Walton (also known as Walton Junction) is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in the northwestern

Lower Peninsula of Michigan The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the ...

. It is located mainly in Fife Lake Township, Grand Traverse County,

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

, although it is partially located in Liberty Township, Wexford County,

. US 131 and M-113 run through the town.

Railroads

Walton gained significance in its early days as a junction point on the

Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854. Beginnings After grappl ...

and

Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad The Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad Railway Equipment and Publication CompanyThe Official Railway Equipment Register June 1917, p. 579 was a short, standard-gauge line in the U.S. state of Michigan. Organized in 1887, it served several counti ...

, later to become the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

. These railways were obliterated in later years. The

Traverse City Railroad The Traverse City Railroad was the owner of a branch railroad from Walton Junction, Michigan, to Traverse City. The line was built in 1872, and connected with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway, to which it was sold in 1917. References D ...

was constructed in 1872, and allowed for easy travel from southern Michigan to the Traverse City area. Today, these railroads are still in service, and a passenger railroad has become of greater interest. The railroad yard of Walton Junction is mentioned in Ernest Hemingway's short story, “The Battler.”

Geography

Walton is a community situated right in the Traverse City State Forest. It is on the line between Grand Traverse County and Wexford County. The town also sits on Walton Marsh.

Nearby communities

The closest communities to Walton are Fife Lake at northeast, Manton at south,

Kingsley Kingsley may refer to: People * Kingsley (given name) * Kingsley (surname) Places Australia * Kingsley, Western Australia Canada * Rural Municipality of Kingsley No. 124, Saskatchewan England * Kingsley, Cheshire * Kingsley, Hampshire *Kingsley ...

at northwest. The town itself is about halfway between

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

and

Cadillac The Cadillac Motor Car Division () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM) that designs and builds luxury vehicles. Its major markets are the United States, Canada, and China. Cadillac models are distributed i ...

Major highways

* *

References

{{Wexford County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Wexford County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan

Railroads

Geography

Nearby communities

Major highways

See also

References