COOPERSVILLE, Mich. (WOOD) — In West Michigan, railroads tend to blend into the background nowadays. Unlike some big cities, most people here don’t rely on them. They’re relegated to backdrops for photo shoots or the occasional behind-the-wheel freakout as traffic jams grow. Still, they helped found several West Michigan communities and shaped even more.
Lake Michigan Summer Beach Guide
Coopersville literally is a railroad town. It grew from a 680-acre purchase by Benjamin. F. Cooper in 1845 that was eventually offered to the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway. The tiny township became a local transportation hub and grew from there.
The city of Walker maintains almost all of its offices on a complex on Remembrance Road — a thoroughfare that cuts diagonally across the community. It wasn’t planned that way, it just followed the path cleared by the old railroad. The same can be said for Apple Drive and Airline Highway outside of Fruitport.
For West Michigan, the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon Railway was the key line. Also known as the Interurban or the Lake Line, the railway helped spur commerce, connect communities and expand access to the lakeshore for tourists.
THE GRAND RAPIDS, GRAND HAVEN & MUSKEGON RAILWAY
At the turn of the 20th century, people in remote parts of West Michigan didn’t have many transportation options. They either walked or used a horse-drawn vehicle of some sort. Communities had started to grade out more roads, but we were still a long way away from the infrastructure system that we use today…