Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1866-06-08
IOWA CENTRAL RAILROAD.
Its Location Advantages and Prospects.
Resolutions of tho North Missouri Rail-
road Company.


OFFICE OF THE Iowa CENTRAL II. II. COL
cSKAIoosA, Iowa, May H. 1885,
Editors Msso,tri Democrat:
Your citizens are very properly be-
coming interested i'm looking after the
trade of Iowa, and consequently rail-
road connection in this direction. An
ticipating this ultimate necessity, our
company was organized in January,
1865, for the purpose of building Il road
from the north end of the North Mis-
souri, railroad on as direct line as prac-
teal, to the north line of the State, to
connect there with tho Minnesota Cen
trail railroad, thus not only giving tho
trade of Iowa to st. Louis, but making
direct and through connection be-
tween st. Louis and st. Paul. In select
ing our route it was determined to go
via Abba, SIS we could follow the Chari-
ton divide, q route that can now be
graded for from 81 200 to 81 400 per mile
instead of attempting to bear east of our
route to Ottumwa, a route over which
it is entirely im;>racticable to find any
general direct line that can DO built for
any sum of money usually applied i'll
the West to the building of railroads. -
At Abba our road connects with the
Burlington and Missouri River railroad,
the same road that passes west through
Ottumwa, which town being only
twenty miles west of Ottumwa, gives
that place direct connection with st.
Louis, Mt much less cost than if the road
should follow the most practical route
to Ottumwa from the North Missouri
railroad, while the North Missouri rail
road has better connection on the west
by this line with the Union Pacific
Railroad. From Abba we go to Eddy
Vile, there connecting with the Des
Moines Valley Railroad, which runs to
Des Moines, the capital of Iowa. From
thence we go to Oskaloosa, where we
connect with the American Central rail-
way now building from Fort Wayne to
Council Bluffs. From thence we 20
across Poweshiek county, crossing the
Mississippi and Missouri River Rail-
road and thence to Toledo, there con-
Meeting with the Chicago, Iowa and
Nebraska Railroad. From thence we
go to Cedar Falls, there connecting
with the Dubuque and Sioux City Rail-
road, ana from thence we go to the
south end of the Minnesota Central
Railroad, having crossed the McGregor
and Northwestern Railroad. Any one
who will take the trouble to look at a
map will see that this is as near an air
line from Macon city to st. Paul as can
possibly be practicai;; that our road runs
through the best settled portion of Iowa;
that 1t crosses at right angles EVERY
east and west road in our State, thus
giving every important town i'm Iowa
access to st. Louis. We now have all
that portion of the road between Cedar
Falls and Toledo under contract, being
n distance of forty miles. We are MAX
ing every effort to put the part of the
line from the north end of the North |
Missouri to Oskaloosa, a distance Of fif- |
ty-five miles under contract, leaving
only gap of some fifty miles to put |
under contract to make complete con-
necti0n as far north as Cedar Falls
The President of the Minnesota Central
writes me that he twill have his line |
complete to Owatonna by the 1st of
September next, and intends to COM
plete it to the State line in 1867, and ex-
poets our road to connect with his there,
10 that the excursion train may have
the track clear from the Falls of st. |
Anthony to st. Louis" and that he has
- no doubt but that the through business
will far exceed our most sanguin expco-
tations." In July last n delegation rep
seven counties along the Lire !
Of our road visited st. Louis in behalf
OF our enterprise, and met with q warm ,
reception and every encouragement E
from your capitalists, and the President
and Directors of the North Missouri y
Il. II. Co. On the faith of these assur-
ances, we renewed our energy. On the /
It'll Of september, the President Of the
North Missouri wrote me, your road
will be built, and you are pursuing the !!
proper course by going really to work.
Push on the work and the balance
needed will come. Do not wait to see
what some one else will do, but go
ahead and do the work-all you can do
land this will give you strength to
the rest Of the means you re-
luire." Ottumwa and Bloomfield not
being in our direct route, we conceived
he idea of calling convention and or
yanizing company to build line
arther east. This convention was cali
ID at Cedar Rapids, and met on the 9th
If fSeptember, 1865. The President of
he North Missouri and some othors
rom st. Louis, were there and assisted
getting up this organization so did
parties interested in the "Chicngo and
Railway" and this COM
,any proposing, as il does, to commence
IN our line, bear cast, and finally return
% our line at Cedar Fails, has been
along until it now says to st.
louis, unless you help us we can go no
urther; while we Of the Iowa Cen
raj" have most Of our line south OF
cedar Falls under contract, without
skiing one dollar from st. Louis. All
We have asked is that st. Louis and her
'oads treat us fairly and do not Interfere
With us or attempt to build up riUm in
erests. 1t is but justice to say that the
President and Directors of the North
Missouri Railroad, at meeting held on
he 10Th of March last, passed the fol-
owing, viz: .,.l. II
OFFICE NORTH Mo. n. r. Co..
ST. LOUIS, March l5 1856. ! #
AT q special meeting of the Board Of
Directors of the North Missouri Rail-
oad Company, held this day, the fol-
owing preamble and resolutions were
adopted, viz:
WHEREAS, The Directory Of the Iowa
central Railroad Company have aonin