In 1881, John M. Sanborn surveyed land owned by Daniel McKillop and platted the village of Torrey, and that year a post office opened there under the name Wolverine. In 1882 the village was replatted as Wolverine. By the turn of the century, lumbering had made Wolverine a boom town. The original land survey included a right-of-way for the Michigan Central Railroad, and early in the 1880s Wolverine became part of the railroad's Mackinaw Division. Four passenger trains ran daily, and by 1903 scheduled runs had increased to six as tourism to the Straits developed. The Michigan Central Railroad promoted Northern Michigan as curative of hayfever, asthma, bronchial and lung affections. Around 1906, the depot opened and provided modern conveniences for travelers.