THE GARLAND PRAIRIE LINE, AND THE MAINLINE THAT NEVER WAS
GARLAND PRAIRIE LINE, AND THE MAINLINE THAT NEVER WAS (1924-1929) COPYRIGHT; ALL RIGHTS RESERVED (5/10/22) The Saginaw and Manistee had large tracts of timber to the west, south and east of Garland Prairie. The company invested three years of planning and surveying prior to beginning of construction in 1924 (Stein, 37.) In comparison to the development of the Saginaw Southern Railroad, this was going to be the most thought-out and coordinated operation to date. The line reportedly continued until at least 1929. The S&M contracted with the Santa Fe Railroad to transport log trains from the branch lines to the mill in Williams. This was not always the best arrangement, as the Santa Fe was want of additional income by raising the rates charged to logging railroads. They held a monopoly for rail transport in the High Country. There were occasional disputes, such as new charges for providing water cars to the North Chalender Line. Things would soon boil over. The Santa Fe tempt