Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1873-08-19
Our Railroad.


letter from Hon. J. X. Lockwood to
the Bay City Chronicle, that the
article published in that paper a
few weeks ago, in regard to the
Alpena railroad, was written under
false impression. Mr.. Lockwood
informs us that the road to this city
Is the Grand Rapids, Greenville and
Alpena road, and that no other road
has at any time been thought of as
means of communication from
this place to the outside world. He
says that it is to Alpena's interest
to have road across the State,
making Alpena the terminus, as
such a road would open up an al
most inexhaustable amount of pine
land, together with very rich and
fertile portion of the State, and
would, in a short time, make AL
pena great shipping port of cas-
tern Michigan. Indeed it would
make Alpena of greater Importance
than many might suppose, as we are
now as far east as Buffalo, and a
line Of steamers across Lake Huron
and Georgian Bay, and from thence
by rail would give us many advan-
tages over hundreds of other lum-
bering communities:
81 am of the opinion that the
writer has mistaken the road men,
toned by him for the Grand Rapids,
Greenville and Alpena railroad.
The latter is the only road that l
have any connection with, OF know
anything about.
"This road is intended as a trunk
line direct from Grand Rapids to
Alpena, and traversing probably
the heaviest pine lumber region in
the State, consisting of belt of tim
bered lands, varying from thirty to
fifty miles wide, traversing nearly
the whole length of the road, GOO
miles) which is not watered by the
rivers from either side of the State,
and which must depend upon rail
roads to place either the timber or
the lands i'm an active market. Sew
eral railroads traverse this belt of
timber crosswise, but in SO doing
can only reach small and detailed
bodies of the timber, W lille this pro-
posed road scoops the whole body,
and thus brings vast region OF
timbered land directly into market,
and enhances the value of it more
than the cost of the road. OF
course the proposed road will cross,
or intercept, and be feeder for the
Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw
railroad, the Flint and Pere Mar
quette and other northern roads, at
the same time give an eastern out
let to the vast timber regions that
are now comparatively of little
value. This road is now represent
ed by Mr.. M. r. Jefferds, President,
who is now in New York attending
to the financial arrangements neces-
sary to the commencement of ac-
tive operations, and is the only rail-
road with which / have had any
connection in this State,
II have full faith in the construc-
ton of railroad on the shore line,
from Bay City or Standish to this
place, in the next future, but that
project cannot be retarded by this
movement. Both lines are neces-
sary and proper, and ought to be
built, and no doubt they will be,
and / think the building of either
line will promote and hasten the
construction of the other"
Every man who has any knowl-
edge of our lakes, is aware of the
fact that Thunder Bay is the great
est natural harbor on their shore,
and with this road in running order,
Alpena is destined to be an impor-
tant shipping harbor-far superior
to any i'm Michigan.