Steiner, Michigan

Steiner was a small farming settlement in what is now Frenchtown Charter Township, Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The village no longer exists but some structures remain and are in use. It was situated at the intersection of Steiner Road and Laduke Road near the current CSX Railroad crossing at 41°59′20″N 83°23′15″W.[1]

Steiner, Michigan
Ghost town
Steiner MI Depot Pere Marquette Railroad
Steiner
Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 41°59′20″N 83°23′15″W
CountryUnited States
StateMichigan
CountyMonroe
TownshipFrenchtown
Founded1873
Elevation617 ft (188 m)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID638786[1]

The village of Steiner was located about five miles north of Monroe Michigan, and was centered around the Steiner Depot of the Pere Marquette Railroad.

Steiner was founded by and named for William Steiner in 1873. A post office opened on September 7, 1886 with John Kohler as the first postmaster. The office closed on July 31, 1925.[2][3]

At one time the town had a railroad depot, creamery, granary, freight scales, a saw-mill, basket factory, pottery and brick works, a saloon (the Steiner Inn), the Laduke general store and the Steiner Post Office.

For some years the railroad maintained a spur extending west from a siding in Steiner to a limestone quarry near Maybee, Michigan.

The general store and other structures, located between Laduke Roads and the railroad tracks were destroyed in a fire on May 3 of 1948. An elderly woman, Mrs. Margaret Gibson, age 70 and Magadline Moyer, age 5 perished in the fire. There was a significant delay in the arrival of rescuers, as the closest fire department was located six miles south, in Monroe. Local anger among area residents after the "Steiner Fire" led to the formation of the Frenchtown Township Volunteer Fire Department in 1949.

The basket factory structure still stands in the same location today. It was owned and operated by the E. R. Calkins family.

Few obvious signs remain today of this town except a cluster of several pre-1900 houses, the basket factory building near the railroad tracks, and the road name.

Steiner is now one of the lost cities, towns, and counties of Michigan

  • Steiner Inn
  • Steiner facing east from Railroad
  • Steiner facing East from railroad towards picnic grounds
  • Paul Laduke Store
  • Steiner Cornet Band c.1905
  • Block Factory
  • Calkins Basket Factory, which still remains Steiner
  • Man operating sawmill, possibly E.R. Calkins

References
  1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Steiner, Michigan
  2. Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X.
  3. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Steiner Post Office (historical)
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