Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1875-07-01
MILWAUKEE, & DUBUQUE RAIL
ROAD.
Concerning the Narrow Gauge How a Cause
and a Correspondent were Improperly Repre-.
sented-A Railroad from the Lake 10 the
MississIppI.

sented-A Railroad from the Lake 10 the
Mississippi.
BosCoBEL, June 28.-EdHor Herald:
In your issue of June "a you copy a
portion of my letter to the Milwaukee
Daily Commercial Times in so gar
bled manner as to take from it the
real meaning and intent. You also
preface that extract by stating that
the writer fasors Prairie du Chen
rather than Dubuque as the terminus
of the Milwaukee e Dubuque narrow
gauge. BY publishing the following
extract, taken from the paper above
referred to, you will show your
readers that the writer was not favor
able to Prairie du CHEN. No doubt
the extract as published by you was
taken from some paper published at
Prairie du Chen, which was fixed up
for the occasion.
| have no doubt you will willingly
publish the extract appended, as
m UGH to set the writer of the same
right before your readers as to show
them that all who reside outside of
your village are not opposed to the
grand movement Lancaster is making
to get out of the wilderness and asso-
ciate herself with the metropolis of
the state.
There is no reason to believe other.
wise than that President Benjamin
and his efficient Board of Directors
will favor this route providing the tax
payers of Lancaster will hold out an
inducement sufficient to warrant the
company to lay their track in that
direction. The people Of Lancaster
need the railroad and the railroad will
want their trade. Lancaster desires
direct communication with Milwau-
kee, and the officers of the road,
whose interests are identified with
that of Milwaukee, are DESTROYS Of
taking to the city all the trade they
can possibly get.
The following is the extract spoken
of, which you will discover reads
much different from that which APP
peared in the HERALD last week: r.
Special correspondence Commercial Times.
BoscoBEL, Wis, June 13.-The ar
tcle published in the Commercial
Times last Thursday, dated from this
place, containing items of interest
concerning the narrow gauge railroad,
has caused the people in this vicinity
to look into the matter, and consider
able feeling is manifested over the
proposed route. For a great many
years the business interests of Bosco-
bel have received their main support
from a large section of country that
will be upon the line of the road nam.
ed, consequently that territory will
find other markets and leave the city
minus large trade.
Some three years ago Muscoda, a
live town on the Prairie du CHEN
road, offered such inducements to
farmers residing in and about the
town of Wingville, Grant county, as
took them from their accustomed
market, Boscobel; and diverted their
trade to Muscoda. This little episode
in the trade of small city, though
seemingly unimportant; touched the
pride and pockets of Boscobel BUSH
ness men, and any project now nam
ed that will have tendency to de-
tradt from her trade awakens an in
terest that is
INTENSE AND LASTING.
On the route designated tor the
Milwaukee q Dubuque narrow gauge
railroad from Dodgeville to Lancas-
ter, lies a rich farming country that
has ever been source Of sustenance
to Boscobel-the magnificent Fenni-
more prairies, Astounding in agricul-
tural resources equalled by few Sec
tons of Wisconsin. The farmers are
wealthy, both in land, stock and
greenbacks; their farms are under a
high state of culture large farms dot
the broad prairies, and the pastures
are now filled with sleek booking
herds. This garden of southwestern
Wisconsin will be a great feeder to
the new road and thus take from Bos-
cobel large trade that she now has.
In order to divert the line of road
and thus save to themselves the large
trade they now have, the Boscobelians
will make proposition to have the
road leave the proposed route at
Wingville and bear northwesterly
down the valley of the Blue River, to
near the junction Of that stream with
the Wisconsin river, thence running
in westerly course through the towns
of Boscobel, Woodman and Wauzeka,
thence to Prairie du CHEN. This
route would be very practical and
might possibly force the completion
of the narrow gauge road now build
ing from Wauzeka northward TO the
pineries, a consumation most devout
ly, wished for by the heavy numbering
firms on the Yellow river.
But there is hardly prospect that
this new idea will receive a favorable
hearing by the Milwaukee e Dubuque
Narrow Gauge company, for the rea-
son that they would not then make
the connection at Dubuque which all
Milwaak is so anxious and concern
ed about. Another point which would
greatly diminish the chances of this
scheme, is the fact that more aid per
mile can be realized over the Lancas-
ter route than any other.
Your correspondent understands
that it is for increased and new bust
ness that Milwaukee capitalists are
engaging in this work. To reach
section of country that is not now. nor