July, 1887, Colonel E.W. Dodge, the attorney for the new road, had the honors.
Before the arrival of the Lowell & Hastings Railroad and the Grand Rapids, Lansing and Detroit Railroad the place was
called Richardson's Crossing. After the two railroads were in place there the name was changed to Ackers Junction.
The reporter from there, who put his news in the Lowell Journel, signed his name as "Old Foggy." He placed this report
dated January 23, 1889:
" The ground is graded for the new depot and if the weather permits we expect to hear the report of the hammer and
saw upon it this week. A good long space is left on "Jerry's" side for him to build his addition when the balmy days are
here. A disabled engine past through here last week enroute to the repair shop at Ionia. While switching during a wind
storm a car was moved, probably by the wind, so near the other track that it tore off one side of the engine, including
the piston rod and cab without injuring the parties inside. There are several vacancies at the junction. One of these may
be filled by a first class saw mill. Who is the lucky man? It is reported that this place furnishes more passengers than any
point between Grand Rapids and Grand Ledge, and yet we still have to get off on the fly. Last week they dumped a
lady with two children and a big saratoga trunk near the sink hole. Through the kindness of Mr. Lodus who helped her
out of the difficulty, she was able to take "Jerry's" train and go on her way rejoicing that all men are not like the
conductor on the G. L. & D. Railroad."
Old Foggy
The reference to "Jerry's" is Jerry Boynton, the builder of the Lowell & Hastings Railroad.
On April 24, 1889, Old Foggy writes:
"The new depot has inscribed upon it the new name of Elmdale, which is the name of the new post office here, and the
junctions first name "Acker" will soon be known only in history. The platforms in front of the depot have been extended
two hundred feet east of the same, and they who are waiting for the train may walk its full length and back again."
track for main line service between Grand Rapids and Saginaw. The diamond at Elmdale was removed and the track
to Freeport was down graded as a branch. A new connecting track was built on the north side of the depot connecting
the Grand Rapids to Lansing main with the Lowell & Hastings track going north to Lowell. A steel bridge was put in
place south of Lowell over the Grand River in 1904 to replace the wooden Howe truss built by the L. & H. in the
winter of 1890.
a drawing of the junction. At this date the railroad at Elmdale is the Pere Marquette.
"As a young boy, about once a year, probably in late summer, we would go to Elmdale and catch the train into Grand
Rapids and sometimes we would go to Greenville on the Saginaw line as my grandparents lived there. One time I can
remember my dad and I went by train to Greenville and it was dark when we arrived. We must have walked about six
blocks from the depot to my grandparents home. I was afraid but dad showed me my grandpa sitting in the living
room. We could see him through the window, then I wasn't afraid, I was ok."
"When I was 13 [1926] my folks took me to Elmdale and I rode the train to Greenville by myself, and I thought I was
something. I can remember looking through the ticket window to where the big levers were that switched the rails
from the mainline to the Saginaw division. The ticket agent stood on a low platform to work the levers. They were that
tall. The switch and frog must have been 6 or 8 hundred feet west of the depot. There must have been a cam in the
line to boost the power to move the rails. I know at the least little bit of snow somebody had to sweep the switch
maybe all night. Ray Heaven was on the section crew and he got called out in the middle of the night to sweep."
"We lived about five miles east and south of Elmdale and on the night of November 11, 1927 [Armistice Day] the sky
in the northwest was all aglow and about that time Mrs. Norcutt at central called and said the depot at Elmdale was
burning. The Pere Marquette built a small depot afterwards, but I never went by train from there again, as my folks
had a car by then."
"Elmdale at one time had an elevator, 2 stores, a hotel, sawmill, and one church. The church is the only thing left."
Richard Heaven
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Saginaw Division. I wonder if the crash that happened one Wednesday evening in November of 1904 was caused by
the switch not being thrown back to the main line from the depot. Train No.34, east bound for Saginaw, was standing
on the Saginaw Division track waiting for passengers from train No.6 going east to Detroit. At about 6:00 P.M. No.6
ran through an open switch and crashed into the rear of No.34. In those days passenger coaches were constructed
from wood and the parlor car on the rear of No.34 was literally split in two. Two persons were killed out right and 15
others were badly injured, two of which died later.
The reporter from the Belding Banner interviewed Mr. Howard the next day and this is his account of the accident:
"Dr. Pinkham and myself were seated in the front end of the smoking car when the crash came. We found ourselves in
the isle before we knew how we got there, the jolt of the collision having thrown us there, we rushed out of the front
end of the car which had been left in darkness by the force of the collision and soon realized the fearfulness of the
situation. The doctor and myself got into the car and began to assist the injured, we found two men sitting on top of the
boiler, one dead and the other dying. I broke into a tool box and handed the tools to a brakeman and then assisted
him in breaking out the windows in the car to allow the passengers to escape. Several of these people began tearing
down the fence to get material to build a fire as everything was darkness. One poor fellow was pinned in the wreck
and it took an hour to release him, he was conscious all the time but never let a peep out of him while the rescuers
were trying to dislodge him. Some of the injured were passed out through the windows and some had to be carried
through the door."
The relief train didn't arrive until 8:15 P.M.
This news came from the Belding Banner Thursday, November 17, 1904.
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5106 is picking up some cars from CSX. They will then
head north towards Lowell.
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