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Station: Strongs, MI
Strong's siding was located in Chippewa County on the DSS&A's Soo Branch, 11 miles east of Soo Junction. It was originally a logging siding. In 1899 a shingle mill was established here. [MPN]
Image info: An early view of the depot at Strongs (at left with train order signal). [CMUL]
Notes
A branch left the Soo Branch here and was operated by the Michigan forest Products/Cadillac-soo Lumber Company. That logging branch went northwest leaving the Soo branch just west of Salt Point Road. The Turner sawmill was located on a short spur off this logging branch. A mobile home currently (2004) occupies the approximate site of the switch to the branch. Logging locomotives were stored on this branch adjacent to the junction after the company abandoned its logging railroad and shifted completely to logging trucks in 1935/1936. They were cut up and sold for scrap. One of it's Shay locomotives was donated to the City of Cadillac. It is on static display in a park just west of downtown Cadillac and east of the railroad tracks. [MIRX8]
Strongs has a wye that went southeast toward the "Red" sawmill after the spur was abandoned. (The south terminal lead of the wye continued south as a logging railroad branch. [MIRX8]
Time Line
1918: The DSS&A had an agent/operator during the day at this location. [TRT]
Bibliography
The following sources are utilized in this website. [SOURCE-YEAR-MMDD-PG]:
- [AAB| = All Aboard!, by Willis Dunbar, Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids ©1969.
- [AAN] = Alpena Argus newspaper.
- [AARQJ] = American Association of Railroads Quiz Jr. pamphlet. © 1956
- [AATHA] = Ann Arbor Railroad Technical and Historical Association newsletter "The Double A"
- [AB] = Information provided at Michigan History Conference from Andrew Bailey, Port Huron, MI