"The Garden Bay Railroad began in 1908 as a logging road of the Van's Harbor Lumber Company. It operated as a common carrier from 1914 to 1917 over the 14 miles between Garden Village and the Soo Line at Cooks. running two mixed trains daily. Old timers recall holiday trips in flag-bedecked cars to Manistique and back in day-long celebration. They also tell of a morning when the road's locomotive couldn't be found. Speculation is that the night watchman - the "hostler" to railroaders - was drunk and failed to notice as the steam pressure fell, the air pump failed, snd the engine began to roll backwards. The morning train crew found that the locomotive had backed down to the shore line, over a dock, and into 20 feet of water."
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