The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1852-04-15
R. ISLAND 4 CHICAGO RAILROAD.

We make the following extract from an
article in the New York Courier g. Enqui
rer, edited By J. W. Webb
I, "This is The age Of progress; and 10
nothing is this fact more apparent, than IL
the new lines Of Railroads. constantly
brought before the public, and oil tending
alike to devclope the resources Of our 81
gantic country and enrich those engaged
jin these enterprises. IN the Buffalo Cou-
rier Of q recent date, we see it stated that
there were thirty thousand tons Of Rail
road Iron lying at Dunkirk, the western
Terminus of tho Erie Railroad, waiting the
opening Of navigation for shipment to the
West! And this West! where is i'll
What was il few years since, and what
is i, destined to become?
."'rbe pamphlet now lying before us, con-
tanning the reports of tho President and
the Engineer, (John b. Jervis,) Of the Chi
cago and Rock Island Railroad, calls to
mind very viyidly, our own experience Of
The past. Thirty years ago, we were a
Lieutenant 10 the Army, stationed at Chi
Icsgo, which was then frontier post, two
hundred miles in advance Of our most Wes
tern settlement There were then FIVE
sail vessels aud one steamer on Lakes
Erie, St. Clair, Huron and Michigan; and
to reach Chicago under the most favorable
circumstances, was journey Of more than
a month. Now it is performed with ease.
comfort and safety, in thirty-six hours!
Rock Island situated in the Mississippi riv
cr, was then, even in it's relations with
Chicago, the lar.west-being a garrison
belonging to the valley Of the Mississippi.
and approached from the South in summer !;
while our Post Of Chicago, belonged TO the
East, and was approached and supplied b.
way Of the Lakes during the summer. i
became necessary in the winter of 1922.
to apprse the command at 81. Anthony's
Falls, that the Siour Indians were nbou,
surprising them, and had entered into q
league with ths IVinncbagoes for tina, pur-
pose. And we had the pleasure Of being
the first white man in all that region, who
was known TO have crossed from Chicago
10 the Mississippi 10 the winter season.
We walked tho distance, or rather nearly
double the distance between Chicago nnd
Rock Island in ten DAYS, through deep
snow and over bleak Prairies, with the
Thermometer below zero, through tribe
Of hostile Indians uhe Winnebagoes.) whom
VIC avoided by avoiding the comforts Of The
woods and keeping 10 the Prairies. We
however, accomplished our purpose, and
were none the worse for our exposure; but
little did we dream that time, that 10 The
brief space Of thirty years, all that region
would be densely populated boast Of its
millions Of inhabitants west aud south west
Of Buffalo-and we be called upon to invite
attention to the construction Of an Iron
way, destined to connect that distant spot
with this city, by means Of which the inter
vening distance could be Travelled in For
ty fro hours! The man who at that peri
I'd, would have ventured the prediction.
that the combined science, enterprise and
wealth Of the world could ever have produ,
ced such result, would have been pro-
nounced suitable tenant for a mad house.
And yet, after lapse Of only thirty years,
this apparent impossibility has been
achieved"