Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-07-23
The Cedar Valley and Minnesota
Railroads.

j By a recent vote of her people, Minnesota
has loaned her credit to certain Railroads to
| the extent of about six millions. As fast as
each company grades ten miles of its road, the
State issues to them one hundred thousand
dollars in her bonds, or ten thousand dollars
per mile, and so on until the road is completed,
or until each company has received it's allotted
amount. s-
Embraced in this arrangement are several
roads running east and west, and the road from
the southern line of Iowa, which is not to run
east of Range II, where it crosses the State
line, and which goes north to Minneapolis.
This last is the most important road for
Minnesota, and also for iowa. as it will connect
at the Iowa line with the Cedar Valley Road
via Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids and Clinton, to
the Mississippi, which will be completed this
fall from the river to Cedar Rapids. When
completed, it will be the best route from St.
Paul to Chicago, as no road northwest from
Chicago through Wisconsin can ever be built
to compete with it successfully, from the
character of the country through which it
must pass.
On the 18th inst, the whole line of the road
from Minneapolis to the Iowa line was let to
different parties, being l - miles in length.
r. B. Mason 4 Co. took some 40 miles, and
work is to be commenced at once upon the
entire line. The fact of their being able to get
100000 in Minnesota State Bonds, which can
easily be negotiated at this time by the COM
pletion of the grade of way for 10 miles, will
ensure the speedy completion of the work, and
in reality that amount of money will nearly II
not quite build the road. as the whole line runs
through a country mostly prairie, where it can
be constructed at the lowest figures.
We may, therefore, safely calculate upon
the immediate construction of this road, per-
haps, as claimed by the parties interested,
within the present year. This position of
affairs incites those interested in the Cedar
Valley Road, in Iowa, to redoubled sxertions
to build this part of the road as soon as posi-
bile to meet the Minnesota road at the State
line. The Minnesota company is one of char
acter and ability. and their road thus far has
been very ,iudiciously managed, and their
finances are in good condition, and, Judging
from the past, they will push their road
through at an early date.
What we wish to call to the attention of the
people of this county is the fact that such
road will very soon be built, and that at Will
ton we arc only 80 miles distant, perhaps less,
from very desirable and valuable connection
with that road, which will give us direct
communication with St. Paul, and make us
the river outlet for large extent of territory in
this State and Minnesota; an outlet which has
great advantages over any other which can be
reached north of us. This will be apparent to
Il <hn of$ bn
State, and trace out the line Of the road. We
are as near to the territory which that road
will drain as Dubuque, and nearer than any
other in the State, with the great advantage of
being below the rapids where freight is always
much lower at all seasons, and particularly
during low-water, than at higher points. With
such connection, this point must do the bulk
of the southern business of this road, and of
the Dubuque and Pacific Road also, west of
Cedar Falls. .,s.
What effort is Muscatine making to secure
this important connection? None that we are
aware Of Other towns have labored years to
secure advantages which cannot compare with
the wonderful effect that the completion of
this short line of so miles would have upon
our prosperity.
Wewish to present this matter in this hasty
manner, to our citizens and those of Cedar
county, with the hope that it may meet with
response from them and with suitable action
in the premises. Webelieve that it is a highly
important matter, and that the connection
named will effect all that is claimed for it. All
we ask is that those who have more interest
than we have in this enterprise will push on
the ball, if their investigations shall satisfy
them as fully as ours have satisfied us of the
highly important results depending upon our
action in this matter. ar