Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-11-03
OLD LANDMARK
WILL Be GONE
TRACKS OF WABASH RAILROAD
IN SOUTH oTTUMWA ARE
BEING REMOVED
Story Of Project Which Was Never
Finished-Interesting Features Con-
nected With Rails not Used-caused
City and Company Trouble.

With the taking out of the rails OF
the Wabash track extending along the
south bank of the river in South OF
tumwa, the final chapter in the history
of that piece of railroad is added
According to officials the reason that
the steel rails are being removed is
that the Wabash company las con-
demned them. Whether this is the
fact or not, it does no. lessen the In
terest attached to the story of the rail-
road in Ottumwa which was never
used.
In the years that have gone, this
particular piece of railroad engineer.
Ing caused the city not little trouble
as well as being bothersome feature
for the Wabash railroad company.
OF the younger generation Of South
Ottumwa residents, few know the his.
tory of the old Wabash track. They
have passed up and down 1t while hunt
ing the fishing holes along the river
or going to the woods along it's weedy
way hunting for wild flo rers. When
children they played upon the old
trestle in the vicinity Of .Jaffcies grove,
but few of them know why those old
rusty rails, upon the wea.perbeaten
To Go To Abba.
In the year 1892 the Wabash railroad
company secured a right Of way from
this city to Abba.
1t was the intention of The company
to build a branch from Ottumwa to Des
Moines. Work was begun and the road
as far as the Milwaukee junction was
completed. The first train, run over
the new road on trial trip, was the
last one.
When the great panic OF 1893 struck
this country and almost all railroad
improvements were suspended, the
work of building the new branch Of
the Wabash to Des Moines, was also
stopped.
After the days Of the panic were
over, a new management took hold of
the Wabash and with 1t came the
settled fact of the new branch. The
new management decided to build a
cut off from Moulton to Abba, which
was done, the Ottumwa project being
entirely abandoned.
Causes Trouble.
As years went by and weeds grew up
between the rusted rails; as culverts
and trestles sunk beneath the grade
the once projected enterprise became
a bone of contention between the city
and the railroad company, causing
both considerable trouble.
With the neglect of the railroad
company to keep the right of way in
repair, the city claimed that the rail
road company had forfeited the fran
chise.
On the other hand the company
claimed that it had bought the land
that the tracks were on and that il
had right to do whatever it saw fiji
with its own property. Who is right
in the matter is a point that would
have to be settled by law.
Recently the citizens of South OF
tumwa made movement towards hav
ing the railroad company repair the
track in order that it might be an in
ducement to factories wishing to 10
cate In that part of the city, givine
good switch facilities.
Nothing definite was done along
this line however and now the ole
rusty rails are being torn from theil
long resting place. This step removes
one of the old familiar landmarks or
that side of the river, a railroad which
was never used.