Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-11-10
Extension Of the Mineral Point Railroad
to La Crosse.

At meeting of prominent citl>
zens of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, on We'd
nesday, at which Colonel L. b. Stod-
dard, President of the Southern Min :
nesota Railroad. presided, after foil
interchange of opinions with Luther
Beecher, Esq, Of Detroit, President
Of the Mineral Point Railroad, it was
unanimously resolved to procure the
necessary legislation and action for
the city of Lacrosse to issue 5000, 900
of bonds 10 aid in the construction Of
one hundred and three miles of rail
road between Lacrosse and Mineral
Point-sufflcient aid from other
sources having been pledged to in
sure the construction of this road
within two years. The distance from
Lacrosse and Chicago will be about
enty-three miles shorter ria Min>
eral Point than by the existing routes.
The Illinois Central Railroad and the
Galena Division Of the Chicago &
Northwestern Railway will both be
greatly benefited by the opening of
this new route to the Upper Miesis-
sippi Valley. Cornelius Vanderbilt
is largely Interested in the Mineral
Point Railroad, and its stock and
bonds arc in:the hands Of wealthy cap
italists"
We copy the above from the Chi.
cage Tribune OF Friday, and presume
the statement is generally true ss 10
the Intention of that road to move
forward The extension will excite
deep concern because of the property
interests TO be affected. Indeed, it
will be equivalent to new shuttle
and deal of the entire pack of landed
estates, and of the policies and pro-
spectives in the South west counties
of Wisconsin. The Mineral Point
will become one OF the main line
roads of the North West, and by
shortness TO market commanding
competitor for the trade Of the large
country watered by the upper Mis-
sissippi.
II is impossible TO shadow Tho
route of this extension, because the |
full intents OF the stockholders |
are not known. Will they consult
cheapness or diIectness-bottom level |
or ridge route? Will they set to
work without calling among the peo>
pie for aid. or will they allow the
people to bid and OF course have |
some say in route sud points?
One of the routes suggested by the
map is that by way OF the Pine Riv. |
or valley and the head waters of the
Kickapoo. The other is following !
the Military ridge route to the Wis
consin below Prairie du CHEN, thence
by way of the Mississippi river val
ley to Lacrosse.
The latter route is longer by TWEEN, |
ty to thirty miles, but would be cheap
er by hundreds of thousands in the |
cost of structure.
The Pine River route Is the shorter |
and dearer by so much, and the
country is q dense forest, the timber
large and the country thinly popula-
ted Will these dark and unbroken
forests offer great Inducements for
building a railroad, or will they be
Stunned
The route following the old militia.
ry road from Dodgeville west to the
descent to the mouth of the Wiscon>
sin, thence on the east bottom of the
river direct to Lacrosse,
lies through continuous settlement,
having the advantages of tho river
towns and trade, the well worked
country roads, the river supply trade.
and great business ready built up,
with every civilized developement of
an old and rich country. A question
is. how much competition is the Mis-
sissippi during the navigation season,
and do railroads monopGlize or mere
ly share the river trade? II if un-
derstood that the most u river can do
is to feed railroad, or perform the
part of conductor in supplying
freight from distance. Rivers are
never competitors to railroads, but |
always become part of the machin
cry tor transporting trade to the |
cars.