The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1905-11-04
Activity in Railroad Construction

Activity IN Railroad CONSTRUCTION
Illinois Wisconsin. Northern Mich
iqan. south Dakota. Wyoming is
large field for exploitation and de-
veIopment. and the plans of..rhe North
Western Line include important De.
velopment In all Of these states
The first feature Of these extensive
plans is the construction Of a line
across Wyoming. This big common
wealth has large area that is without
railway facilities. The western
terminus of The Chicago a North
Western Ry. in that state at present is
Casper. the site of old Fort Casper on
the North Platte River. and the ex-
tension which is now being built will
carry the line directly across the
central portion Of Wyoming to the
!, big Horn river, across that stream and
:, Through what is at present the Wind
River Indian Reservation 10 the
beautiful Lander Valley opening mp
thousands Of square miles in the range
country and furnishing railroad facil-
titles TO the Wind River Reservation,
where one and one half million acres
of public lands will be thrown open 10
the homesteader by the Government
next June.
Hardly less important is the new
line across the western part Of South
Dakota, from Pierre, the state capital,
to Rapid City on the eastern border 81
the BLACK Hills.
The Chicago a. North Western Rail
way is the pioneer line 10 the Black
Hills district. and the present line into
the hills was begun almost as soon as
the Indians had sold the territory e
the Government The new line across
Dakota will effect junction with the
old line al Rapid City and will give
Pierre and the range country an i'm.
petus beyond anything that has ever
been done for the region Deadwood
ana Lead in the mining district. Hot
Springs TO the south. and Bells
Fourche, the big cattle shipping point
to the North Of the hills. will thus
secure added railway facilities that
will bring St Paul, Minneapolis and
Duluth, the Lake Superior iron and
copper country and the hardwood dis
trict Of Wisconsin and Northern Mich
igan in closer touch than they have
ever been.
Entirely different from the prairiel
81 Dakota and the range country o.
Wyoming is this hardwood district Of
Northern Wisconsin and the Michigan
Peninsula. Here the tracks of TIL,
North Western Line join in close con
nection, the industrial centers, the iron
and copper district OF Lake Superior
the scores Of lake ports all the way
from Milwaukee, 10 Duluth and TIA,
great tracts Of timber land that are a
waiting development aud are filling ~
rapidly with settlers In this region
The North Western Line il construct
ing several different branches. on
northwest from Mercer one from
lanitowoc on Lake Michigan. through
Green Bay another important LAX
port, north into the heart of the hard
wood district another link extending
from Laona, Wis, 20 the Menomine
River at Saunders, Mich. brancl
line Green Bay to Gillett etc etc
Some Of thess lines are already pract
ically completed, all Of them JOIN olde
lines Of the Chicago a North Western
system and each one promiss TO be ~
important factor in opening up IN
country for unprecedented Commercial
growth
Illinois and Southern Wisconsin az
interested IN this construction work d
two ways First, by reason of tn
heavy interest that the merchants an
manufacturers Of such cities as Chic
ago. Milwaukee and smaller centers Q
industry will feel in the broadening
and deepening OF trade in the territor
which is naturally tributary to them