SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC

SAGINAW, MI

May 20, 2023: The "Bavarian Belle" docked at Frankenmuth, Michigan We're in Frankenmuth, Michigan; the <i>Bavarian Belle</i> is boarding passengers for its 6:30 PM tour, and I'm rushing across the bridge toward the dock at the north end of the RiverPlace Shops complex before I get left behind. Built in 1981, this charming Victorian-style paddlewheel steamer plied the Mississippi for nearly 20 years before its purchase and restoration by its present owners. Nowadays, it offers pleasant 45-minute sightseeing cruises along the Cass River to summer-season visitors to Michigan's &quot;Little Bavaria&quot;. — May 20, 2023: The "Bavarian Belle" docked at Frankenmuth, Michigan Credit: Carrotflower Productions International

The Saginaw Valley Railroad Historical Society Inc is a non-profit organization based in Saginaw, Michigan, that is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich history of railroads in the Saginaw Valley region. The society was founded in 1983 and has since grown to become a significant contributor to the preservation of Michigan's railroad heritage.

The society boasts an extensive collection of railroad artifacts, including photographs, maps, and documents, as well as a variety of railroad equipment, including locomotives, cabooses, and boxcars. The society has also restored several depots and rail yards in the Saginaw Valley region and has established a museum, the Saginaw Valley Railroad Museum, to showcase its collection and educate the public on the significance of railroads in the region's development.

The Saginaw Valley Railroad Historical Society Inc is active in the community, hosting educational events and providing tours of its museum and restored rail yards. The society also offers memberships to individuals and businesses interested in supporting its mission to preserve the region's railroad history.

Overall, the Saginaw Valley Railroad Historical Society Inc is a vital organization for the preservation and promotion of Michigan's railroad heritage, offering a unique and fascinating glimpse into the region's past.

SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC is a Historical Societies, Historic Preservation in SAGINAW MI. US MID #8402600607

The museum is classed as HSC (Historical Societies, Historic Preservation). It comes under American Alliance of Museums (AAM) region: Midwest (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin).

May 19, 2023: Zehnder's and the Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth, Michigan Facing each other across Main Street at the south end of downtown Frankenmuth, Michigan are Zehnder's <i>(left background)</i> and the Bavarian Inn <i>(right foreground)</i>, two longstanding titans of the local hospitality industry that each represent discrete chapters in the storied saga of the Zehnder family, who more than any other was responsible for putting the town on the tourist map as Michigan's &quot;Little Bavaria&quot;. It all started in 1929, when family patriarch William Zehnder, Sr. purchased the erstwhile Exchange Hotel and renamed it after himself - but it was across the street at the Bavarian Inn (our dinner destination for tonight) where the essential ingredients of today's Frankenmuth tourist experience were born. After a few formative years spent working at Zehnder's under the tutelage of his father and his uncle Ernie, it was William, Jr. who struck out on his own in 1950 with his purchase not only of the old Fischer Hotel across the street, but also the secret recipe for golden fried chicken that had earned previous owner Elmer Fischer considerable renown. Although chicken dinners remained Fischer's biggest draw, business was initially slow - the effect, experts said, of two essentially identical competing businesses operating in the same small town - and Zehnder soon found himself deeply in debt. Rather than throw in the towel, however, he took a gamble on the idea that a larger market was out there, and hatched a plan to help remake Frankenmuth as a regional tourist destination, playing up the Bavarian ancestry of the majority of the townsfolk. In 1958, Zehnder enlisted Chicago-based designer Robert Lederer to help remodel the place in an eye-catching mock-Alpine motif, and upon its reopening, the newly rechristened Bavarian Inn successfully set the town on the trend that endures to this day. The operation has since expanded to the scale of a full-fledged resort, but if all you're after is a family-style meal of fried chicken and/or hearty Teutonic comfort food, the original Inn (or, for that matter, the original Zehnder's across the street, with whom it's engaged in a good-natured rivalry) still serves it up in style.

HESR 740-06 - Zilwaukee HESR 3866 enters the North YL of Saginaw under the Zilwaukee Bridge heading south.

Z490-24 - Bay City After performing the switchback move, LSRC 6435 leads the empty grain train through Bay City for Standish for loading.

Contact SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC

website: www.saginawrailwaymuseum.org

SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
PO BOX 20454
SAGINAW
MI
48602

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SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC Information

MID #	8402600607
Name	SAGINAW VALLEY RAILROAD HISTORICAL SOCIETY INC
Alternate Name
Classification	Historical Societies, Historic Preservation, , Midwest
Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)	382466574
NTEECC	A54
Tax period of the latest return filed (YYYYMM)	201212
INCOME	0
REVENUE	0
LAT/LONG	43.425978, -83.971981
CODES	FIPS State Code: 26 FIPS County Code: 145 US Census Tract: 001600 US Census Block: 4017