Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1916-11-15
RAILROAD OEvELOPM'T
Continued from Page One.)

renee to mingle with the cold waters
of the north Atlantic. At Portage
these waters, at times, meet with
out the aid of canal, and the short
distance between the headwaters OF
the Wisconsin and the streams that
flow north and east made these
streams the early highways that natur-
ally tempted the birch canoe of the
Indian and fur trader to wilder fields
of adventure and trade 1t was due
to these waters that the primeval for
ests of southwestern Wisconsin were
filled with happy rowing daredevil
French. 1t was these rivers that made
distant Wisconsin factor in the early
history Of our continent.
AS early as 1866 John Carver, in
speaking of southwestern Wisconsin
said that due to the Mississippi riv-
er the early settlers would have the
advantage of conveying their produce
to market"
In 1889 an article on the Wisconsin
territory in the Home Missionary
says: "An interesting feature i'll the
physical character of the country is
the great facilities which it promises
for communication by water"
Between 1920 and 1880 the steam
boat was introduced on the upper
Mississippi river and as early as 1922
there is a record of transportation be
tween southwestern Wisconsin and
St. Louis. These were the days be-
fore the railroad and southwestern
Wisconsin had equal ODDOrtunitv sc
far as transportation was concerned
with most other sections of the state
except the lake bordering counties in
the eastern part. Lead production
together with facilities for river tran
spOrtation made southwestern WiscOn-
sin the most populous section of the
state for Is years prior to 1870
Even at this date (1S40) the popu-
latiOn Of Grant county was exceeded
by only two other counties in the
Milwaukee and Racine. Not
only was southwestern Wisconsin the
most pOpulOus section up until about
1910, but it led in other ways. Grant
county led in the manufacture of brick
and soap and tallow candles, aud
Grant and Iowa counties had three
out OF the four flour mills in the state
up to 1870 These counties produced
One-half of all the oats produced in
Wisconsin territory up until 1870
But before 1916 (the time Of the
first constitutional convention) the
eastern and southeastern counties of
the state jumped to a population far
beyond the dreams of southwestern
Wisconsin. The southwestern coun-
ties surrendered their supremacy.
Less than 70 years ago Wisconsin
was without mile Of railroad Less
than 20 years ago too, the great rail
road race to the Pacific coast began
and Wisconsin was in the pathway Of
this mighty movement
There was discussion of railroad
building long before that time, though.
There were several conflicting inter
ests. Green Bay, Kenosha, Racine
and Milwaukee were all rivals for the
trade Of the interior and there were
strong commercial ties drawing south
western Wisconsin toward the MissisS-
ippi river. St. Louis and New Orleans
on the south and the Ohio-Pittsburg
route to the Esast.
The first message of the first terri
torial governor, Henry Dodge pointed
out that railroad was needed to com
mence at some suitable point OIL the
Mississippi river, pass through the
mining country to Rock river and di-
rect to Lake Michigan, and the only
railroad charter granted at this SEES
sion OF the territorial legislature was
for the construction Of a railroad
trOm Belmont in Iowa county to the
nearest and most eligible point on the |
Mississippi with power to extend the
road through Belmont to Mineral |
Point and to Dodgeville The lead
region and the country between that
and Milwaukee were pressing for bet
ter transportation and Milwaukee was
beginning to move for a railroad to
the Mississippi lest some other lake
port should secure the business. The
Milwaukee and Waukesha was the first
chartered railroad and was pushed out
by Milwaukee in a spirit of haste to
reach the coveted southwestern part
OF the state This road later became
the present Chicago, Milwaukee and |
st. Paul road, and while it was begun
at Milwaukee about 1850 it did not
reach Platteville until in May. 1870. |
But it ran into Madison in 1854 and
reached La Crosse in 1858.
| ind no record Of the people in
southwestern Wisconsin working for
and agitating the building of this rail
road But it ran to Lacrosse because
the public spirited citizens demanded
It and worked for it in season and out. |
The road originated in the call of the
new settlements Oh the western front
Ter for an eastern outlet.
| quote from a La Crosse newspaper
published in April, 1858 which was
aimed at dressing down the croakers
who predicted that La Crosse would
never have a railroad, and said:
The early settlers had q CtrOu