The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1905-09-22
STATE NEWS OF INTEREST
ROAD HAS BEEN LONG WANTED.
South Dakota People Rejoice in Pro-
posed Line,

South Dakota People Rejoice in Pro-
posed Line.
The indications at the present time
are that the long wait of Pierre people
for railway connection with the Black
Hills section of the state is at last to
be realized. The immediate cause OF
the belief is the filing of the articles
of incorporation of the Pierre, Rapid
City & Northwestern railway, and the
report that the right Of way, grade
and franchises of the old Rapid City
Missouri River & st. Paul railway
have been purchased by the North
western company.
These incidents, with the further
one of the transfer of the bridge fran
Hills railway at Pierre to Marvin
Hughitt for a consideration that the
bridge is to be made combination
structure and work to begin before
Dec. 10, all point to active operations.
This rail connection is one which
has been the dream of the people of
both Pierre and Rapid City for the last
twenty-five years. The story of the
efforts in that direction is long one,
and it tells OF many failures of plans
and efforts in that direction.
In 1880, after the Northwestern road
had built to the river at this point, a
surveying crew was sent on west of
the river and worked out for several
miles. This work was followdl by the
blockade of the new line for the win
sent west of Huron for more than
three months and in the spring it was
announced that the work would not be
pushed at that time.
Since that time all effort to secure
action on the part of the Northwest
ern has been without avail, as the
company acquired the Elkhorn road
soon after building to this city, and
with the two lines practically con-
trolled the business of the western
part of the state without further build
ing.
Efforts to build independent lines
have met with failures, although a
number of moves were put on foot
with a hope of success for some Of
them. One of these was the Duluth,
Pierre & Black Hills line, which was
organized by residents of this city and
which in the two capital fights in 1889
and 1899 constructed a grade between
Aberdeen and Pierre with money
raised by bonding the city and county.
Soon after this was completed a deal
was closed with Henry Willard, then
president of the Northern Pacific COM
pany, to iron this grade, but before
the agreement could be carried out
Willard was deposed from the presi-
dency of that system and his sue
cessor refused to carry out the agree
ment. Since then the proposition has
been placed in the hands of various
railroad promoters, but none of them
has made good.
Another move was the Midland Pa
citic, which was to be constructed
from Sioux Falls to the back Hills by
way of Pierre. Several promoters
worked for years to secure action on
this, without any practical result. The
people of Rapid City then took up the
work and organized the Rapid City.
Missouri River & st. Paul Railway
company, which ran a survey from
Rapid City to Pierre and constructed
several miles of grade eastward from
Rapid City down the valley of Box
Elder creek. This company was or
ganiZed more as a basis to work upon
as promoting scheme than with any
intention of actual construction, and
years of effort never got it farther
than such a scheme until now, when
their rights have been purchased by
the Northwestern.
The proposed new line of the North
western will cut close to the territory
into which the Milwaukee road is now
reaching. The Milwaukee survey is
completed to point west of White
Clary Butte. The proposed North
western line keeps along the valley Of
Bad River, which carries it about fif-
teen miles north of these buttes. On
account of the topography of the Bad
Lands sections of the state the Mil
Waukee must reach north of direct
line to the Black Hills before it gets
much farther west. This means that
there is to be a hustle on the part of
both roads for the most advantageous
route, and while the Milwaukee people
have an advantage in their work west
OF the river already accomplished
the Northwestern is in position to
push work both from this end Of their
line to the west and east from Rapid
City, working both ways from the
basis which they control.