Plat Book of Osceola County, Michigan, P.A. Myers, Consolidated Pub. Co., 1900, courtesy of UofM Digital Library.
Hersey, 1900 plat, annotated with additions from 1878 plat by A.G. Hudley.
Hersey:
The village of Hersey was once a bustling lumber town and center of civilization for much of the surrounding area, not the sleepy farm town it is today. The first settler in Osceola County, a trapper named Nathan Hersey, came in 1843. The town was named for him. The first settler in the Hersey area was lumber baron Delos A. Blodgett, arriving 1851. He settled near the where the Hersey River dumps into the Muskegon River in 1867. Blodgette became the first postmaster on May 21st, 1868. He platted the village on his farm in 1869. The railroad arrived in late 1871. Hersey was incorporated it as a village 1875 and was the county seat.
Hersey grew rapidly and in the late 1870s already had a population of 700. There were seven saw and shingle mills in the immediate area. There was also a flour mill, a public school, three churches, several stores and small businesses, four hotels, and a newspaper. Timber and lumber products were the primary products shipped. Competition, howerever, was getting tough for Hersey being the center of civilization in the area. Reed City, a few miles west, was the crossing of two railroad lines, and was fast becoming the cultural and business center. By the late 1890s, the population of Hersey was down to just over 400. There was still plenty of lumber related activity, but it was starting to wrap up as the harvest completed. By 1907, the population was down to 350 and the primary business was farm and dairy related. Surprisingly, Hersey remained the county seat until it was finally moved to the much larger Reed City.
Charles Conn collection, Folder 1, Box 5,6, Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, used with permission of Mr. Conn.
Hersey depot and crowd waiting for the eastbound train
The Railroad:
The rail line through Hersey got its start in 1860 when the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad began constructing a line between Mt. Morris and Saginaw. It was opened in January of 1862. It reached Flint in December of that year, Holly in 1864, Midland in 1867, and Averill in 1868. By the end of 1870, the line had extended to Clare and Lake. It finally reached Evert, Hersey and Reed City in 1871. By 1874, the line extended to Ludington where a cross-lake break bulk and railroad car ferry service was created.
On January 1st, 1900, the F&PM, Chicago and West Michigan, and Detroit, Grand Rapids and Western were consolidated as the Pere Marquette Railroad, becoming the largest rail line in Michigan. The PM grew to a peak of 2393 miles with lines extending into Ontario, Indiana and Ohio and elsewhere with trackage rights. In 1929, the Chesapeak & Ohio Railroad had a controlling interest in the PM and consolidated the PM into the C&O in 1947. In 1972, the C&O, Baltimore and Ohio and Western Maryland were consolidated on paper as the Chessie System, keeping their individual identities until the late 1980’s. In 1980, the Seabord Coast Line was added and the new company was known as CSX Corporation. CSX began to downsize its operations and in doing so, began to dismantle this line. In 1987, the portion of the line from Midland to Baldwin was taken out of service, and officially abandoned in 1988.
The Cache:
This cache is on the former CSX right of way near the site of the Hersey depot. The right of way is now the Pere Marquette State Trail. Trailhead parking is just east of the depot site.
Sources:
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