Mackinaw City Railroad Dock
Posted by: 
Team Rumble
N 45° 46.795 W 084° 43.536
16T E 676807 N 5072110
A Michigan Historical Marker located in Mackinaw City
Waymark Code: WM9QRV
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 09/20/2010
Views: 27
Before the Mackinac Bridge opened in 1957, ships were the only means of connecting Michigan's peninsulas. During the 1870s, small sailing vessels served as ferries. Steamboats took over when the Michigan Central Railroad reached Mackinaw in 1881. The creation of the railroad car ferry system and the construction of this dock and one like it in St. Ignace enabled ferries to shuttle rail cars across the Straits of Mackinac year-round. The A-frame adjusted the height of the tracks to match the decks of the ships. Upper Peninsula copper and iron ore were the main cargo. The ice-breaking ferry CHIEF WAWATAM was unique for loading cars through the bow. It ceased operations in 1984 and the tracks were removed in 1991.
Visit Instructions:Take a photo of your GPS at the marker. We'd prefer a photo of you with your GPS, but we realize that sometimes that's just not possible or preferable.
Also include a bit about your visit to the marker.
NEW: Instructions for logging Missing Marker Visits.
If the Marker is missing, but still listed here, you must provide a photo of you at the actual item historically honored. (This should be the waymark's "default" image). Indicate in your log that you took your photo at the Historical Location instead of the marker, because the marker was missing. Please also still include a bit about your visit to the site.