The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-04-11
(From the Prescott Transcript
Railroad Matters.
PREscorr, WISCONSIN,,
March %, 1851.


son Chronicle Of March q, find editorials
and correspondence, with copy Ofexchanges
all of which is Designed to favor a return OF
the old idea, that Hudson might yet stand
some chance Of getting a railroad to that
place. | would be the last man to disturb
the agonies f drowning men while catching
at straws, if they would keep the truth with
in sight, and in this case should not interfere
were not Hon. George Strong's name con-
nected with the correspondence. put Mr..
Strong down as too able a member of the
late Legislature not to have better under
stood measure so much affecting the local
interest which he representative to have
understood the bill he refers to in his cores
pondence. He SAYS "That the amendment
of the charter of the st. Croix and Lake Su-
perior Company as passed the Legislature
did not strike out Hudson as point in said
road. examined particularly the original
charter which made Hudson the terminus of
the road, and the amendment simply permit
ted the Company to extend the same to
Prescott from Hudson. There is no law in
existence either in an original charter or an
amendment requiring a company to term-
nate their road at Prescott in order to avail
themselves of the gra t Of lands made by
Congress" If Mr.. S. did examine in par tic
ular, will copy such portions of the bill as
will be useful, in order that in making state
ments his mind may be little more re-
freshed.
In section first of said bill amending the
charter of the St. Croix and Lake Superior
Railroad Company the route is designated in
the following words: "From any point on
St. Croix Lake or river, or on the MISSISSIPPI
pi river, southerly of township number TWEEN
ty-seven, and northerly of township number
twenty-five, which may e determined upon
by Its board Of directors, to the west end
of Lake Superior and to Bay
This does not look like amending it so as
to run from Hudson to Prescott. When the
amendment was in the hands of the directors,
the subject of the route was discussed by
them ANY they all agreed that Hudson should
not be named in the new route, as this same
amendment provides, that by an arrangement
with the Lacrosse and Milwaukee Company
the st. Croix and Lake Superior Company
becomes one of the Wisconsin land grant
roads. The following are the words used in
the bill, TO wit
The said st. Croix and Lake Superior Railroad Com
pany shall possess all the rights powers and privileges
Of said road from the point determined to the west
end of Lake Superior and Bayfield, and in regard the
application and disposal of said lands parts there
Of and in regard to the running of said portion of said
road and shall be subject to all the same liabilities. du
ties conditions and restrictions, and the payment
of the same amount of per centage upon the
ngs of said road which conferred imposed upon
required Of the said La Crosse Milwaukee Railroad
Company, or which said last named Company was SUBJ
jected by act approved October 11th 1885, entitled
An Act to grant certain lands to the La Crosse Mil
waukee Railroad Company, and to execute the trust
created by act of Congress entitled An Act granting
m To nj in tho
structon of Railroads in said State approved March 3d.
1867"
1t was understood by said directors that
the lands along the route running past Hud-
son had been entered, and that to secure
the amount of lands designed by Congress
e grant - thc -c:C, tLc -crtc .Tc-!a rec
essarilv run considerably east of Hud-
son. BY the route named in the st. Croix
and Lake Superior Railroad Company's
charter, it will be seen that it starts from
Prescott, being allowed six miles water front
and thence to Superior. and not by the way
of Hudson to Superior. Also as consider
ton of the building Of said road by an ar
rangement with the La Crosse & Milwaukee
Railroad Company they are made lahd
grant road having to carry out in good faith
with the State all their undertakings, in Or
der to avail themselves of the land the land
now passing directly to the St. CroiX & Su-
perior Company. A further item connected
with these two Companies, may be useful to
of their routes, which is, that the board of
directors in the new road is entirely con-
trol'cd by the La Crosse and Milwaukee,
Company, as majority of the directors of
the St. Croix and Lake Superior Company
ole ,t,1,r, hNn 81 7
Or sse & Milwaukee Company-the l.. & NJ.
Company owning nearly all the stock of the
st. c. & L. S. Company, can dispose Of the
future affairs of the road as they shall see
fit, providing they carry out in good faith
their undertaking with the State. AS they
have fixed the terminus of one road at Pres
colt, they will be very likely to connect the
other with it, particularly as the point fixed
Is in line most direct with the point of
destination in Minnesota, namely st. Paul.
The editor of the Chronicle says -" No
survey whatever has been made which indi-
Gates Prescott as the terminus of this road
(from MadisOn) nor has one ever been talked
of, except by the Prescott people" | will
here give Mr.. Kilbt urn's letter in answer to
one written upon this subject previous to the
amendment:
LA CROSSE MILWAUKEE r. r. OFFICE. !
Milwaukee, February II, 1851 {
Hoy. o. T. MAxoS-DEAR SR:-Yours of the 9th is
received answer unhesatingy and categorically in
the language of your letter. that Company do de-
signtO give full investigation and survey of route to
Prescott with view Of adopting that route in preference
to any other, should be found to advantages
all Others"
This language is as broad and clear make it.,
and such is our full intention.
Respectfully, &C., BYRON KILBouRN.
7 rn;rbf boro odd in rorDrf IF bo
Crosse & Milwaukee Company to the Legis-
they said " A third line will be explored,
commencing at Black River Falls and then
to the st. Croix at or near its mouth, and
up the valley of that river to a point of in
tersection with the other line."
The Chronicle further says, "The survey
of the Grant Road has been made over the
whole distance from Portage City to Hud-
son and the report is exceedingly favorable,
both as to its directness, its grades, and val
Tie of the lands passed through" This as
sertion will compare very we'll with many
others made at Hudson, among which, one
was that contract was signed binding the
La Crosse & Milwaukee Company, that is,
the Grant Road, to run to Hudson, the fall
sity of which has been owned up during the
home quarrel as DIR. Hoyt's sell as they
termed it. If this does not reach the case
would refer the editor to allusion upon this
subject which appeared recently in the Still
water papers. The Grant Road Company
did send out surveyors last fall, which Com
panies reached Black River Falls on the
southern route, and Eau Claire and Chippe-
| wa Rolls on the northern rnnt0 lf thnv INN
to Hudson they did not make any report Of
| it, nor was any mention made of it. Their
statements were, '"when at the above men
toned points the depth of snow and the
cold weather prevented further progress in
the work and they were, recalled by the
Company until spring.
would here come to the "G." correspon-
dencc (taking it for granted that c." is
the illustrious predecessor of the "pink 81
man who represented Prescott in the last
Legislature.") He quotes, as he says, the
words of B. Kilbourn, as follows: "They
should strike the Lake st. Croix at point
that would connect with Minnesota through
St Paul by the most feasible and straight
route they could find," yet again from the
same source, E" the compass and level must
determine where the road would strike the
Lake St. Croix having special reference to
connecting with St. Paul" Now this is
coming exactly to ur old position. During