Muskegon Abandonment

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Ben Higdon
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

Unread post by Ben Higdon »

The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
Makes sense that there was a slip there given the profile of the wall there in the channel.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
Here use my pic I posted earlier
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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MQT1223 wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 4:12 pm
Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
Makes sense given how the wall is angled there.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

Unread post by J T »

Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
Makes sense that there was a slip there given the profile of the wall there in the channel and how the wall is angled there.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
After looking at it on Google Maps, I agree that it makes sense that there was a slip there, based on how the wall is angled.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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SD80MAC wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 9:13 am
Ben Higdon wrote:
Thu Jun 23, 2022 11:41 am
The line originally ended at the car ferry slip, which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
After looking at it on Google Maps, I agree that it makes sense that there was a slip there, based on how the wall is angled.
Most definitely the angle tells me that there must’ve been a car ferry slip there. You don’t even need to look at the above picture of the Pere Marquette car ferry at the Muskegon channel slip that was taken in 1905 that I posted.
Last edited by GRHC on Mon Jun 27, 2022 12:03 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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So we can all agree that there was a ferry slip there based on the profile of the wall there and how the wall is angled there?
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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J T wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:17 pm
So we can all agree that there was a ferry slip there based on the profile of the wall there and how the wall is angled there?
I think we can all agree the car ferry slip was there and that's why the wall is angled the way it is. What I am wondering though is if there was a small yard or siding there to service the car ferry, or we the cars pushed all the way up the branch to get to the ferry operation so the power would be on the non-ferry end of the train. One other possibility would have been a two locomotive system, with one pulling the train up the branch, cutting off the train onto a short siding and a second then pushing the cars onto the ferry.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

Unread post by Jetlink »

So I was at the area being discussed a few years ago and saw the angle of the wall, I thought to myself, self, the angle of this wall leads me to believe there was once a ferry slip here; and the angle projects towards a now abandoned rail spur.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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J T wrote:
Fri Jun 24, 2022 5:17 pm
So we can all agree that there was a ferry slip there based on the profile of the wall there and how the wall is angled there?
Idk man. I think I’d need to see some photographic evidence personally.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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George Hilton's "The Great Lakes Car Ferries" notes that carferries first ran from Muskegon to Milwaukee from 1897 to 1908. Operated by the Detroit Grand Rapids & Western, then the PM. By the end, it was only used in summer months, especially for shipments of Michigan fruit to Milwaukee.

After that, there was no RR ferry service in Muskegon until the GTW moved operations from Grand Haven.

Part of Sanborn 1911 key map, unfortunately no detailed map given for that area.
muskegon.png
How it looked in 1953. It appears much of that south channel wall was realigned after ferry service ended.
Muskegon 1953.png

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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Steve B wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 4:21 pm
How it looked in 1953. It appears much of that south channel wall was realigned after ferry service ended.
How DARE you question the fact that the angle of the contemporary walls definitely confirms that there was once a ferry slip there!
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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So I do believe we’re all in agreement that it makes sense that there was a slip there given the profile of the wall there in the channel and how the wall is angled there. We can also all agree that the book by George Hilton The Great Lakes car ferries is indeed factual based on the fact that the profile of the wall there in the channel and how the wall is angled there shows there was once a car ferry slip there which is where the USS Silversides is currently moored.
Last edited by GRHC on Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

Unread post by ~Z~ »

Enough about the angle of the dangle being inversely proportional to the heat of the beat, or these two guys will lock this thread. Feel free to answer chapmaja's question.

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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There was a three track yard (3 passing tracks) and there were two sets of tracks to two different car ferry slips.

I found a detailed 1900 map on the Historic Map Works website.
I don’t know how to post links so I can’t do that but it was listed as the Muskegon city west end item #US20877

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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chapmaja wrote:
Wed Jun 22, 2022 12:06 am
How far did this track used to go. I know it went beyond the paper mill that closed and was torn down, but how far beyond that did it go. It appears to cross Lakershore and Cottage Grove intersection and maybe run behind the business on Lakeshore.
The NOAA Nautical chart from 1902 shows the slip, labeled as a “Carferry Slip” and a small yard to the west of the slip.

The chart can be found at this link https://historicalcharts.noaa.gov/
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

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~Z~ wrote:
Sat Jun 25, 2022 7:21 pm
Enough about the angle of the dangle being proportionate to the heat of the beat, or these two guys will lock this thread. Feel free to answer chapmaja's question.

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My phone was acting up on my end at one point and it was froze on the "post a reply" screen. I later went back and posted again. Only now am I realizing that I accidentally posted duplicate threads, so that part is my fault.

I would delete my duplicate comment but it doesn't appear I can, or I don't know how. I'd appreciate if you'd remove the rest of the unnecessary comments afterwards since I guess no one has anything else better to do but act childish.
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Re: Muskegon Abandonment

Unread post by AARR »

I missed it too. It is taken care of.
MQT1223 wrote:
Sun Jun 26, 2022 9:49 pm
My phone was acting up on my end at one point and it was froze on the "post a reply" screen. I later went back and posted again. Only now am I realizing that I accidentally posted duplicate threads, so that part is my fault.

I would delete my duplicate comment but it doesn't appear I can, or I don't know how. I'd appreciate if you'd remove the rest of the unnecessary comments afterwards since I guess no one has anything else better to do but act childish.
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