Standish, MI: 1889 Visitor Center/Michigan Central/Detroit & Mackinac Depot and Caboose

Depot: (Satellite)

Elevator: (Satellite)

Caboose: (Satellite)

Thumbwind posted

Michigan Central Depot Standish Michigan 

A crowd gathers outside the Michigan Central Railroad depot in Standish in this c. 1930s view, with the stone station labeled “Standish” and multiple tracks running past the platform.

The building itself is older than the photo. Histories of the site say the current fieldstone depot was built in 1889 after an earlier wooden depot wore out, with local farmers supplying stones for the walls. Passenger service eventually faded, and the depot later found new life as a community landmark and visitor stop.

Look closely at the people on the platform — this is what “train time” looked like in a small Michigan town.

What do you know or remember about riding the train through Standish, or the depot’s later uses?

Read more and View Video at https://thumbwind.com/.../history-of-standish.../mc-depot/

I include the grain elevator on the left and a caboose on the right.

Street View, Aug 2025

Thumbwind, I just looked at the photos.
A horseless carriage
[I thought the caption was wrong because that is not an automobile. Then it sunk in that it is horseless because it is being pulled by a cow.]

Amoura Bayha posted
Standish Michigan railroad 1940's
Larry W Harrell shared

They have a passenger car as well as a caboose next to the depot.

Street View, Aug 2025

In this view of the grain elevator, I included the mural. Note the gravity wagon by the elevator. They are also becoming historic.

Street View, Dec 2023

It looks like the farmer is getting grain, instead of sending it to market. And there is a second wagon waiting to be loaded.

Street View, Dec 2023

Actually, there are two passenger cars on display.

Emily Lilly-lacca, Jun 2023

Avid Railroader, Jun 2019

A good view of the bay window for  the agent's desk.

Nadia El Anani (bisbis53), Jun 2019

They have kept some of the waiting room bench seats.

N W, Aug 2018

I don't know where they store this fire truck, but I've seen it brought out of storage to pose in several photos.

Lisa Mac, Jul 2023

Chesaning, MI: Lost/MC Depot and Grain Elevator

Depot: (Satellite, according to the photos below, it was close to the curve in the tracks. I did not drop a pin because I could not find it in the aerial photo below.)

Elevator: (Satellite)

Thumbwind posted

History of Chesaning Michigan - Big Rock Beginnings

Chesaning grew along the Shiawassee with mills, farms, rail service, and Main Street parades. See how a Chippewa place-name and early industry shaped a Michigan river town between 1900 and 1930.

https://thumbwind.com/.../history-of-chesaning-michigan/...

Larry W Harrell shared

Chesaning.

thumbwind

thumbwind

thumbwind

The photos imply that the depot was south of Broad Street. So that rules out the obvious rectangle, which is now part of a parking lot. Was the depot removed before this 1954 aerial?

May 1, 1954 @ 23,600; AR1VDI000050151

The town still has a grain elevator, and the 2005 SPV Map indicates the tracks were owned by Tuscola & Saginaw Bay (TSBY). But the grain elevator does not have rail service.

Street View, Jul 2024

The town had a small railyard.

1943/43 Chesaning Quad @ 62,500

The diversion dam shown in a couple of photos in thumbwind has been replaced by a fish ladder. The grey structure on the right is a "Riverboat Playland."

Street View, Jul 2024

Clarendon, MI: Lost/Michigan Central Depot and Extant Coaling Tower

Depot: (Satellite?)

Coaling Tower: (Satellite)

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum posted two photos with the comment:

Today’s featured depot is the Michigan Central station in Clarendon 🚂

Clarendon, located in Calhoun County, was first settled in the 1830s. It was originally named Cook’s Prairie before being renamed in 1840. 

Clarendon sat on the Michigan Central’s Air Line Branch and had a large concrete coaling facility. These coaling stations were typically assigned to mainline service, but for a period the Michigan Central used the Air Line between Jackson and Niles as its eastbound freight route, while westbound trains ran over the main line connecting those same cities.

The original depot no longer stands, but the coaling station still exists. It is on private property.

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum shared

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I got an aerial photo hoping to find the depot's location. I could not find it. And the coaling tower is not much more than a smudge. I included MI-60 across the top of this excerpt so that Gordon Road can be used to provide an east/west scale.

Aug 16, 1956 @ 60,000; ARA550360060499

Saginaw, MI: Michigan Sugar/Savinaw Valley Sugar

(Satellite)

Michigan Sugar Company posted

THROWBACK THURSDAY: We recently discovered this rare postcard that was distributed in the early 1900s by the Saginaw Valley Sugar Company. The image on the postcard was taken Nov. 4, 1905.

The Saginaw Valley Sugar Company factory was built in Carrollton and opened in 1902 with an original slicing capacity of 600 tons per day. It was one of six factories that merged to form Michigan Sugar Company on Aug. 20, 1906.

The Carrollton sugarbeet slicing operation remained until 2005 when it was shut down following the merger of Michigan Sugar Company and Monitor Sugar Company, which added the Bay City factory to Michigan Sugar's portfolio. The Carrollton warehouse remains in operation today as does a powdered sugar packaging line at the site.

We were very excited to find an item printed with the Saginaw Valley Sugar Company name in the archives.

The beet processing buildings were still standing in 2011.

Google Earth, Jun 2011

But some were gone that same month.

Google Earth, Jun 2011

And they were all gone by the next image.

Google Earth, Sep 2014

The railroads that went past the plant were Michigan Central and Grand Trunk Western.

1943/43 Saginaw Quad @ 62,500

River Rouge, MI: Smith's Coal Co.

(Satellite, the land was repurposed by a power plant)

Mike Delaney posted six images with the comment: "One of Michigan Central's early Ecorse, Mi. Marsh Track customers was Smith's Coal Co. Bunkering dock at the mouth of the Rouge Canal later the Rouge Short Cut canal on the Detroit River.  The coal dock consisted of 12 shutes and pockets.  Established in the early 1890's along side Smith's lumber dock and facilties.  Smith's also had bunkering docks in Bay City, Lorain, Toledo, and Detroit.  MCRR also brought in some Anthracite coal to the dock on the river level for local customers in the downriver and Detroit area as well as outgoing coal for ship bunkering.  Smiths coal dock was an official established river navigation landmark with lights and flag as a steering point in the river, a storm warning station and a water depth gage station.  Photo shown is the only known photo I have ever seen of the  shute dock itself.  United Fuel & Supply bought the dock and operated it its last years.  Dock was closed in and about 1921.    Map date is 1895."

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Dennis DeBruler commented on Mike's post
I can see why it was called the "Marsh Track."
1905 Detroit Quadrangle @ 1:62,500

Grass Lake, MI: 1887 Event Space/Michigan Central Depot and Lost Railway Museum

Depot: (Satellite)

Museum: (Satellite)

I.e. Xam posted
Grass Lake MI-Michigan Central, 1887

Mike Denja, Jul 2024

Photo, Sep 2017

GreatLakesDepot
"The 1887 restored DEPOT and the WHISTLE STOP PARK make an Ideal location for Graduations, Weddings, Receptions, Showers, Birthday Parties, Holidays, Funeral Luncheons, Special Events and other Family events, the facilities provide a unique location on the grounds of the Whistltstop Park for a grand atmosphere whatever the occasion may be."

The park has a gazebo.

Beth Craig, Nov 2020

In addition to weddings, etc. the park hosts car shows.

Erik G, Jul 2017

A block west of the depot is the Lost Railway Museum.

Street View, May 2023

Chris Campion, Sep 2019

Derby, MI: Extant/Michigan Central Depot

(Satellite)

Street View, Sep 2023

Durand Union Station-Michigan Railroad History Museum posted two photos with the comment:

Today’s featured depot is the Michigan Central Depot in Derby 🚂

Derby, located in Berrien County, was located on Michigan Central’s branch line from St. Joseph south through Gallen to South Bend, Indiana. The town was located approximately eight miles south of St. Joseph. 

This depot served as a passenger and freight station. It was also an express agency, joint with the American Railway Express Company for a period of time.

The depot closed for good in 1954. It was used as a retail space for different businesses periodically over the following decades, but it does not look to be in use now. An image of the depot was last captured on Google Maps in 2023, but it appeared in poor shape.

___________________

Sources:

Knapp, Carol. “New businesses breathe life into rural Derby”. The Herald-Palladium. 25 July 1994. www.newspapers.com/image/366328251/?match=1&terms=derby%20depot. 

“Station: Derby, MI”. Michigan Railroad History. http://www.michiganrailroads.com/.../75.../528-derby-mi. Accessed 23 September 2025. 

Photo credit in the photo and in the caption of the image.

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Google Maps doesn't know about Derby, MI. I found the depot using these two topo maps. The first one showed me the railroad. The second one showed me the Lakeshore High School and the power line that now uses the MC RoW.

1930/46 Benton Harbor Quad @ 62,500

70/73 Benton Harbor Quad @ 24,000

Chelsea, MI: 1880 Event Space/Michigan Central Depot and Jiffy Mix

Depot: (Satellite)

Jiffy Mix: (Satellite)

In addition to a bay window for the agent's desk, it has bay windows at both ends.

Charlie Chapman, Jun 2020

Mark Kemper, Apr 2021

The bay window at the end of the building makes a nice stage area or head end.

Richard Green, Oct 2024

Kristen, Sep 2020

And the space is used for much more than just weddings.

 Julia Applegate, Nov 2017

Alex Hall, Sep 2024

John Vavrek posted
Took a pic of the Chelsea depot. Picked up a case of Jiffy Mix and then went to the Uptown Coney Island, what a great day.

This explains why John mentioned getting some Jiffy Mix.

Street View, Jun 2024

Lost In Michigan posted

Those little blue and white Jiffy Mix boxes are made right here in Michigan, at that giant grain elevator in Chelsea. Their cornbread is the best and the muffins are awesome too.

If you love Michigan, I hope you will look at my LOST IN MICHIGAN books. The also make great gifts.

https://amzn.to/4l1fZuR

Mike Steele shared

This company produces some downright amazing products. We also have King Milling over on the other side of the state in Lowell MI...King Milling has been doing well these days and the railroad that serves them has been replacing a bridge and some tracks into their facility.

The one thing about Michigan I don't think many folks in other states realize is not only how much grain we ship out to the world from our farms but also how much we process into items millions of people enjoy such as JIFFY Mix...especially their cornbread.