Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society

Wayside Sign – In Good Company at Pine Lake Country Club

GWBHS — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 02:21:44 +0000

The sparkling lake has been a gift to the generations. Pine Lake Country Club began as a treasured rustic destination for Automobile Club of Detroit road tours in the early 1900s. By 1910, the clubhouse on Pine Lake had become a scenic refuge for members that included automotive pioneers and leaders of government and industry. Families joined for fresh air and recreation, swimming and boating. Sailing regattas on the lake grew to be as popular as road tours. The club changed its name to Pine Lake Country Club in 1921 and, on added property, opened an 18-hole golf course in 1924.

Wayside Sign – “Motoring” to Pine Lake with the Detroit Automobile Club

GWBHS — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 02:20:35 +0000

It was a time of exciting change, as the first automobiles tangled with horses and trolley cars in the streets and countryside. On June 23, 1902 a group of leading businessmen and industrialists came together at the Detroit Club to form the Automobile Club of Detroit promoting automobiles, roadway development, and the thrill of “motoring.” Auto tours in southeast Michigan became major events for members and tests of endurance for early automobiles. A favorite destination was the rural lake region of Oakland County, and within a few years drivers rested overnight at a new clubhouse on scenic Pine Lake.

Wayside Sign – A Lake and a Trolley Put Keego Harbor on the Map

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:18:52 +0000

Cass Lake was the quiet pleasure of farmers and merchants until the first trolley rail system was built through the area in 1895, bringing “weekenders” from Pontiac and Detroit to the area. In 1912 real estate developer Joseph E. Sawyer began selling lots for homes and cottages on the lake and near Orchard Lake Road. Many new members of the community were factory workers and tradespeople working for resorts, landowners and merchants. Keego Harbor officially became a city in 1955 around the intersection of Cass Lake Road and Orchard Lake Road, and remains a gateway to the attractions of Oakland County’s lakes.

Wayside Sign – Remembering Historic Railways on the West Bloomfield Trail

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:18:13 +0000

Two railways came together here. The West Bloomfield Trail follows the path of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s. If you were standing here in 1900, you also would see a light rail trolley line that ran along Orchard Lake Road and turned to run beside this part of the Grand Trunk line. Built in 1899, it was one of many trolley systems in southeast Michigan that were bought by the Detroit United Railway (DUR) in 1901 to carry people and freight within Detroit and between surrounding towns.

Wayside Sign – Sharing the Ride on the Westacres Community Bus

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:17:35 +0000

They turned on their porchlights to signal the bus to pick them up for the ride to work at the Chrysler plant in Highland Park. In 1939 nine Westacres residents bought a used bus to share the cost of commuting to work. They formed the Westacres Chrysler Employee Transportation Association (WACETA) which grew to 25 workers paying dues for the purchase and operation of a series of buses over the years. They issued stock, elected officials, and shared maintenance and driving duties. Over its 50 years, this program gained national attention as America’s longest-running, privately-funded ride share program.

Wayside Sign – Remembering Historic Railways on the West Bloomfield Trail

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:16:51 +0000

The West Bloomfield Trail was once a railbed of the Grand Trunk Railroad, built through the region in the 1880s to serve far-flung agriculture and industry. A mile down from here, where the trail passes Cass Lake Road, the trail meets the trace of a light rail electric trolley track that was built in 1899. It served communities from Pontiac through Farmington to Detroit, and later became part of the larger Detroit United Railway (DUR). Your journey through history on the trail follows the route of the trolley track and the Grand Trunk rail, running side-by-side, as far as Orchard Lake Road.

Wayside Sign – West Bloomfield Trail: Exploring the Tale of the Rail

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:16:15 +0000

Railroad locomotives thundered through this countryside for more than 130 years. The Michigan Air Line Railway was completed in 1884, a branch of the historic Grand Trunk Railway that became a vital shipping network between manufacturing centers of the automotive industry in lower Michigan. As this railway was later abandoned, the rails were torn up and the quiet natural corridor preserved. The West Bloomfield Trail is a 6.83 mile-long portion of the old railway offering remarkable interaction with nature while it enriches the community.

Wayside Sign – The Orchard Lake Museum and the Treasures of Local History

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:15:34 +0000

The Orchard Lake Museum has been an intersection where paths cross and people meet. The first building here was a small tavern named the Orchard Lake House, built in 1857 for stagecoach travelers. Various owners rebuilt and enlarged the site, later named the Orchard Lake Hotel, to entertain the growing resort community on the lakes, especially city folks arriving on nearby trolley cars in the early 1900s. In 1939 the building was mostly torn down and replaced by the smaller Orchard Lake Village Hall, now occupied by the museum and the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society.

Wayside Sign – Westacres Community: New Life for Auto Workers

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:14:55 +0000

Born with great purpose in the Great Depression, Westacres endures as a strong West Bloomfield Community. In 1936, U.S. Senator from Michigan, James Couzens pooled $550,000 of his own money with $300,000 of federal funds to establish this neighborhood of 150 homes for low-income automotive factory workers. Home ownership included an acre of land and encouraged farming for food and self-sufficiency. Oakland Housing Inc. also assisted residents to develop a satisfactory communal life and financed supplemental enterprises.

Wayside Sign – Waiting Room and “The Wye” at the Michigan Military Academy

GWBHS — Mon, 29 Jul 2013 14:14:16 +0000

To change directions, trolleys had to turn around. At this location, at the back of what had been the parade grounds of the Michigan Military Academy, the Detroit United Railway (DUR) built a “wye.” This Y-shaped track allowed trolley cars to turn to go in the opposite direction along the trolley track that paralleled the Grand Trunk Railroad track. Nestled in the undergrowth here, barely visible, is a trace of the “wye,” a concrete basin where maintenance workers climbed under the trolleys for inspections and repairs. Near the “wye” was a DUR waiting room to shelter patrons.