History
After being built in 1891, the station quickly became a very important part of the local enonomy. In terms of agriculture, around this time, Grant shipped a lot of produce by rail. In 1915, 10 to 12 cars of peaches a day were shipped, and later in the 1930s carloads of onions were shipped out from this station, earning Grant the title of “Onion Capital of the World.”
This station was also very important in regards to the lumbering industry. During the seasons of 1872-73, 9,000,000 board feet (20,000 m3) of logs came of out of Newaygo County, mostly from the Grant Station, at the rate of 100,000 a day. This was one of the first log trains in Michigan. By 1885 Andrew T. Squire, owner of the local saw mill and founder of Grant, was producing 1,000,000 board feet (2,000 m3) of lumber per year.
Until the late 1940s, there were two passenger trains, (each way) running everyday between Grand Rapids and Traverse City, through the Grant Depot. The last passenger train ran in 1963.
In 1979 the depot was rebuilt to serve as a restaurant. The agents office and waiting room became a dining room. The freight room, became a kitchen, and an addition on the east side serves as an additional dining room. This restaurant is still operational today.
Read more about this topic: Grant Depot And Water Tower
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