The Western Michigan Society for Industrial Heritage (WMSIH) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to making recreational railroading in Western Michigan accessible to disabled residents and visitors.

The WMSIH was formed in 2001. A 14 year-old boy named Ryan Byle put the inital plans for the Society on paper June 30, 2000. Ryan's father, Tom Byle, was the president of the C&M Railway at the time. Ryan's mom, Jan, was the booking agent and took reservations for train rides and charter trips.

Ryan was an enthusiastic railroad fan and became the unofficial "adopted" grandson of the many retired C&M volunteers. Ryan frequently helped his dad prepare the trains for excursion runs inviting friends to experience riding the rails as well.

When the runs were done Ryan would join his father and the other volunteers for something to eat at the local cafe. Here the group would dream about what the future of the railroad would look like. They envisioned a non-profit organization that could raise funds to preserve and restore rail equipment as well as the industrial equipment that had been used to build the infrastructure of Western Michigan.

On his own initiative, Ryan put these dreams/plans into writing. Shortly after doing this, in August of 2000, Ryan died from a heart condition while helping his father prepare a train for one of it's runs. Memorial donations were targeted to form the Western Michigan Society for Industrial Heritage. Ryan Byle's "Future Plans" document has been the guiding force for the Society and Ryan remains as a perpetual member of the WMSIH.

For more information on the Industrial Heritage Society and to read Ryan's Future Plans document, visit the WMSIH web site at www.coopersville.com/industrialheritage.

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