Lake Shore and Michigan Railway Gold Bond - W. K. Vanderbilt Picture 1897

Beautifully engraved certificate from the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern issued in 1897. This historic document was printed by the American Banknote Company and has an ornate border around it with a picture of W. K. Vanderbilt and two trains. This item is hand signed by the Company’s President and Secretary and is over 109 years old.


Certificate Vignette



The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company was formed in 1869, under the laws of the States of New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, by the consolidation of The Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad Company with a line from Chicago to Toledo, The Lake Shore Railway Company with a line from Toledo to Erie, and The Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company with a line from Erie to Buffalo. The two first named companies were consolidated on April 6, 1869, under the name of The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company, and this company was, on June 22, 1869, consolidated with The Buffalo and Erie Railroad Company, retaining the former name. 1871-2 the following branch mileage was constructed: Sandusky to Oak Harbor, 34.70 miles; Ashtabula to Jamestown, 36.09 miles; and from Sandusky Junction to Old Pier Depot, 3.74 miles.

In 1903, a low grade line was constructed between Plymouth (now Carson), Ohio, and Brookfield, Ohio, 42.59 miles, of which 18.10 miles were built by The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway Company and 24.49 miles by The Mahoning Coal Railroad Company.

William K. Vanderbilt (1849-1920)

Grandson of Cornelius "Commodore" Vanderbilt, the shipping and railroad tycoon whose acquisitions created the family fortune, William Kissam Vanderbilt inherited his position as a railroad executive but forged his own reputation as a leading yachtsman and a breeder of champion racehorses, traditions that would long remain a part of the Vanderbilt legacy. His Father was William Henry Vanderbilt Born in 1821, the Commodore’s eldest son. William Henry Vanderbilt inherited a large portion of his father’s estate. Generally viewed as a thorough and industrious worker, he more than doubled this fortune in eight years. While his father had lived modestly, William Vanderbilt began the tradition of interest in architecture and the fine arts. He died in 1885, leaving a widow, Maria Louisa Kissam, and their eight children including George Washington Vanderbilt.