Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1868-05-01
Our Railroad.

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When the railroad was completed to Min
eral Point some ten years or more since,
that town was in its decadence The stim-
ulus given to it's growth and prosperity
from its mines, the location of the land Of
flee and the county seat, had ceased to con-
tribute to its further prosperity.
In the era when railroads were being
pushed from the lake-shore westward to
the Mississippi, the enterprise, and manip-
ulations of the Mineral Pointers, succeeded
in securing connection with them, and
from the moment the railroad was compile
ted there to this time, Mineral Point has
been continually growing and prospering,
Until at this time few cities of it's size in
the west exceed it in business activity.
All this prosperity has resulted from its
railroad connection. Had she remained
isolated as formerly, mere interior mining
village, her population would not probably
have been near so large to-day as ten years
since, and her destiny been that of linger-
ing decay and death, the value of her prop
erty not one-fifth of what it is now, and
her present and future business insignifi-
can't t#
Dodgevlle possessed as great popula-
ton, and the value of her property was as
much ten years ago as to-day, notwith-
standing Mineral Point has lost county
seat and land Office, and Dodgeville has
gained county seat. Mineral Point has
become the market place of an immense
amount of the products of the country,
and manufacture and trade are there pros
porous and vigorous. .t.....as
The Rip Van Winkle sleep of Dodgeville
must be broken, or the ultimate fate which
has overtaken most if not all merely min
ing villages will be ours with as fine a
country around us as there is in the west,
with natural roads approaching US from
every quarter of the country, there is moth.
ing needed for our permanent future pros
perity but the extension of the Mineral
Point railroad to this place.
The costs of this extension bears no ad-
equate proportion to its results. The in
creased valuation of property would alone
be far greater than the cost the mo-
sment the road is completed, and after this
the business activity and prosperity of the
town, bringing along with it superior edu-
cational and religious advantages, and
placing us in position to keep pace with
the advancing and progressive spirit of
the age, would be almost incalculable.
And another consideration of striking and
imperative importance is. that to save even
the present value of property here, this
town must have a railroad connection.
Those who have valuable property and i'm
provements here cannot afford to let them
become in few years comparatively worth
less. The stake is too great for our citi-
zens to remain quiescent. They must put
their shoulders to the wheel. The task
before them does not compare with the
undertaking Of Platteville in building a
railroad from Calamine, distance of Is
or 20 miles.
We may as well be a town Of four or
five thousand people in less than five
years, with plenty of employment for la
Dor, our marts of trade busy, shops active
as to be in our present lethargic state.
Let every one then make up his mind
that we must have railroad, and if need
be, do as the people of Platteville did have
a big bee and do the grading ourselves.