The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1903-10-31
CHICAGO's FIRST RAILWAY
HALE CENTURY.

Chicago 10 this week celebrating
with pardonable pride and rejoicing
the centennial anniversary of it's fret
settlement by white men. Indian
tribes have been brought here from the
receding wilderness to illustrate the
modes OF life that prevailed a hundred
years ago, and their canoes are plying
the lagoons of Lincoln Park to show
the methods Of passenger and freight
transportation familiar to the Chicago
of 1903 Railways have done some
thing toward the development Of this
city Stree the days of the Indian
traders camp, but in all the rejoicing
and "reminiscences OF the occasion
there is no celebration in honor Of the
centennial of our railways. Historic
verify forbids. The world had not
heard of railways in 1903. It was
about 20 years after the starting of
Chicago before the first locomotive
went into service in the United States,
and our earlies pioneers had to live,
if any did. 40 years after they planted
Chicago before they could see a rail
way track in all this region. Because
our first railway is only fifty-five years
I'D we cannot celebrate its centennial
{, lay, but it is appropriate to remind
ourselves of what railway building has
done in little more than half
century toward making great city
out of the hamlet in the swamps of
the Chicago River
AS early as 1888 few far-seeing
men among the pioneers in the
country between Lake Michigan and
the Mississippi River determined that
railway ought to be built to Galena.
an ambitious town in the lead mining
regions, 10 miles 10 the northwest Of
this point They secured charter
for the Galena 81 Chicago Union Rail
road, giving Galena the honor of pre-
cedence in the title, because it was
the more important place. Why was
ii determined that the first railroad
should start for Galena from this
little town on Lake Michigan Simply
because there were a few men here OF
the railway building spirit. These
men might have started a Chicago at
some other point on the lake more at
tractive ty nature than this. They
might have stuck their stakes at the
mouth OF the Calumet, a broader and
deeper stream than the Chicago; or Al
the site of Michigan City, by the
head of the great lake. 90 miles nearer
the East and on more direct line to
the western regions toward which
railways had begun TO point from Lake
Erie. or at one Of the favored landing
places. where now stand Waukegsn.
Kenosha, Racine and Milwaukee,. TIE
pioneer railway was to determine the
location of the greatest railway center
In the world. and when William b.
Ogden and his associates determined
that there should be the starting poipt
OF the railway to unite Galena with the
lake, they did the thing which made
Chicago.
IL was ~ years after the charter was
granted before the first piece OF road
was completed. The panic OF 1887
stopped the surveys. and construction
was not begun until ls47. but on
November 20, lS4S, the Galena q
Chicago Union Railroad ran its first
train from Chicago west to Harlem,
10 miles. Within three years IL had
reached Elgin, 43 miles, and by 1854
had been extended to Freeport, l2O
miles westerly from Chicago, where
il stopped for good. The Galena road
never reached Galena. The gap of 81
miles between Freeport and the or
iginal goal of its ambition was sub
stantially filed by the construction Of
the Illinois Central on it's way TO Dub
uque, and the Galena & Chicago
Union Company, having decided on a
more direct line to the Mississippi
River, built the Dixon Air Lin"
from Turner junction on the old road,
80 miles west OF Chicago, on to the
Mississippi, which was reached at the
end of 1855. The pioneer road had built
a branch, from Belvidere. ILL.,, into
Wisconsin and was proposing an ex-
tension to the northwest when n COM
petitor. under the name Of the Chicago
st. Paul a. Fond du Lac. began TO
build road direct from Chicago into
the same Wisconsin territory That
road became the Chicago a. North
western and It's line now forms the