Garland Prairie Branch Line; field research along the line

 Garland Prairie Branch Line: field research along the line

(This Blog was originally written as a book, which was never published. The author decided to use this format as a means to provide the information to the public as quickly as possible. And, quite frankly, railroad related books are just  not as popular as they once were. In order to appreciate the Blog, it is recommended to read the first posting. This includes the introduction and credits to those whom I owe a great deal of gratitude. Hopefully, this Blog will help to quench your thirst for local history, and enhance your next planned vacation)

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. After much speculation, and researching an alternative mainline, the Saginaw and Manistee continued with past practice and contracted with the Santa Fe Railroad to transport log trains from the branch line to the mill in Williams (a more in-depth history on the proposed line can be found in prior postings.)

The Y at the Santa Fe connection

At the northwest corner of the prairie, the line connected with the Santa Fe Railroad.. A siding and wye were installed to turn S&M engines back to the forest.  From the connection with the Santa Fe, the line headed south, skirting the western edge of the prairie. Passing just east of Scholz Lake ( where the remains of a short rock fill grade can still be seen today), the line continued south, paralleling the creek bed. Just past FR13, the roadbed forks in two directions: one due East past the Dow Springs area; the second due West, across the creek and continuing on FR13.

               POWER LINE TANK AREA

The west spur crosses the creek  paralleling FR13 (several rock fill trestles are along this section).  At FR2130 the line curves southeast, eventually reaching Power Line Tank .  From this central point, a number of spurs fan out into the landscape.

The area is popular with weekend campers, most of whom do not understand 

the historical nature of the site. Besides the main grade that enters the area, there are the

 remains of at least three spurs into the woods. 

FR 565 (560?), looking towards the Tank.  

Near the Tank is a logging camp area, covering a number of acres. Apparently, they spread out the camp into several nearby locations, each likely specializing in certain activities. This area appears to be where they cut fire wood. As time goes by, more of the artifacts end up in the fire pits of modern campers. The grade is reasonably defined near the access road. Remember, this is a protected site. 

,  A line of stone piles are interspersed across the open meadow. At first, the reason for their existence puzzled me. After further investigation, I began to realize that these are the remains where telephone poles existed. This gives credence to my theory that the camps were connected by telephone to the main mill, providing coordination of the remote operations. Near the tank, you can still make out the foundations where portable cabins were located.

One spur curves to the North, another to the East, and a third (and possibly a fourth) curve to the South.

One thing that can be seen are logs left over from the operation. Although generally efficient, they did leave behind stacks of logs, or individual pieces that rolled off the log cars. This phenomena can be seen throughout the forest, wherever the spurs meandered.  

   

Just a short walk further at the end of the South spur, you come to a ledge overlooking the Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Area. Caution must be taken along the ledge, as the rocks can be very unstable. If you fall, the distance to the bottom is several hundred feet. It is a remote area.

. GARLAND PRAIRIE/SOUTH CHALENDER CONNECTION

One such spur is significant, as it turns west to connect with one of the old South Chalender grades (see South Chalender chapter.) Pat Stein speculated that such a connection existed, and I decided to take up the challenge and find the elusive spur. The West spur line, that splits from the main Garland Prairie branch line, follows FR13, until reaching FR21. It then follows FR 21 south. The spur splits near the junction with FR2130, with the connecting spur continuing South, while the other spur heads East, eventually reaching Power Line Tank. 

Traces of the grade can still be seen, yet in some places the skills of a mountain man are needed to follow the faint signs.

 

A wilderness hiking trail overlaps part of the grade. My maps indicate it is TR113. I found that the faint traces of the railroad grade were easier to follow than the trail. You need good tracking skills to follow this old trail, and it is highly recommended that the Forest Service re-mark the trail. You can easily get lost, and stray into the wilderness area.

The grade curves to the West

This spur connection curves then crosses FR13, heading West ( which can be seen along the north side of the road, running along the ridgeline.) Here can be found substantial roadbed and rockfill trestles, and a short spur into the woods. There a several short spurs along the grade, indicating these were used as loadout points for the steam powered loaders. Substantial-sized ties lie along the line, indicating they are from a latter time period than the original 1890s grade. The Thousand-Year storm caused significant damage to the remains, casting ties down the slope and washing out sections of the grade. 

    My theory is that the Saginaw reconnected with the old roadbed, then followed Rosilda Spring Canyon. This gave them access to vast timber reserves left untouched by the earlier 1890s grades. 

DOW SPRINGS TRAIL

Dow Springs Trail parking area highlighted in blue

 The East spur, after crossing a short rock fill trestle, continues east, passing the now-existing Dow Spring Trailhead parking area, located on FR131. A section of the ties and roadbed can be seen from the parking area. A trail takes the visitor west to a portable sawmill site, and eventually connects with the forest road across the creek. Stay on the trail, the area is rocky and you can get lost.  

             REMAINS OF PORTABLE MILL SITE

According to the Forest Service sign, the mill cut ties for the mainline railroad. This area appears to be where they cut to length the rough ties from the mill. The lumber would be laid across the bents, which formed a crude but simple benchlike platform. 

Rustic remains of a cabin, located along the trail. There are a number of debris fields where cabins once stood, whether they be sturdy log construction or portable logging structures. Whatever you may see look but don't disturb, appreciate but leave in their natural state.

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    As the main branch line continues East, it begins to split into numerous spurs, one of which curves North, bordering  the east side of the Prairie. Another spur heads southeast, entering the Railroad Spring area. This again splits, one spur heading due East, the other turning South, passing the Spring, eventually heading towards Grey Spring and points beyond. 

RAILROAD SPRING/TANK  AREA

The S&M used specialized camps on the line. Besides the headquarters camp, remote camps were located near Gray Spring, on the northeast spur, and at Powerline Tank. Not only did this plan shorten the distance to the worksites, it also reduced the demand for water at one location, thus enhancing sanitary conditions. 

    The railroad had petitioned the Forest Service to modify the Railroad Spring area. It was projected that from 200-300 persons would be inhabiting the location. In order to alleviate potential problems, the Tank would be modified to spread-out the camps. Two tanks today are connected by a canal.  If you visit, remember that the area is on private and Forest Service land, and has protected status.   

    Just North of Railroad Tank (Spring) the remains of a structure can be found. The remains are on the spur that heads due East, splitting from the main line.

Faint evidence of the line. As time passes, the grade slowly returns to a natural state- rocks, 

grass, and drifting soil. 

Much can be speculated about the purpose of the remains. At this location, the spur crosses a creek bed, necessitating some sort of structure to cross. Normally, they would use a rock fill trestle. However this appears to be a wooden trestle, more commonly associated with bents and such. If so, this would be one of the most unique structures that the Saginaw built. There are larger wooden trestles, such as at Hardy Hill, yet I have not found another wooden bent type trestle built to cross a creek bed. Then again, if they used a rock structure, it could have been washed out. The remains could be from a water tower structure. Finding such a relic is exciting for me, then again I have a simple mind satisfied by simple pleasures.  

GRAY SPRING AREA

Gray Spring area is located south of Railroad Spring, near FR527. Another scenic area

 blessed in the early years with an abundance of water. A satellite camp was located nearby, one of several that were maintained in order to spread out the impact of a large community of workers. This is an example of planned development, a direct result of the foresight of the Saginaw and Manistee Timber Company. Contrary to modern thinking, where it is assumed that logging companies were no more than reckless exploiters of nature's abundance, the Company planned for three years before building the Garland Prairie Branch Line. All of their prior knowledge and experience with other operations was applied, resulting in maximum and efficient production. It also helped that the Forest Service was involved in the process, unlike the early years of logging. The Company had to comply with additional regulations, as dictated by the State and County governments. The timber industry had evolved for the better.

  

Raised roadbed, heading towards the spring. The grade turns east, heading alongside of FR527. 

Farther east, the road becomes extremely rough

A debris field from a logging camp, near the road. This area is on private property, so be respectful. The camp's location is strategic, as at least three spur lines intersect with the main line here. 

A curious feature: there are a number of rock cairns near the main spur. A short spur appears to abut the area where the cairns are located. 

On closer inspection, there does not appear to be a post or other item in the center of the cairns. The rocks appear to be weathered and piled up for a long time. More than likely they date to the logging operations, which begs the question: what was their purpose? Is it possible they were anchor points for a log loader, or maybe a water tower? 

HEADQUARTERS CAMP

A large headquarters camp was located along the line. The camp included the "woods engine"(more than likely a Shay Locomotive) servicing area, a cook house, a tank for run-off water, a spur for water tank cars, and numerous other features such as portable cabin sites. Two other features are underground water pipes, and what appears to be a rudimentary septic system. The camp is spread out over a large area, as it remained in service for the duration of the line.  

At this time, I will not provide photographs or the location of the site. The area is near private homes, and more than likely is on private property. 

  

A stone cabin structure, overlooking a scenic vista of Garland Prairie and 

the San Francisco Peaks. It may not be railroad related, but it is one of many interesting features waiting to be found by the intrepid explorer