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Any photos not otherwise credited are from the personal collection of Frank Passic, Albion Historian.
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Morning Star, March 6, 2022, pg. 4 This is the month of March, and usually at this time of year I include an article about the Great Flood of March, 1908 in Albion, and a sensational photo of the damage. Not this time. Instead, I recently learned that there was another flood in our area that occurred several years after the "big one." On Tuesday May 11 and Wednesday May 12, 1914, Southern Michigan was drenched with a continuous downpour of water for twenty-four hours which totaled nearly 3 inches. Battle Creek was especially hit hard. The Albion Recorder reported on May 12, "Twenty-four hours of steady pelting down of rain has changed the Kalamazoo River from a usually even-flowing stream to a raging torrent, and those who keep track of river conditions say the water has risen to probably its greatest height since the big flood of the spring of 1908." It was estimated that the height of the flood waters was just four feet from the 1908-flood record. One unusual situation occurred at Bath Mills in Jackson County just east of Albion, where there was a small Interurban passenger station. The Recorder reported on May 13: "An unusual sight may be seen at Bath Mills, where the little Michigan United Traction waiting-room is the center of a veritable lake, extending for hundreds of yards on all sides, and farmers living near there state that no such amount of water has been deposited there since the 1908 flood. There was some danger for a time that the M.U.T. tracks would be undermined at that point, but thus far the right of way has been passable, although the cars have been run across very slowly, to prevent any possible sudden strain on the rails." From our Historical Notebook this week we present an unusual photo of an interurban car on the tracks at Bath Mills, headed towards Albion during the 1914 flood. Notice the "third-rail" sticking up on the left. That was a live electric rail which powered the interurban car. I wonder how the flood affected that "third-rail?" Our second photo shows a close-up of the rails during the flood, with the water lapping up from the sides. These photos came from the collection of the late Kenneth Cuatt. Special thanks to David Moore for supplying them to me. When is the last time you have driven through Bath Mills? You can still see the railbed of the old interurban route there today. If I can locate any photos of the 1914 flood in Albion, I’ll write another article giving some details of the extent of the damage in the city.  An Interurban Car on the Tracks at Bath Mills During the 1914 Flood
 The Rails During the 1914 Flood
All text copyright, 2025 © all rights reserved Frank Passic
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