new depot at St. Johns which turned out to be just a rumor. In November, 1868 The Clinton Republican
reported:
"The D. & M. R.R. is making arrangements to erect a new depot at the foot of Oakland street in this village.
The ground and work will be commenced in a few days. It is to be constructed of Ionia brick and will be 32 by
70 feet, one story high, with a platform and veranda extending around the entire building."
In June the following year the building was completed. In the above drawing this new depot is shown at the
end of Oakland street. This drawing is from a 1881 panoramic view of St. Johns.
water tank installed above the ceiling on the
east end of the building as at this early date
there was no city water. The end view shows
the ticket office door on the right and the
mens restroom door on the left.
house. This photo from a post card, was taken cica. 1910.
When the D.&M. arrived in St. Johns, it opened a new
era of communication with the rest of the State. The
depot was the center of this communication, with the
coming and going of passengers, the daily arrival of
mail, the telegraph, and the stages that ran north and
south from St. Johns. During the Civil War the depot
at St. Johns was the scene of men leaving and
arriving for war. In November, 1863 The Clinton
Republican said:
"About sixty conscripts and those intending to offer
themselves as substitutes, left this place on Monday
for Corunna by the 10:10 am train. All appeared as
composed as if proceeding to an ordinary business
transaction....no murmuring, dejected looks, or
malignant demonstrations. This cheerful response to
the call of the Government gave us renewed
confidence in the patriotism, intelligence and virtue of
a majority, at least, of the people of Clinton county, to
which loyalty to the Union against sympathy with
traitors has never appealed in vain."
At the end of the war the D.&M. through St. Johns had
special passenger trains west bound for the ferry at
Grand Haven with troops going home. At this time
period the D.&M. was a major east - west route
through Michigan.
Once a month the pay car arrived at St. Johns and
made the D.&M. employees happy. The Clinton
Republican reported on March 23,1882:
"All the attaches of the D., G.H.&M. pay car, from the
paymaster down to the fireman and brakeman, are
now provided with two revolvers each, while the train
is making its regular monthly runs. These precautions
are being taken in consequence of the frequency of
train robberies of late in the far west."
Watch out Jesse James!!!
In January,1880 a new service was started at the
depot for the benefit of farmers, merchants and the
was received by telegraph and posted in the depot
waiting room. A.O.Hunt, who had a drug store on the
east side of Clinton ave., erected a pole in front of his
store from which he displayed the weather indications
everyday. A white flag was clear or fair weather, blue
flag was rain or snow, white flag with black center was
cold wave, black triangular flag above other flags was
warmer weather, below other flags was colder weather.
Hunt used the weather report from the depot to place
his flags.
Another important use of the telegraph at the depot
was the reporting of fires to the St. Johns Fire
Department when other communities along the rail -
road needed assistance. The railroad was used to
transport fire equipment to these communities. The
villages of Michigan in those days were always plagued
by the threat of fire. The Clinton Republican reported
on July 8,1886:
"Last Sunday morning the shrill whistle of a freight
engine and the clatter of the fire bell created a
commotion among our citizens, and the news flew
quickly that Ovid was on fire. The freight train had
been sent after the St. Johns fire department and they
promptly responded, the run to Ovid being made in
eleven minutes, but the fire was under control when
they arrived and the engine was not taken off the
train."
This didn't always work out for the best, as in
May,1888 when the Owosso casket factory burned,
the St. Johns fire department was called, but due to
three trains having the yard plugged at St. Johns, they
were delayed for an hour and reach Owosso too late.
In the destructive fire at St. Johns Manufacturing in
1895 the railroad was used to bring over the Ionia and
Owosso fire departments for help.
few; Lansing in 1902, Durand 1903, Port Huron 1907, and numerous other projects. In July 1911, officials of the
Grand Trunk Railway Co. announced in The St. Johns News that they were going to build a new $20,000 station at
St. Johns. Atty. Stanly for the company stated that plans were on hand for a new $20,000 passenger depot, a
freight house office, and loading platform that would cost $6,335 and freight house team tracks for $3,993.
The elevators of John Parr and Charles Sprague were to be moved to the north side of the tracks of the D., G.H. &
M. Railroad Co. This land was directly east of Clinton ave and on the north side of Railroad street. On September
17, 1914 I found this news item in The St. Johns News:
IMPROVEMENTS BEING MADE
ON GRAND TRUNK DEPOT
_____________
IT IS BEING RE - PAINTED AND
LIGHTED THROUGHOUT
"The Grand Trunk Depot is being painted and fixed up this week. Electric lights are being placed on the platform
outside. These alterations and improvements will no doubt take the place of the new depot, which a few years ago,
was to have been built."
"This way of doing business is an outrage upon the people of St. Johns. For years the present depot has been an
eye sore to our citizens and unfit in every way to take care of the needs of a city of this size. Three years ago the
Grand Trunk company promised the city officials of St. Johns that they would build a new depot here in the near
future. They have made most of the elevator owners move their buildings to make room for a new structure and
the people of this city have been given every reason to believe that the company would build right away. Now to
have them come on with a gang of men and fix up that antiquated old trap, with the idea of longer continuing its
use as a station is an imposition upon the people of this city."
"To say the least they have their guts with them.
______________
back in 1869, but on March 28, 1920 the
tornado came to St. Johns and took care
of the problem. Now the Grand Trunk
people were forced into building their new
depot and freight house designed back in
1911.