Big Rapids & Western

Company History: The BR&W was built in 1887 as a logging line for T.D.Stimson from a connection with the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad at Stimson Junction just north of Big Rapids, Michigan, west to a sawmill at Vincent’s. The line appears to have been jointly owned by Stimson and the GR&I. An 1892 accident wrecked the mill at Vincent’s (and killed Col. Vincent, the manager.) The GR&I assumed full control of the line. There was talk of extending it to Ludington, Michigan but that didn’t happen. The western end was abandoned in 1896 followed by the rest of the line in 1899.

Brief History: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.