Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-11-08
NEARLY 5OYEARSOLD.
History Of the Chicago; Milwaukee
& st. Paul Railroad Briefly Told.
STARTED WITH 20 MILES OF LINE.
Now Gridirons Six States With 6se6
Miles of Main Track-When Some
of the Important Changes Took
Place.

miISS VI WAN lTdCK-Wnen Dome
of the Important Changes Took
Place.
A long, narrow, pale-green booklet
issued by the Chicago, Milwaukee and
st. Paul railway company is called
"a Brief History" OF that road, in
which reference is made to the tine
the road built into Ottumwa. 1t is
written by Luis Jackson, industrial
commissioner of Wisconsin, and con-
tains some meaty reading, about the
rapid rise of the railroad and of the
great progress of the territory thru
which it passes.
A cursory glance thru the pages re-
veals that this railroad had humble
birth February 25, 1851, when a line
twenty miles in length reaching from
Milwaukee to Waukesha was built.
The first shrill whistle of locomotive
on that line was heard on the above
date, but now the whistles of locomo-
tives of this line are heard all over
this middle west country from Lake
Michigan to the western bounds Of the
Dakotas and down to Kansas City, and
the twenty miles has expanded 20
6,396 miles.
Soon after the first short line was
laid other roads were absorbed and
in 1853 the Milwaukee and st. Paul
Railway company was organized. This
was later merged into the Chicago, Mil
waukee and St. Paul. a name which it
now retains. This road was the first
to connect Minneapolis and st. Paul
with the east. In 1873 trains over this
line entered Chicago.
Into Iowa in 1864.
In 1864 lines were constructed in
Iowa. Other branches were built and
acquired until continuous track from
Milwaukee or Chicago reached Coun-
CHI Bluffs and Omaha. 1882; Kansas
City, 1887; GAINESVILLE, Wis, 1853; Rip
on, wis, 1856; Mason City, Iowa,
1869; Dubuque, Iowa, 1871; Oshkosh,
1871; Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1872; DAY.
export, Iowa, 1872, Mankato, Mimi,
1874; Wausau, Wis, 1875; Merrill,
Wis, 1879; Fond du Lac, Wis, 1877;
Sioux Falls, S. D., from the Iowa and
Dakota division, 1880; Sioux City,
Iowa, from the Iowa and Dakota d.
vision, 1880; Aberdeen, S. D., via The
Hastings and Dakota division, 1881;
Chamberlin, S. D., the terminus of the
Iowa and Dakota division. 1881;
Woonsocket, S. D., via the Southern
Minnesota division, 1888; Ottumwa,
1884; Fargo, N. D., 1884, Star Lake,
Wis, 1895:
The building of tits pioneer road
was attended with difficulties. The
country was new. Capital was Init
ed. 1t is now estimated that the aver
age price of land thru which the
road passes is $50 per acre. In 1850
the price averaged $1.25. In the same
year the census of Wisconsin was $685.
S91; Iowa, 1924; Minnesota, 6,077;
and Dakota was not even mentioned
in the census report. The company
interested itself in emigration and
turned its attention to Germany, Den
mark, Norway, Sweden, England,
Scotland, Ireland, Wales Holland, Bel
GUM, Poland, Russia and Bohemia.
French Canadians were also induced
to settle in this territory. These for,
eigners were of sturdy thrifty class
and soon developed the country won
derfully.
Expansion of Population.
The following will show the census
by decades in the roads territory:
Wisconsin, 1860, 775,Ssl; 1870, 1,054,
$40; 1880, 1,315, 497; 1890, 1,6S6,SSC,
1900, 2,Oes, 500. Iowa. 1860, STA, e12;
1870, 1,1s4 ,020; 1880, 1,624,615; 1890
1s11 ,sss; 1900, 2,251,s2s Minnesota
1860, 172,O23; 1870, 439,706; 1880, 7so,
773; 1890, 1,301,S26; 1900, 1,751,595
Dakota Territory, 1860, 4,s37; 1870, a.,
q ~ nol no
1919; 1900, 319,040. South Dakota
1890, 2s,SOS; 1900, 4o1,559.
Agriculture developed at once, coal
mines were opened in Iowa and Mis-
souri,, ore mines were developed in
northern Michigan, all sorts of timber
freclay, copper granite, iron pyrites
and many other resources were found
Manufacturing began, the big packing
centers began to grow, paper mills
were opened and the diversity of In
dustries became beWildering in plen.
titude At the present time the road
owns 6,396 miles of main track with
1874 miles of second track and siding,
making a grand total of 1920 miles
The road today operates some of the
most comfortable and luxurious trains
in the world and among them is the
famous Omaha, Sioux City, Des Moines
and Chicago express.
The lines of this company gridiron
the country from Lake Michigan to the
Missouri river and net work of lines
covers the state of Iowa. From small
beginnings there has been a marve
lous growth in this stretch of half a
century.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS,