In northern Michigan's Lower Peninsula, railroads first moved lumber from station to mill and from mill to cities, then became important for passenger travel between towns. After railroads arrived, many northern counties quadrupled their population between 1870 and 1880, and Michigan's interior and northern reaches were quickly settled. The Michigan Central reached Mackinaw City in 1881, and in 1887 the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island was completed as a joint project of the Michigan Central and the Grand Rapids & Indiana railroads, with William Vanderbilt attending the grand opening after gaining control of the Michigan Central. Tourism then emerged as a major industry, as trains carried visitors to resorts and hotels across the northern lakes and rivers, including Charlevoix, Petoskey, Grayling, Gaylord, Vanderbilt, Cheboygan, and Mackinaw, while promoters advertised clean air, scenery, fishing, and relief from hay fever. The Grand Rapids & Indiana operated the Northland Limited, with sleeper cars from Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, and Missouri joining in Fort Wayne, Indiana, for travel to Traverse City, Petoskey, and Mackinaw City, while the Michigan Central ran through Bay City, Grayling, Gaylord, Vanderbilt, Indian River, Topinabee, and Cheboygan to Mackinaw City. In the 1950's, Detroit vacationers used the weekend Timberliner to reach cottages and inland lakes along the route north through Grayling, Indian River, Cheboygan, and Mackinaw. Michigan railway mileage reached 9,100 miles in 1910, but as automobiles and later air travel grew, rail ridership declined after the 1920's except for increases during the Great Depression and World War II, when gas rationing crowded stations with travelers. As railroads consolidated, the Michigan Central combined with the Lakeshore & Michigan Southern and later merged into the New York Central, and many once-distinctive stations in Northern Michigan were either lost or converted to new uses.