The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-07-03

who had laid the quarter of a mile of
road was finished to- ST.. Anthony, and
the first excursion train was run on that
date with W. C. Gardner as engineer Of
the William Crooks. and J. B. Rice as
train conductor. The excursionists re-
ported good time on the trip through
the farms between the two places, a
section now largely laid out in city lots
Although there were two daily papers
In St Paul at this time, no mention was
made Of the excursion until July 5. three
days after the event which inaugurated
railroad business in Minnesota No men
ton appeared in print of the arrival of
the William Crooks In the previous Oc-
tober.
James j. Hill to the Front
The panic of 1873 wrecked the St Paul
& Pacific company and it passed into the
hands Of a receiver. J., J. Hill was sta
ton agent at st. Paul and was also in
terested In steamboat line on the Red
river. Mr. Hill endeavored to organize
company to take over the bankrupt
property, and it was not until June, 1879.
that the final foreclosure DEGREES were en-
tered and the ST. Paul. Minneapolis e.
Manitoba railway took possession of the
632 miles Of track belonging to the ST.
Paul & Pacific. The new company was
Differed by George Stephens, president;
R. B. Angus, vice president; Edward Saw
yer, secretary and treasurer, and James
j. Hill, general manager. In 1882 Mr.
Angus retired and was succeeded by Mr..
Hill, whose place as general manager
was taken by Allan Marvel On Feb. 1.
1880. the Great Northern Railway COM
pany. which now directly includes more
than dozen different railway corpora
lions, assumed control of the st. Paul,
Minneapolis & Manitoba.
The first Of the three transcontfnentar
lines running from st. Paul was the
creating 1t having been signed by Presi-
dent Lincoln July 2, 1854, exactly two
years after ST. Paul sent out her first
railroad train on a run of ten miles to
which is now East Minneapolis. Con-
structiou ON the Northern Pacific began
IN 1853, but it was not completed as
through line to the coast until 1883, the
celebration of which took place In st. Paul
Sept p
Landmarks of Progress
When the first railway train left st.
Paul July 2. 1862. for st. Anthony, ten
miles away, the Capital City had less
than 5000 population, and the people of
Minnesota numbered about 2o0.eee.
Now st. Paul Is pushing along to the
100000 mark IN population and is hub
which radiates railway lines In all direc-
lions. like srokes in Wheel and the
number of passenger trains alone daily
leaving the city has swelIed from one,
with its toy engine and '.dinky' little
cars. with oil lamps and wood stoves, to
more than 100 spiendidly equipped trains,
not to speak of hundreds OF freight
trains, which go and come every day from
the yards OF the different companies, and
from the Minnesota Transfer. The NUM-
Der Of passenger trains from the union
station is not as large as formerly, when
there was a suburban service suppIanted
now by eleetric lines, but the trains are
more than double In number Of cars and
the cars are one-half larger In capacity
and superb In furnishings,
mfIlioa square miles of territory. a.
greater region than the original United
States, and richer far In material re-