Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1863-11-19
A Railroad for the Cedar Valley.

| aid OF the 3lst ult., that the Mlnneapo-
lis, Faribault and Cedar Valley Rail-
road Company, known also as the Min
nesota Central r. r. Co., has been
re6rganized and large amount of
capital put in, chiefly by the present
owners of the Milwaukee and st. Paul
r. r. The road is now under con-
tract from Minneapolis to Owatonie,
a distance of sixty-fivc miles, at which
point it connects with the Winona a.
St. Peters r. r., eighty miles west Of
Winona. There are at this time from
two to three hundred workmen &C
lively employed in the construction
of the Minnesota, Faribault and Cedar
Valley Railroad the road bed is near
ly prepared for the iron, which has all
been purchased, partly in Pennsylva-
mia and partly in England, and is to
be delivered at the opening of navi-
cation next spring. The locomotives,
cars and full equipments are all I'M
der contract, to be delivered early in
the spring 1t is the intention of the
present owners of the Minneapolis,
Faribault and Cedar Valley Railroad
to have the whole line in operation
by midsummer of 1864.
We do not know the exact distance
from Owatonie to the Iowa State line,
but it is not far from forty miles.
From the State line to Cedar Falls, the
present western terminus of the ID. Il >.
g. II. r., the distance is Is miles, max
ing a distance in all of between lie
and 100 miles. The line from Otranto,
Iowa and Minnesota border, on the
to Cedar Falls is properly that part of
the road known as the Cedar Valley.
1t runs through Mitchell, Floyd, Chick
asaw, Bremen and Blackhawk counties.
Its road bed is prepared for distance
of probably twenty miles in the aggre-
gate, and the whole labor on the re-
naming portion would be, when COM
pared with other roads, of slight cost
County subscriptions, whether worth
anything or not, have been voted
without limit, and nothing seems want
!. ing but an energetic company to take
hold of the enterprise and push it
through.
i Five months in the year the Missis-
sippi river is blockaded by ice or low
water. Four out of the five months
constitutes the very time when farm
ers are able to move their produce at
the least cost, but when they are
practically unable to~move it at ALL
IL a railroad were opened up from St.
Paul south to an intersection with the
Dubuque Road, the winter season in
stead of being the dullest would be
the liyeliest and most prosperous. 1t
would relieve the burdened granaries
of the most fertile portions of Iowa
and Minnesota and be of incalcuable
benefit, not only to the communities
along the line, but to Dubuque and
her eastern outlets. ..
| Dubuque has something to do, and
strive for, if she wishes TO maintain
her supremacy or become a city. She
must not only take hold of the Cedar
Valley road but she must free herself
from the Illinois Central Monopoly Ivy
cutting out another connection with
the East. A bare reach of SIS miles
| Vi iOdu MAINTAINS u IiOHbppiN iSit py
every business man i'm Dubuque and
west of us. There is no competition in
freights and as consequence freights
are high. We are not even allowed
to manage our own business hut are
obliged to permit it to be handled 10y
a stocK.jobbing concern at rates 100
! per cent. above what private enter,
prise could secure.
A railroad North from our western
terminus and q railroad East to Mil
waukee are our necessities The first
named is the most important and the
most promising ofsuccess. 1t is most
important, because it is feeder to
Dubuque and the most practicable be-
cause the people along its line are
NEST sensible of the advantages that
would accrue to them by its construc-
ton. Can we not induce some east
ern road or capitalists to take hold ?
The people are waiting to assist who
ever strikes blow in earnest--Du-
buqae Herald. E...