One other historic Lansing site that doesn’t seem to get enough attention is the old Grand Trunk Western Station just off S. Washington Avenue.
In 1856 the Detroit & Milwaukee Railroad laid tracks through Lansing. This was followed by two more lines: in 1872 by the Michigan Central Railroad and 1879 by the Chicago and Grand Trunk Railroad.
In 1877 the Grand Trunk Western completed its cross-state line between Lansing and Port Huron (101 years later, it was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site. Two more years went by and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places).
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It didn’t stop there; a couple of decades go by, and now Lansing had up to six railroad lines coming through the city. When reorganized in 1900, Chicago & Grand Trunk constructed a slew of new depots throughout Mid-Michigan. Lansing’s Grand Trunk station was constructed near the new REO Motor Car Company, who intentionally built the plant next to the railroad…