Railroads
Railroads opened up the heartland and the western frontiers of the nation during the late 1800s giving birth to new communities and industries. While large cargo ships supplied the needs of the large coastal cities, railway systems did as much to the growth of inland communities.
Railways kept lumber companies in Michigan thriving by allowing them to penetrate deep into forests to harvest trees. The railways dominated heavy hauling and sustained a large passenger busines until the 1960s when the interstate roadway system was built. Railroads still represent a major player in the hauling of bulk materials over long distances.
The first commercial railway system in Bay County started in 1867. It connected Bay City and Saginaw taking a route along the east side of the Saginaw River. Before this, trains loaded with logs ran routes from the deep forests hauling logs to the mills along the river. Passenger trains soon followed and for the first time people were able to quickly travel long distances inland. Horse and buggy trips to Detroit that took a day or more to make could be accomplished by a train trip in only hours. The rapidly changing environment and the birth of mechanization must have been an amazing experience for the early pioneers that lived during this time period.
