GLADWIN, MI
Michigan Central Depot, Gladwin, MI; January 2004
| Gladwin is about 40 miles NW of Bay City. The depot
there was built by the Michigan Central in 1912, at the west end of the Michigan
Central's Saginaw Bay and Northwestern Division.
This route was started as the Glencoe, Pinconning and Lake
Shore Railroad. In 1879 it was renamed The Pinconning Railroad Company, and
the next year renamed again as the Saginaw Bay and Northwestern. In Feb.
1883 the line was leased to the Michigan Central. The tracks were extended,
finally reaching Gladwin in 1887. |
| Gladwin's present depot was built in 1912 to replace
an earlier station that was destroyed by fire. It is quite a nice depot
considering Gladwin was at the far end of a branch line with minimal passenger
service. The design is very similar to one used a few years earlier by the
Michigan Central for its depot in
Wolverine, MI.
The arrangement of doors and windows suggests there were
separate waiting rooms for men and women, an agent's office and a small freight
room. |
Track Side Bay Window
Street Side
| By 1938 the tracks to Gladwin were freight only. A
few years earlier, in 1930 the Michigan Central was leased to the New York
Central. On January 2, 1962 NYC gave notice of intent to abandon the Gladwin
branch. Tracks were taken out in 1964.
The depot was not torn down. In July 1977 the depot was
moved from its original location to the grounds of
Gladwin County Historical Society,
where it now serves as a museum. |
Postcard View of Gladwin Depot in 1915
Restored by Bob Frei.
|