Arcadia & Betsey River

Company History: The A&BR was launched in 1881 by lumber baron Henry Stark to build a narrow gauge logging line from Arcadia, Michigan and its port on Lake Michigan to a log loading area in Malcolm about five miles east. Having decided that relying on lake boat delivery of his finished lumber would be insufficient, Stark built a standard gauge line from Arcadia first to a connection with Chicago & West Michigan Railway in Henry and then on to a connection with Ann Arbor and Manistee & North Eastern in Copemish. Total length was about 22 miles. For many years the A&BR fleet included 50 freight cars (flats and log bunks) a caboose, a coach and three 4-6-0s. The line was abandoned in 1937. The railroad’s namesake river is actually spelled Betsie but for whatever reason, the company spelled it with “ey.”

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