Under Re-Construction
Portion of Arcadia Township Map from 1903 Plat Book
Arcadia's first logging railway was probably just an eastward extension of the spur running to the planing mill.
The arrow points to the planing mill. The dashed line is the likely route east.
Caption
Box Car Engine
As Jennie Hovis implied in her
description of Arcadia's first
railroad engine, box cars could
be converted into steam engines.
This picture shows one built by
Robert Blacklock for the
Frankfort Iron Works around
1872.
-- Photo courtesy of the Benzie
Area Historical Museum
Arcadia
Arcadia Engine in the 1880's
This photo shows the engine and
log cars from Henry Starke's
narrow gauge railroad, which
was used in the 1880's primarily
for lumbering.
Caption
The Trestle Near Arcadia
About 2.5 miles east of Arcadia,
the engine in this photo is pulling
flat cars loaded with logs on
their way to the Starke sawmill.
The Starke Sawmill in Arcadia,
Michigan
The sawmill at the north end of
Lake Arcadia cut locally
harvested logs into boards and
other wood products. Note the
railway flatcar on the right.
-- Postcard Photograph. L. L.
Cook Co., Milwaukee.
The Route from Arcadia to
Malcolm
The map shows the route of the
narrow gauge railway from
Arcadia on the left to Malcolm
on the right. In the elevation
chart, note the rugged terrain
about 2/3 of the way to Malcolm.
That is the location of the
trestle.
-- John W. Martin. "Malcolm: A
Station on the Arcadia and
Betsey River Railway: Manistee
County, MI"
Starke Land & Lumber
Company Railway
This is the narrow gauge railroad
used to haul logs to the Starke
sawmill.
The Standard
Caption
Engine No. 1 in Arcadia
This photo shows the train on
the east side of Arcadia Lake just
south of the sawmill shown in
the background. The sawmill
was replaced by the Arcadia
Furniture Company's factory in
1906.
Conductor's Badge
1894 Map of Arcadia
This map shows the location of
the rails for the Arcadia & Betsey
River Railway in Arcadia. This Yshaped
layout allowed the train
to turn around. Note the pencil
drawn location of the Starke
Sawmill at the north end of Lake
Arcadia.
1914 Map of Arcadia
This is a detailed map of the
Arcadia end of the ABRR route
showing the wye. A train
entering Arcadia from the east
could head south to The Point,
stop, and then back into the
Arcadia Station in the north. This
is a portion of a series of
valuation maps showing every
foot of every piece of track along
the ABRR.
-- "Station Map: Arcadia and
Betsey River Ry." June 30, 1914.
National Archives a
Lake Arcadia shoreline, which is
also dated June 30, 1914 and
available courtesy of the
National Archives and Records
Administration.
Caption
Caption
Leaving the Station in Arcadia
This photo shows a passenger
train traveling south along the
northeast shore of Lake Arcadia.
The building behind the engine is
the roundhouse.
Caption
Engines 4 and 5 at Henry in 1939
When the A&BRR discontinued
service, these engines were
stored in Henry until they were
used for scrap metal for World
War II. -- C. T. Stoner
Photographs and Papers, Box 1,
Folder AA5R-AG, Bentley
Historical Library, University of
Michigan