Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1884-04-26
Railroads.

and local items referring to the suppOs
cd sale Of the Blair roads to the North
western company which is controlled b,
Vanderbilt. AS the sale included the
Sioux City and Pacific all news regard
ing it is of vital irterest to our Southern
Hills readers as Custer City or some
point on the Cheyenne river will un'
doubtelly he tapped by this road before
the expiration Of 1885 at the furthest
The Sioux City Journal of the 18th con.
tains the following relative to the above
transfer:
The Journal of the Sth inst repnblish
ed an article from the financial columns
Of the New York Herald, giving the
news that the Chicago and Northwestern
was negotiating for the purchase Of the
Blair roads. Tie Journal is thi, morn.
ing enabled to state on the authority OF
a letter from an official Of the road now
at Cedar Rapids, that the sale has been
concluded, and that possession is to be
given July l. The part Of the letter re-
laring to the sale says
The Northwestern has bought the
Iowa Falls and Sioux City. the Sioux
City and Pacific, the Maple Valley, the
Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri Valley,
and in fact all the Blair properties, pos
session to be given July !. The sale
does not include lois and lands.
The Sioux ''ity and Pacific system
which is included in the purchase, COM
priSes the main line between Sioux City
and Missouri Valley, seventy.fve miles
The Fremont, Elkhorn and Missouri
Valley. was the name under which the
Sioux City and Pacific operated its Ne
braska division. The main line of this
division i, 500 miles from Missouri Val.
ley to Valentine, and the brancl, ue-
tween Norfolk and Creighton, forty-two
miles, a total Of 423 miles. 1t inclndes
the magnificent new bridge at Blair,
though this bridge is owned hy another
the Blair and Missouri Valley
The bridge will be crossab'e for cars be-.
fore the road is turned over to its new
owners.
The purchase nv the North~e tern of
the leased roads, and Of the Sioux City
and Paciic makes necessary some build
ing TO weld the system together. The
line that rests at Kingsley will need To
be- continued to Sioux City. To give
the Northwcstern's Dakota system
southern iulet over the Sioux City and
Pacific track will he needed from some
point on the Iro0uis line between Ireton
and Centervlie to Sioux City There
are excellent reasons, too, for believing
hat the Northwestern will extend west
from Valentine TO a cOnHection with the
Central Pacific. Heretofore Sioux Oity
lrade has bcCa able to 90 west as far as
he Sioux City and Pacific track wen
and there is no reason why it should not
20 west with The end OF the track be-
rond Valentine. The rates on freight
10 points between Blair and Valentine
arc the same from Sioux City and Oma
ha. 1t does not appear that the change
m ownership will change this equitable
A letter from VIM Coburn Of Omaha,
who is interested to considerable ex.
tent in Custer county, under date Of the
18th, contains the following:
There is hardly any doubt now but
what the S. {. d p. II. II. will extend
their line beyond Valentine this seoson.
They intend rs near as / can learn to
run through by Fettcrman and connect
with the Central Pacific at or near Oy-
den, running spur to the Hills from
some poiut on the White River"
Mr.. Coburn is in position to And out
as much about the company's intentions
as anyone outside Of the company and
his information tallies with the above
from the Journal Besides this, it stands
to reason that the Vanderbilt roads
would desire an outlet to the Pacific
coast for their immense eastern system
and We have no fears but that their line
will be within days drive of us by the
close of 1884.