Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-03-07
Chicago and Tomah Railroad.
CONNECTIONS.


Wisconsin, Green Bay and Minnesota. anc
W it'll the Central Wisconsin.
At Wauzeka with the Prairie Du Chen Di
vision Of the Chicago, Milwaukee & st. Pau
Railway. At Belmont with Patteville hrancl
of the Mineral Point Railroad, and at or neal
Belmont, with the GaIena and Wisconsin
Southwestern Narrow Gauge Railroad. A,
Warren, Illinois, with the Illinois Central Rail
road.
LOCATION.
The line is located in Monroe, Vernon
Crawford, Grant, Iowa and Lafayette c ountie:
in Wisconsin. Warren, its connection witt
the Illinois Central Railroad is about three
fourths of mile from the Wisconsin state line
DISTANCE.
The whole length of line in Wisconsin, from
Warren to Tomah, is about 100 miles. 1t i:
about 50 miles from Wauzeka to Tomah. and
about IS miles from Wauzeka to Warren, de
scribed as the Northern and Southern diys.
ions of the road
COMMENCEMENT OF CONSTRUCTION.
The construction of the road was com.
menced at Wauzeka, a connection with the
Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, one
OF the most responsible railroad companies in
the Western States, and thus secures direct
connection with Milwaukee and Chicago. The
H..
liberal rates to railroads with which it con-
meets, and promises liberal rates to the Chi
cago and Tomah also. Fifty-four miles of the
road from Wauzeka northward to Blooming
dale, village in the northern part of Vernon
County,s under construction and nearly ready
for the iron, over forty miles of the grading
being completed. The preliminary work pre-
paratory to construction is mostly done from
Wauzeka to Belmont, 4S miles, to the con-
nection with the Platteville branch of the
Mineral Point Railroad. 1t is proposed to
construct, first, the 81 miles north of Wauze-
ka, and, while the tract is being laid on that
part OF the road, to grade the line from Wau-
zeka to Belmont
The 80 miles northward and 80 miles south
ward from Wauzeka will command the local
traffic of the counties through which it is pro-
posed to build the road, and the rates promis-
ed by the Chicago, Milwaukee g. St Paul Rail-
way will make the business of the road profit
able.
TOPOGRAPHY OF THE LINE OF THE CHICAGO AND
ToMAH RAILROAD.
The first railroads built in the State of Wis
consin were links to connect Lake Michigan
with the Mississippi The Wisconsin river
and the La Crosse river, emptying into the
Mississippi from the east, furnished the only
practicable grades for east and west lines of
railroad through the Western part of the
State. The country in the western part of
The state of Wisconsin, between the La Crosse
river and the Wisconsin river, about Is miles
and between the Wisconsin river and the Ga,
lena river, about 10 miles, through the most
productive part OF the State, has less railroad
mileage,in proportion to its agricultural wealth
than any other part of the State of Wisconsin.
npnhah1u fhan 9th
territory SO well settled in the United States
The line of the Chicago and Tomah Railroad.
from Warren to Tomah, is nearly parallel with
the Mississippi, and an average distance of
about 800 miles from the stream From War
rem to Fennlmore, about 90 miles, the road is
located on the summit of an unbroken divide.
the watershed which divides the waters which
empty into the Mississippi; from the waters
which empty into the Rock river. From Fen.
nmore it descends FOR sixteen miles along the
valley of the Green river to its mouth, where
it empties into the Wisconsin river. Opposite
the mouth of the Green river, on the north
side of the Wisconsin river, is the mouth of
the Kickapoo river, up which for 60 miles the
line is located, at which point the line of the
road reaches the summit of the divide, be-
tween the waters of the Kickapoo on the
south and the waters of the La Crosse and
Lemonwier on the north. The line of the road
follows this divide for ID miles, and then de-
sends along tributary of the Lemonwier to
Tomah. These streams and divides furnish a
natural line for a railroad which is remarkable
for its cheapness of construction, and furnish
es grades favorable for cheapness of operation.
There are no heavy entertainments and ex-
tremely few cuttings, so that the danger of
snow blockades in winter is avoided. The
'Hnnl a,N1,r A( H. II
impracticable to build a north and south road
within % miles either cast or west of it, and
no east or west road can be built with prac,
ticable grades between the roads already built
it will not be likely to be interfered with by
any roads to be built in competition with it.
A LINE OF BOTH LOCAL AND THROUGH TRAFFIC.
The building of the road from Warren to
Tomah not only furnishes greatly needed faci-
tiles for local traffic, but unites the system of
railroads in the northern part of the State of
Wisconsin with the roads Of Sonth~W Western
Wisconsin, Iowa and Northwestern Illinois.
1t unites by the most practicable and shortest
line, the Illinois Central Railroad with the
Wisconsin Central, making the most direct
and shortest line from Cairo to Lake Superior.
1t forms, by means of The Wisconsin Valley
Railroad, which is now in operation from
Tomah northward to Wausau, 90 miles up the
Wisconsin river, direct connection with the
pine producing portion of Wisconsin, and the
prairies of Iowa, Southwest Wisconsin and
Western Illinois.
GAUGE OF THE ROAD.
The gauge of the road is three feet This
gauge was chosen because the experience of
the last few years has shown that while a
road of this gauge can be built at greatly re>
duced cost it can do the busines, both pass
enger and freight, equally well, and at saw
ing more than enough to many times compen-
safe for the cost and inconvenience of transfer.
THE COUNTRY.
The counties of Lafayette, Iowa and Grant,
on the south Of the Wisconsin river, traversed
by the road, are rolling prairies, very product
i've, and along the line of the road, all fenced.
In the western part of Iowa county and the
eastern part of Grant there are rich deposits
of lead and zinc, which are extensively mined
and furnish much traffic. The ziuc ore is at
present hauled to the Mineral Point road and
taken to La Sale to be smelted. Crawford,
Vernon and Monroe counties on the north Of
the Wisconsin river, are considerably uns
even, but productive west of the Kickapoo
is mostly prairie east of the Kickapoo is the
heaviest body of hardwood timber in the
southern part of the State west of Lake Mich
igaH. The timber lands are good soil and
bear the best of winter wheat, and are quite
thickly settled by hardy and industrious pop
ulation. The timber is hard maple, oak, bass
wood, hickory and elm, and viii furnish a
large traffic for the road.
ESTIMATED COST OF CONSTRUCTION OF THE CHICA-
GO AND ToMAH RAILROAD FROM THE SOUTH
LINE OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN TO
ToNAH. IN TWO DIVISIONS.
From South Line of the State 10 Tie crossing
ofde O., II. d 81. r. K. r.
Grading, per mile, .............. $500
Bridging, per mile, including bridge
across Wisconsin river estimated at
$25, 600, ............ 400
Tying, per mile. ago
Right OF way, per mile ..... ........ 400
Iron, per mile, 1850
Fish-plates, per mile, .. sc
Bolts, per mile. 80
Track laying and surfacing per mile,.. 4o0
Spikes, per mile, ...... =. -. zoe
Frogs and switches, per mile. ..... &c
Rolling stock, per mile, ........ $50
Depot buildings, per mile, ........ loo
Water stations, per mile. ...... 81
Turn tables, per mile. ............. II