The following is an excerpt from ‘Remembering Solon’ a community and family history of Solon Township, compiled by Carol Drzeziewicki.
It was on Jan. 7, 1887 a meeting was held at the office of the Buckley & Douglas Lbr. Co., in Manistee for the purpose of organizing a railroad known as The Manistee & Northeastern R.R. Co., standard gauge, length 75 miles, extended from Manistee to Traverse City.
The first board of directors were Edw. Buckley, Wm. Douglas, Chas Wilson, Wm. J. Law and R. C. McClure. The capital was $600,000 — 6000 shares of $100 each. Seven shareholders… Buckley & Douglas owned 95% of the stock.
The railroad was incorporated Jan. 12, 1887 and construction started that spring. It was first built to Onekama. In October 1888 it was open for freight business.
In January 1889 it was built to Bear Creek and was opened to freight and passenger traffic.
In April 1889 was built to Manistee Crossing and on to Lemon Lake, made connection with the Chicago & West Michigan R.R. (Now C&O RY) at Manistee Crossing (now Kaleva).
Time card issued April 28, 1889 showed two trains each way daily except Sunday operating between Manistee and Lemon Lake via Onekama.
In September 1889 completed to Nesson City making connection with the Toledo Ann Arbor & Lake Michigan R.R. (Now Ann Arbor & Lake Michigan R.R.) at Copemish.
In June 1890 completed to Interlochen, here again crossing the Chicago & West Michigan R.R. In October 1890 to Lake Ann. In 1891 to a point near Solon in Leelanau County.
The first passenger train from Manistee to Traverse City was on July 4,1892. Passenger station was built in Traverse City which was considered the finest north of Grand Rapids.
In1894 branch was built from Solon to Cedar City. In 1898 the Platte River to Honor branch was built, in 1900 extended to Empire Junction, where connection was made with the Empire & Southeastern R.R.
In the summer of 1902 the Cedar City branch was extended to Provemont (now Lake Leelanau). At this time it was the intention to build from Provemont to Omena. The right-of-way and depot grounds had been acquired but there was some delay in getting permission to build a bridge across the river at Provemont because of the boats operating between Leland and Fouch.
In the meantime, the Traverse City Leelanau & Manistee Railroad started building their line from Northport to Hatch’s Crossing, so the M.& N.E. plan was set aside.
The T.C. L & M. had no equipment and was operated by Grand Rapids & Indiana (now the Pennsylvania R.R.) under a lease until the winter of 1918--1919, that winter there were severe snowstorms.
It was in February or the first part of March the G.R. & I. started out from Traverse City with two locomotives behind a snowplow to open up the line in one of the cuts near Bingham. The plow left the rails. In this accident two or three train men were killed. In this G.R. & I pulled out their equipment and ceased operating the line.
In the spring of 1919 a group of businessmen and farmers who had been served by T.C.L&M., organized the Leelanau Transit Co. and purchased the T.C.L.&M. property and agreement was made with the M.& N.E. to operate the line. First train was one June 9, 1919, since that time the M.& N.E. (now C. & O. has been operating the line under lease.)
In 1910 the River Branch (known as the Grayling Branch) was completed. Here, the M.&N.E. was at its peak, owned 355 miles of track, 15 steam locomotives, two snow plows and numerous other equipment.
In 1934 the main line from Kaleva to Solon was abandoned. In 1944 the 10 miles between Cedar City and Provemont was abandoned.
In 1945 the M.&N.E. purchased the first diesel locomotive. It was used between Traverse City, Northport and Cedar City.
In 1948 two more diesel and a steam locomotives were retired. In August 1948, handling of passengers, mail and express was discontinued between Traverse City, Northport and Cedar City.
In August 1954 the I.C.C. granted authority to abandon the track between Cedar City and Hatch’s Crossing. On Oct. 14, 1955 I.C.C. granted the merger of M.& N.E. into the C&O Railway. On Nov. 30, 1955 at midnight the M.&N.E.R.R went out of existence.
This ended the existence of a small railroad which began on Jan. 7, 1887 and carried on for 60 years.
