Tioga ROCK

In the wild woods near Tioga, west of Nestoria, Michigan.

This page started because I tried to solve an un-identified location for one of Bob S. / Larry M. Soo Line slides. After two hours, I didn't solve their mystery but did take time to scan some of my twenty-year old slides of the Upper Peninsula.


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While I have this file out, I decided to put a pencil line on the top edge of every row of slides. It helps me keep them in geographical order. They are from a visit to a hundred miles of nearly-abandonned rails. I used to remember more about each one, but that was 20 years ago. Now, if I drop some, at least I can get them back in order sooner.

I can't just do it by slide number order, because I was using two cameras on these trips. That made for good back-ups in case of film processor failure. And one camera had a better wide angle lens than the other.


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Scan of 35 mm slide of paper USGS map.
ATLANTIC refers to Duluth South Shore and Atlantic RR
I will call this the Tioga Rock. I can't remember exactly where the rock is.
By looking at the order some of my slides were taken,
I figure it is east of Tioga, maybe east of the Tioga River.
This chunk of rock may be from a very shallow cut of the Right-of-Way.
It didn't seem to be too stuck in the ground with other rocks. Maybe it was rolled into this place?
About 3 feet high.
I show the same slide again, with this scan enlarged a little. I may have over-sharpened it to try to read the printing.
It was on the north side of the tracks. And that was 20 years ago.
It must be planted good enough that no snowplows or ditchers have moved it, at least up until 1986 when I saw it.

I think there are some names of important railroad people etched here.

I see reference to the year '97 (1897) and 0,6 (1906)

Maybe scratchings of a hunting party? Maybe some local rail workers?

A reply by e-mail:
Good Morning Bruce, I believe the tracks are still in place. Escanaba and Lake Superior rarely pulls up track and they use a lot of it as storage now. This a wierd sight when traveling along old Milwaukee Road track North of Iron Mountain on M-95 and see rail cars sitting on tracks that have not seen a train in like 20 years. Have a great day, Dan B., Menominee, MI home of the car ferry Viking I

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To help recall the location of this, I show these slides that had the next numbers. Here's the original bridge for Michigan Highway 28 over the Tioga River. As seen from the railroad.

And note, that road 20 years ago was just a good Jeep trail. The only thing that lasted was this concrete bridge.

With my file system and route traveled, there is no guarantee how close this is to the rock.


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The railroad as seen from the old highway bridge.

Note the typical beaver dam.

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I hope no one goes out to pick up this rock and put it on e-Bay . . . .


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Link to my main page, Bruce's RailRoad Pictures

My E-mail address is on the bottom of my main page.

Wrote March 4, 9, 2006