History of Ottawa County, Michigan with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers.

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HISTORY OF OTTAWA COUNTY.

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tion. The great trails were down the river, along the lake beach,
and along the valley of the Black from Grandville.
But the white settler changed all this; he immediately set to
work to straighten and shorten the highways. In 1836 —7 the road
from Grandville to Bronson village (Kalamazoo) was laid out, and
also one from Grandville to Black River.
The Port Sheldon and the Muskegon roads to Grand Rapids
were laid out' in 1839, but little was done to make them fit for
travel until 1854.
Between Grand Haven and Spring Lake the bridge is still in
the hands of a company, who charge toll even to foot passengers.
The roads in the county are, owing to the nature of the soil,
which is either sandy or sandy loam, in most instances in a
good condition.
The first railway in Ottawa County was that now known as the
Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee, built in 1857 —8, and which
extends from Detroit to Grand Haven across the Lower Peninsula,
connected by a line of first-class steamers of the Goodrich Transportation Company with Milwaukee, thus forming one of the quickest
routes to the Northwest. The road is 189 miles in length, is prosperous and under excellent management. It was the beginning of
an era of railway progress when the first train entered Grand Rapids
on July 10, 1858, and Grand Haven the same year.
This road enters the county from Grand Rappids in a westerly
course, crossing Wright, in which is Berlin Station; then across Polkton, in which is Cooperville Station, into Crockery with Nunica Station; thence through Spring Lake and Ferrysburg to Grand Haven.
The history of the railroads of Muskegon and Ottawa Counties
is but another evidence of the tendency of the age towards the consolidation of smaller concerns into a huge and powerful consolidated
company-the Moses' rod plan of swallowing up the weaker. We
are indebted for many of the following particulars to Mr. F. A.
Nims, of Muskegon, who aided in bringing about the present combination of clashing interests, uniting them into one harmonious
whole, more profitable to the stockholders and affording the people
better service.
The year 1868 saw the first railway in operation, the Muskegon
& Ferrysburg, a distance of about fifteen miles; with L. G. Mason,
President; F. A. Nims, Secretary and Attorney, and Major Davis,
S. R. Sanford, A. Rodgers and others as Directors.
In 1869 the Muskegon & Ferrysburg road consolidated with
the road from Grand Haven to Allegan, under the name of the
Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, with the late Ransom Gardner, of
Kalamazoo, as President; A. J. Kellogg, of Allegan, as Secretary
and Treasurer, and George Goss-, of Allegan, as Superintendent.
The firm of Goss, Warner & Co. had built the Allegan portion, and
W. F. Thompson, of Detroit, the road from Ferrysburg, which
were subsequently sold under foreclosure of mortgage, being bid in
by the bondholders, and reorganized as the Grand Haven Railroad,
the original stockholders getting nothing. James W. Converse, of
Boston became President; C. C. Converse, Secretary, and Fred H.
May, Manager. In 1881 the control of the stock passed into the
hands of those interested in the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad,
and the Grand Haven and other lines were consolidated with the Chicago & West Michigan. The four consolidated companies are now
known as the Chicago & West Michigan Railway Company, which
includes the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad Company and

others. The only change of name being the use of "railway" instead
of "railroad." The four consolidated companies are: 1. The old Chicago & West Michigan Railroad; 2. Grand Haven Railroad; 3.
Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore; 4. Indiana & Michigan
Railroad.
The officers for 1881 are Nathaniel Thayer, Jr., of Boston,

President; Charles Merriam, of Boston, Secretary and Treasurer;
G. C. Kimball, of Grand Rapids, General Manager, and F. A.
Nims, of Muskegon, Attorney. It has now four hundred miles
built and in operation, and one hundred miles building. The
organization extends from Manistee in the north to Battle Creek in
the southeast, and to Lacrosse, Indiana, in the south.
The Chicago & West Michigan Railroad originated in a company formed to build from New Buffalo to St. Joseph. In April,
1869, an organization on paper was formed, with Hon. A. H. Morrison, of St. Joseph, as the leading spirit. In June, 1869, the
Lake Shore Railroad of West Michigan was formed to build a road
from St. Joseph to Muskegon, and in the following month both
companies consolidated, and took the name of the first company.
The officers were virtually the same, and both were organized by
Mr. Morrison, and he built the road from New Buffalo to Nunica. +
Prior to this a company had been formed in Grand Rapids in
February, 1869, called the Grand Rapids & Lake Shore Railroad,
to run from Grand Rapids to Pentwater by way of. Muskegon. In
August, 1870, this company was consolidated with the Chicago &
Michigan Lake Shore Railroad, taking the name of the latter, and
during 1870 Martin L. Sweet, of Grand Rapids, built the road from
Nunica to Montague.
In 1870 another corporation named the Grand Rapids & Holland Railroad was projected, with F. Godfrey, of Grand Rapids,
as President, and also Geo. H. White as one of the promoter:.
The road was built in 1870. At this time James F. Joy was President of the Chicago, Michigan & Lake Shore, and was advancing
money in his official capacity as president to build these lines as
feeders to his own line.
In 1871 still another line was projected as the Montague, Pentwater & Manistee Railroad, with Samuel A. Brown, of Pentwater,
as President; and this road was built by Thompson, Smith & Co.,
of Detroit, under a contract from Joy as president of the Chicago &
Michigan Lake Shore Railroad. In the fall of 1871 the Montague,
Pentwater & Manistee Railroad was completed, and, along with the
Grand Rapids and Hollafd line, was consolidated with the Chicago
& Michigan Lake Shore Railroad.
In December, 1871, there was organized in Muskegon a line
to run from Muskegon to Big Rapids, known as the Muskegon
and Big Rapids Railroad Company, which line is now the Big
Rapids branch of the Chicago & West Michigan, with L. G. Mason
President; A. Rodgers, Treasurer, and F. A. Nims, Secretary and
Attorney. This road was built in the fall and winter of 1872, by
Thompson, Smith & Co., of Detroit, under a contract with Joy
similar to the other contracts for building the lines. Prior to the
completion of the road it was consolidated with Joy's roads.
For the construction of these roads and branches mortgages
had been given, and on November 11th, 1876, a bill was filed in the
United States Court to foreclose these, and Geo. C. Kimball, of
Grand Rapids was appointed Receiver for the entire property, he
having acted for two years previous as General Manager.
At the sale of these roads they were bid in for the bondholders
by Charles Francis Adams, Jr., of Boston, who reorganized them
and named the consolidation the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad Company.
The Grand Rapids, Newaygo & Lake Shore Company was
organized to build a road from Grand Rapids to Manistee. The

road was built to White Cloud by Chester Warner & Co. James W.
Converse, of Boston, and his friends took the bonds, furnished the
money and obtained control of the stock. Early in 1881 he parted
with the control of this stock and that of the Grand Haven Railroad to the leading stockholders of the Chicago & West Michigan
Railroad, passing over at the same time the control of the Muske

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