Station: Ford River, MI

Ford River was a station on the Chicago & Northwestern railroad in Delta County. It was located where the railroad crossed the Ford River, about 2 miles east of Narenta and 1 mile west of Pine Ridge. The railroad had a spur here.

Notes

Time Line

1900. February 19. C&NW passenger train No. 21 known as the Felch Mountain accommodation, which runs between Metropolitan and Escanaba, was wrecked in a read-end collision at Ford River switch at 6:30 Thursday night. Nine persons were killed, three are missing, five seriously and four slightly injured. The dead included the baggageman, brakeman, and passengers. The Metropolitan train had stopped at the switch to take a passenger on. Owing to heavy snow or the dense smoke from charcoal kilns, about 100 feet from the track, the rear end of the train was enveloped in smoke and prevented the crew of the incoming freight, No. 289 (Green Bay to Ishpeming) which was running on special time orders, from seeing the red lights on the rear of the accommodation. With the exception of two people, the bodies of those killed were burned in the wreck. Injured were taken to the nearby Sears Brothers' store while train crews fought desperately, assisted by the uninjured passengers, to gain control of the fire which threatened the destruction of the wreck before all the injured could be removed. The scene at the wreck was an appalling one. Scores of people from surrounding towns drove to the scene to learn if any of their friends were on board the ill-fates train.  [LAS=1900-0217][SJH-1900-0217]

Industry

• Charcoal kilns