Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1861-03-15
From the American Railway Review
Iowa and Her Railways.

The inquisitive traveller, seeking a homo
orapecuative opening, in the Western States
viii be likely % beiavorably impressed wit
the typographical Beauties of the State 4
iowa. The surface OF the country, thougl
moderately nndulating, is nowhere roughl
broken by mountains, or high hills. TIL
Southern portion Of the State especial,
aboupds with grassy lawns and verdan
plains, interspersed with groves, many SINAI
j., streams and intersected by the Des Moines
Skunk and Iowa rivers The scenery 0
the north is bold and striking, the countr,
is elevated, the hills and mounds are. com
mon, tall oaks are often seen in all thci
native majesty, while the rivers tumble owe
preciDtous lodges Of craggy rocks to the low
er plains.
A glance al the map will show that low;
is destined at an early day to be the scat o
an important railway developcment. Stu
ated between the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers, with important rivers Of her own run
ming as tributaries to these great water boun
daries, with agricultural resources unlimited
and with abundant coal and lead riches, only
awaiting Development, a return of prosper.
Gus times only is needed to revive the rail.
way scheme of this young and promising
sister of the West A friend, well acQuaint.
ed with the resources Of the State, and her
history and hopes, has handed us the follow.
| ing paragraph in regard to her railways, pre-,
sent and prospective:
| No inland State in the Union possesses
better natural commercial advantages than
Iowa, The two grat rivers Of the eontincn,
wash its eastern and western shores, add "a
this fact tue wise and rapidly developing rail.
road system OF that State, assisted by u,,,.
niiicent land grants, which system, when
completed, will place every farm at furtheresi
within twenty miles of a railroad or naviga-
BILE river, and we cannot but admire the wis
dom OF its Legislators, and congratulate the
fortunate possessor of any of its fertile do
main. Whenever the public fully appreci-
ates the early and complete development of
Iowa by her railroads, emigration will again
swarm upon her prairies, and sit down on
her rivers sides. The second hegira of emf
grafton is to be composed of those who seek
to be within sound of the locomotive whistle
as well as the church bell Iowa, lying in
direct line of travel and traffic from New
York to,the South Pass, has projected five
parallel lines from the Mississippi to the Mis-
souri,, about forty miles apart. Ofthese the
Burlington and Missouri River Road is the
most southern routc-termini, Burlington, on
the Mississippi, and mouth Of the Platte, on
the Missouri. This road is completed and
running to Ottumwa, rs miles, reaching the
Des Moinos river 1t has land graEt o.!
$4,000 acres. No work beyond the Des
Moines has been done; the completed line
runs through the most populous part of the
State, and the unfinished portion beyond the
river stretches into enc; of the best asricel-
tural regions in the country. The Mississippi
and Missouri Railroad has for its termini
on the east, Davenport and Muscatinc; on
the west, Council Bluffs. On the line Of this
road are Iowa City and Des Moines, the cap
ital of the State. The road is completed and
running to Marengo, about one hundred
miles, and will early the ensuing Spring reach
Grinncll, twenty-five miles to the westward
with a good prospect of reaching Dcs Moines
one year thereafter Des Moines is centrally
located, and has population of 6,OO1. This
road has grant of 100000 acres, lying
chiefly west of Dcs Mones. The Iowa and
Nebraska Railroad, from Clinton, on the Mis-
sissippi, to Cedar Rapids, distance of so
miles, has been in operation nearly two years.
The Cedar Rapids and Missouri River Rail
road, from Cedar Rapids to Decatur, on the
Missouri river fan extension of the Iowa
and Nebraska), we learn, will show evidence
of vitality the coming Spring; length, 240
miles; land grant, 100000 acres of the finest
lands in the West This line crosses the
Iowa river at Marshalltown, the Dcs Moines
at Boonsboro, at both points tenching some
Of the largest coal beds in the State
The Dubuque and Sioux City Railroad has
for its termini: on the east, Dubuque, and
Sioux City, on the Missouri, at the west
length, s25 miles; land grant, 1851 ,0ot
acres; road completed and running / 90 miles
to Cedar Falls Principal points on this roac
are Independence, Cedar Falls, and For
Dodge; the latter on the Des Moincs, ant
probably commercially considered, the mos
impo tant inland town in the State, having
Iinexhaustible coal formations, the larges
gypsum beds in the United States, abundanc,
Of kaoline and limestone, and, as far as geo
logical formations indicate, saline spring.
may be found by boring, all of which mus
be developed by the building of the - & S
C. r. r., and the road up the valley of tn,
Des Moines That these roads will endeavo
to reach Fort Dodge early can be safely con
jectured
The McGregor aud Sioux River Railroad
has for its ternini, McGrcgor: on the Mis-
sissippi, and Nekimi, on the Big Sioux river
and near the mouth of the Red Rock river
This road has no iron laid down, but nearly
twenty-five miles graded. The chef points
on the road are St. Charles, on the Cedar
and Algona. on the Des Moincs rivers This
road has no land grant, but the Government,
holds lands in the Northwest Of the State
that should be appropriated to the building
of so important line The other roads are
those crossing the above at right angles, and
designed to connect with the Minnesota and
Missouri Railroad system. The keokuk
Mount Pleasant and Muscatinc Road, dc.
signed to connect kcokuk and Muscatine
has twenty miles built and running from
keokuk around the Lower Rapids Of the Mis-.
sissippi to Montrose, with fine prospects fo1
further progress. The Keokuk and Mime.
sofa Road is to connect Keokuk and st. Paul
Eria the Des Moines Valley, in importance is
second to none in the State, has already
ninety miles completed, to Ottumwa, grad
| ing well advanced towards Eddyville, twenty
five miles, and under contract to Des Moines
| 1t runs through the largest and richest val
ley in the State, will compete with the D. &
| S. G. r. r. for the traffic in gypsum, coal
| &C.. Of Fort Dodge and the Upper Des Moines
besides opening the pine regions Of Minneso