An interurban electric railcar rides a long, steel through-truss bridge over the St. Joseph River at Berrien Springs on a snowy day.
This span was part of the early-1900s interurban network that linked Southwest Michigan towns with bigger stops like Niles, South Bend, and St. Joseph — the kind of trip you could take without owning a car. A 1904 newspaper notice even promoted departures from Niles to South Bend every 45 minutes, which feels wild now.
The tracks are gone, but the bridge story hasn’t disappeared. In recent years, Berrien Springs leaders have talked about reusing remaining railroad bridge structures as part of a long pedestrian crossing near Lake Chapin.
What do you know or remember about the interurban in Berrien Springs — family stories, old photos, or local lore?
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