The Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a

land grant A land grant is a gift of real estate—land or its use privileges—made by a government or other authority as an incentive, means of enabling works, or as a reward for services to an individual, especially in return for military service. Grants ...

railroad that was built and operated briefly (1881–1886) in the

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan—also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. or Yoop—is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula b ...

of the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It was intended to help the economic development of a region of frontier timberland along the shores of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

and

Lake Superior Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. Lake Michigan–Huron has a larger combined surface area than Superior, but is normally considered tw ...

. Its successor line was the

Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A; ) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, w ...

History

The Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette (DM&M) Railroad was built in 1879–1881 by Detroit businessman James McMillan, Francis Palms, and their venture-capital partners. Unlike many U.S. railroads, the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette was built from west to east. Its main line stretched from its namesake city,

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is the county seat of Marquette County, Michigan, Marquette County and the largest city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Located on the shores of Lake Superior, Marquette is a major port known primarily for shippin ...

, to the

Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...

St. Ignace, Michigan St. Ignace ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,306 at the 2020 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city; the two are administered separat ...

. The railroad itself did not reach Detroit, but offered service thither through its part ownership of the Mackinac Transportation Company, a railroad car ferry service that shuttled railroad cars across the Straits of Mackinac to the DM&M's partner lines in

Mackinaw City, Michigan Mackinaw City ( ) is a village at the northernmost point of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, United States. Divided between Cheboygan and Emmet counties, Mackinaw City is located at the southern end of the Mackinac Bridge, which carries Inter ...

."From James W. Lydon", report on the creation of the

dated February 27, 1905. Retrieved January 13, 200

Despite being the recipient of of Upper Peninsula real estate, the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette was not a financial success. It declared bankruptcy in summer 1886, and was allowed by its creditors to continue business under the temporary name of the Mackinaw and Marquette Railroad. In the

foreclosure Foreclosure is a legal process in which a lender attempts to recover the balance of a loan from a borrower who has Default (finance), stopped making payments to the lender by forcing the sale of the asset used as the Collateral (finance), coll ...

sale October 1886, the bankrupt railroad and its assets were sold to the McMillan family for $1.05 million."Sale of the DM&M Railroad", Marquette (Mich.) 'Mining Journal', October 23, 1886. Retrieved January 13, 20

In December of the same year, the McMillan interests folded the ''Mackinaw and Marquette Railroad'' into the consolidated Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway. The former DM&M main line became a key component of the new Upper Peninsula railroad. Although the 1886 bankruptcy meant that the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad's common shareholders lost their entire investment, the reputation of company president James McMillan does not appear to have suffered thereby. In 1889 the Michigan legislature elected him to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

Today

While the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad did not survive very long, several of its owners and their friends immortalized themselves on the map of Michigan. McMillan's friend and DM&M partner John Stoughton Newberry gave his name to the future county seat of

Newberry, Michigan Newberry ( ) is a village in and the county seat of Luce County, Michigan, Luce County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village is located within McMillan Township, Luce County, Michigan, McMillan Township and is the only incorporated community ...

, and twenty-five miles to the west, the town of

Seney, Michigan Seney ( ) is an unincorporated community in Schoolcraft County in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, United States. State trunkline highway M-28 runs directly though Seney. The historic community of Seney began as a railroad stop in 1881. Soon a ...

and the later

Seney National Wildlife Refuge The Seney National Wildlife Refuge is a managed wetland in Schoolcraft County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It has an area of 95,212 acres (385 km2). It is bordered by M-28 and M-77. The nearest town of any size is Seney, Michigan. Th ...

recall the name of DM&M partner George I. Seney.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Detroit Mackinac Marquette Railroad Transportation in Marquette County, Michigan Defunct Michigan railroads Upper Peninsula of Michigan Predecessors of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway Railway companies established in 1879 Railway companies disestablished in 1886