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MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian Iron Mountain’s new Chicago & Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot, located on the west side of the 300 block of South Stephenson Avenue, was opened to the public Sunday, December 22, 1889. The smaller building to the south of the depot was the original depot which was remodeled to serve as a freight house. A flagman’s house at the Hughitt Street crossing is in the foreground and a similar building toward the center of the photograph served as a shelter for policemen. Further down the street on the same side is the original sandstone building which housed the Cornish pumping engine. This tall structure with a smokestack behind it was built in the fall of 1890, and was razed in June 1899, thus helping to date the photograph to sometime between 1900 and 1910. The sandstone water tank with its cast iron dome can be seen on the horizon and at the extreme left is a corner of the Fisher Block which originally housed the Commercial Bank, built in 1891. [Catherine (Cudlip) Bonner] 1 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian The Chicago & Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot, located on the west side of the 300 block of South Stephenson Avenue [310 South Stephenson Avenue] had a long, covered boarding platform. Notice the Montgomery Block, built in 1887, across the street and the Nelson, Morris Company building at the far right, a wholesale meat warehouse located at 109 East Hughitt Street. When the new depot opened on December 26, 1889, the old depot was remodeled to be used as a freight house. The roof of this freight house is visible at the southern end of the loading platform at the far right. On the Chicago & Northwestern, a passenger could reach Chicago from Iron Mountain in twelve hours. Six passenger trains arrived and departed daily in the early 1890s in Iron Mountain. In addition, three freight trains reached the city daily. Ore trains were not included in this schedule. This photograph probably dates between 1900 and 1910. [Menominee Range Historical Museum] [NOTE: Dates, placed chronologically, are website, is titled “Downtown Iron Mountain highlighted in boldface red letters for easier – 300-332 South Stephenson Avenue.” reading, and names of individuals and There were no businesses noted on the places are highlighted in boldface black west side of the 300 block of South letters to facilitate finding information.] Stephenson Avenue in the city directories for 1892-1894, 1902-1903, 1913, 1925, The 49th installment of Menominee 1935, 1939 and 1941-1942, except for the Range Memories, a series of articles by Chicago & Northwestern Depot, located William J. Cummings, Menominee Range at 332 South Stephenson Avenue (1913 Historical Foundation historian, now directory), and later 320 South available on the Dickinson County Library’s Stephenson Avenue (1939 and 1941-1942 directories). 2 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian This engraving of the newly-constructed Chicago & Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot appeared in Walter R. Nursey’s book The Menominee Iron Range, published in 1891 which was designed to promote further settlement and development of the area. An article appearing in The Florence passengers on board the train. Once in Mining News noted that the Chicago & awhile they get an invigorating whiff from a Northwestern Depot in Iron Mountain petroleum tank car standing on the side- was more like a pigpen than a depot in track that braces them up wonderfully. No 1885. The editor of an Iron Mountain more frightful calamity could ever happen to newspaper stated that the analogy was a mortal than to be found dead around that literally true, as pigs were wallowing in the depot! mud under the depot. The article stated: Another article, appearing in the April The stench that arises some days is 25, 1889 issue of The Menominee Range enough to knock the baggage truck off the read: platform. The reason that no one falls off THAT miserable little tinder box dignified the platform in front of the in-coming train is with the title of the C. & N.W. depot must because they become so paralyzed by the go. It is a wonder to us how it is that an horrible smell that they stagger up on the enterprising concern like the company side of the depot and the conductor and could think of maintaining such an brakeman have to rush out and drag the unsightly, incommodious, and discreditable 3 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian hovel as its depot in a city like Iron of the building, where a hardwood floor is Mountain. Is there no positive danger of being laid, and where such counters, desk, the people arguing, “as the depot, so the etc. will be placed as may be required for company”? the ready dispatch of business. On December 22, 1889, the new station This relatively small building holds a house for the Chicago & Northwestern wealth of architectural detail – for example, Railroad Company was opened in Iron notice the different patterns in the wall Mountain. An article appearing in The cladding, the tiny round-top windows on the Menominee Range stated: gable ends of the roof, the shaped rafters The new C. & N.W. depot was opened and the chamfered roof ridge. to the public last Sunday, and now that it is On the Chicago & Northwestern, a entirely complete, its beauty, neatness and passenger could reach Chicago from Iron convenience makes it all the more striking Mountain in twelve hours. Six passenger in comparison with the dingy old shanty that trains arrived and departed daily in the early has served as a depot so long. The old 1890s in Iron Mountain. In addition, three depot is being remodeled and fitted up into freight trains reached the city daily. Ore a convenient and commodious freight trains are not included in this schedule. house. The office will be in the south end Postmarked Iron Mountain, September 14, 1909, this real photo postcard view shows south and east sides of both the freight depot and the passenger depot of the Chicago & Northwestern Railway, located on the west side of the 300 block of South Stephenson Avenue. The smaller building to the south of the depot was the original depot which was remodeled to serve as a freight house. Tommy Perkins pushed the two-wheeled cart used to dispose of horse manure. Note the older couple at the far left, the passenger train on the tracks in the background, several wagons parked near the depot and two dogs in the right foreground. [William J. Cummings] 4 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian This postcard view, postmarked in Iron Mountain on July 20, 1906, shows Iron Mountain’s Chicago & North-Western Railway Passenger Depot, located on the west side of the 300 block of South Stephenson Avenue, and the northern part of the east side of the 300 block of South Stephenson Avenue. The black-and-white halftone photograph was printed on light green paper stock, and the sender had added some annotations regarding the location of the First National Bank and the route the train took from the depot to Spread Eagle, Wisconsin. [William J. Cummings] During the early post-World War II passenger service between Chicago and period the Chicago & Northwestern Minneapolis – 400 miles in 400 minutes. Railway was in the process of phasing out The Chicago & Northwestern Railway railroad passenger service to Iron sought approval from the Interstate Mountain. By 1949 the Chicago & Commerce Commission to drop “The Northwestern Railway’s Iron Mountain Scooter” in August 1949. A hearing held in passenger service was reduced to a single Iron Mountain on October 12 before John daily round trip on a train known as “The H. McCarthy, chairman of the Michigan Scooter” that ran from Iron River to Public Service Commission, discussed Escanaba via Iron Mountain and Powers, the Chicago & Northwestern Railway’s providing a connection with the Company’s application to discontinue “The Scooter” “Peninsula 400” on the Chicago to which was the feeder line running from Iron Ishpeming line. River to Escanaba via Powers. The move The “400” series of trains on the various was vigorously opposed by the Chicago & Northwestern Railway lines were communities on the line and by railroad named for the line’s initial high-speed unions. 5 MENOMINEE RANGE MEMORIES 49: DOWNTOWN IRON MOUNTAIN – 300-332 SOUTH STEPHENSON AVENUE By William J. Cummings, Menominee Range Historical Foundation Historian Four elephants paraded past the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Passenger Depot as Iron Mountain residents gathered to watch the procession down South Stephenson Avenue in about 1907. Note the parasols held by the ladies in the crowd to avoid the sun. The sandstone water reservoir with its iron dome is visible at the far right on the horizon. [Menominee Range Historical Museum] “The Scooter” connected with the “400” expressed, according to an article in the at Powers. The Railway claimed “The October 13, 1949 edition of The Iron Scooter” was not extensively used and was Mountain News. not a “paying proposition.” In late October the Interstate An imposing battery of attorneys Commerce Commission ordered “The represented the communities served by Scooter” service curtailed because of a coal “The Scooter”, declaring that “The Scooter” strike.

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