncoming trains. [T. J. Gaffney Collection] 5th photo, the highway entrance to Aloha with the D&M crossing in the distance at the entrance to town. 6th photo, a southbound D&M passenger train arrives at Aloha to pick up passengers. 7th photo, an old photograph of the inside of the rustic depot at Aloha. Note the stone fireplace and log construction. [Alan Loftis Collection]

Coordinates: 45.526190, -84.465361

Notes

From reader Casey Bartman: The village had a separate passenger station and freight house. The passenger station was destroyed by fire but the freight house survived. In the 1970's it was owned by the Tenny family who owned the general store in the village. The freight house was turned into a pinball arcade until it too was lost in a fire.

Some newspaper articles suggest that the D&M railroad built and owned this resort.

Time Line

1907. The D&M removed 1.1 miles of track on the back end of the Aloha Pit Track. [DMAR-1907]

1909. The D&M owned picnic grounds at Aloha. [MRC-1909]

1920. A 12-mile gravel road is being built to connect the Aloha resort with the village of LeGrande. [DFP-1920-0321]

1924. In the Matter of the Application of the Detroit & Mackinac Railway Company for Authority to Make Its Stations Aloha, Tower, Saganing, Long Lake and Lupton Non-Agency Stations. D-1955. September 15, 1924.