An Old Mill, A Small Dam, and A Railroad Depot ~ Saranac MI 48881

 Back in 1836 the Village of Waterville was platted south of what is now downtown Saranac, and a man named James Hoag built this mill in 1838 (he died in 1851, killed by a falling tree).

Today the town no longer exists but the mill still stands, a relic of times gone by.

Find it on MacArthur Road at its junction with Morrison Lake Road.

On our way to the mill (in between downtown Saranac and the mill) we spotted a small dam and a picturesque creek. Look for the guardrail where you can pull over and walk a well-worn path down to the creek.

The Grand Trunk Western Saranac Depot (138 N Bridge St) was built as a combination passenger and freight railroad station in 1906-1907.  It was one of three stations on the trunk with the Witch's Hat design (the other two were South Lyon and Corunna). These two old photos are from michiganrailroads.com/Station: Saranac, MI

Saranac has made a nice, little park on the depot property with a walk down to the Grand River.

Our last Saranac highlight is the First Roadside Table, that we visited in 2021.

Cheers to exploring old towns!

The Union Depot, 610 Western Avenue, Muskegon MI

The railroad depot opened in 1895 and the historic marker credits only architect Amos W. Rush for the design. But architect Sidney J. Osgood drew up the original plans. The project later went to Rush who simplified the original scheme. So kudos to them both because the structure is magnificent. Closed in 1971, the building was later restored and opened as a visitor center and museum by Muskegon County.

We would have loved to see the interior but the building was closed the day we were there.

A walk around the back reveals a Pere Marquette A950 caboose that was cosmetically restored by the Muskegon Railroad Historical Society. Muskegon County now owns it and placed it here in 2001.

The rear of the building needs a little upkeep.

A few famous people stopped here as the marker indicates: Nixon, as a Vice Presidential candidate, and President Truman were both at the railroad station in 1952.

Stop by next time you're in Muskegon!

Grant Water Tower, 135 S. Maple St, Grant, MI

The water tower and railroad depot were built in 1891. The tower is among the last, or the last, of the original wooden water towers in Michigan (data is unclear).

There's an old caboose situated near by and I couldn't find any information on it other than it is owned by the City of Grant.

On the other side of the tracks is the Chittenden Elevator Company.

Train service stopped in 1966 and the railroad depot was turned into a restaurant in 1979, which is still operating today. It was closed on the day of our visit so we'll make a return trip soon.

2026 Update:

It took us almost five years to get back here and the restaurant was a great disappointment. The place was filthy, including dirty napkins on the floor where we were seated. Two different servers came into the mostly empty dining room and completely ignored us. We walked out after 20 minutes of waiting. They do have fun railroad decor though. 😏

Back to our 2021 photos:

The water tower was moved from the original location 128 feet east to its current site. Made of cypress and pine, it stands as a testament to days gone by.