, 1903-01-22
and farms where wild prairie had

ana lOf tnlS uOuDie lIdch
line, where great trains OF live stock
and grain move in long lines eastward
to feed not only the eastern states, but
to afford an outlet Tor the products OF
what is now, more than eve before,
the granary OF the world.
To the westward there is also a con-
tinuous stream of travel. The North
western line, with its connections, op-
crates three daily passenger trains be-
tween Denver and Chicago and three
from San Francisco to the east. One
of these, known as the Overland Linn
tied, is probably the most luxurious
and beautiful train in. the world.
Through Pullman service from Den
yer, Ogden, Cheyenne, Portland, San
Francisco and Omaha to Chicago
daily. AS to freight movements, the
great double track system across the
plains is busy carrying manuiacturs
for Asiatic Russia, cotton cloths for
the Chinese, various articles required
by the pioneers who have crossed the
Pacific to Manila and gone north to
the gold mines of Alaska; as well as
the tremendous traffic for Colorado,
Wyoming, Utah and the Pacific north
west, comprising the product of every
known banch of the countrv's CONNER
cial activity.
1t was in 1S4S that the Galena and
Chicago Union, having been complet-
ed from Chicago to the Des PLANES
river, a distance of ten miles, the first
train over the line opened the traffic
to Chicago by stopping on its way east
to take OF a farmers load of wheat,
the first grain shipment by rail to Chi
cago from the west. 1t may be i'm
agined that this wheat was hardly des-
tined for export, and that the travellers
on this junket of early days little
thought to what proportions this
nucleus of a great railway system
would grow.
But the road grew and in 1867 the
line to Council Bluffs was completed,
and the Pawnees on the Platte and the
Sioux on the Missouri began to feel
the crowding OF the white mans out
posts. In 1880 Iowa. Minnesota n
Wisconsin had become well settled,
while along the Platte the Indians still
remained. The Northwestern had,
however, built a line across southern
Minnesota and into Dakota as far Is
WATERFOWL, with feeders to various
points, while in Wisconsin and north
ern Michigan lines had been extended
into the Lake Superior district through
Escanaba to Negaunee and Ishpeming.
This all seems very recent, but since
that time the system has grown until
it penetrates nine states of the Union,
and its heavy lines OF freight trains
and its palatial passenger service
reach all important points from Chi
cago to Milwaukee, Madison, St. Paul
and Minneapolis, Duluth and Superior,
Omaha, the Black hills and Colorado,
with three fast trains between Denver,
Salt Lake, Ogden, Cheyenne and Chi
cago daily; fast service to and from
the Pacific coast.
With all this development in various
directions the Northwestern has never
for a moment lost sight of the great
fact that the transcontinental business
of this nation is, for many years to
come, to furnish a great volume of
traffic. The Chicago and Northwest
ern is the pioneer transcontinental
line. Its little ten mics forerunner
of 1913, reached bravely out to the
great west, has always kept just a lit
tie ahead OF the fast pace set for pro-
gress by the young man who, taking
Greeley's famous advice. has gone
west, until the west and the far east
are ready to join hands as one.
The Northwestern has played an i'm
portant part in the growth of the west
ern country. Double track trunk lines,
heavy locomotives and palacc-like pas
senger trains have all come to the
west largely as a result of the work OF
this pioneer line. Elevated tracks in
Chicago, electric BLOCK signals, daily
overland trains, and the steady reduc-
ton in time, for trans-Missouri pas
sengers have all been f%urthered to a
very great degree by the Northwest
ern.
A highly important addition to its
through service was the recent inaug-
~uration of personally conducted ex-
cursions in Pullman tourist sleeping
cars between Denver, Colorado
/ Springs. Pueblo, Glenwood Springs
and Salt Lake City and Chicago. This
in addition to the service of daily and
personally conducted excursions f1on
Ogden, Laramie and Cheyenne via the
Union Pacific main line.
The completion of the first double
track between Chicago and the Mis-
souri, river, puts the road not only at
the front al compared with the other
western roads, but in advance Of many
of the eastern lines that traverse
country where the population is much
more dense.
This double track is part of the gen
eral plan on the part of the North
western, the Union Pacific and the
Southern Pacific to make the facilities