Mower County, Minnesota - Coming of the Railroads, 1911

Coming of the Railroads

Old Land Grant Roads With Extensive Concessions - Roadbed Graded Through Mower County - Engine Reaches Le Roy - Freight Car Passes Through Mower County from New York to St. Paul - Later Growth and Development of the Railroad System in the County - Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul - Chicago Great Western - Illinois Central.

]\Iower ccmnty is crossed by the lines of three great railways: The Chicago, ^Milwaukee & St. Paul, the Chicago Great Western and the Dubuque & Sioux City, operated by the Illinois Central. The Chicago, ^Milwaukee & St. Paul has two lines and five divisions in the county. The Iowa & ^Minnesota line has stations in this county at Lansing. Ramsey, Austin, Rose Creek, Adams, Taopi and Lc Rov. The :\Lis()ii Citv to Austin line lias stations in tliis county at Lansing, Ramsey, Varco and Lyle. These two lines embrace the following divisions : Iowa and Minnesota ; Mason City to Austin; St. Paul, Minneapolis and Des Moines; and the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Kansas City. The Southern Minnesota division has stations in this county at Ramsey, Brownsdale, Dexter and Grand Meadow. The Chicago Great Western has also three lines in this county. The Minneapolis & St. Paul-Council Bluffs & Omaha Short line has stations in this county at Waltham, Mayville, Austin, Varco and Lyle. The Minneapolis & St. Paul- Chicago & Dubuque line, which in this county is identical with the Minneapolis & St. Paul-Des Moines, St. Joseph, Leavenworth & Kansas City short line, has stations in this county at Sargeant, Renova, Elkton and Taopi. The Minneapolis, St. Paul, Red "Wing, Rochester and Osage line, leased from the "Wisconsin, Minnesota & Pacific Railway Company, has stations at Racine and Le Roy in this county. The Dubuque & Sioux City, operated by the Illinois Central, has one branch, the Cedar Falls & Minnesota in this county, and one station, Lyle.

These roads have been built at various times, and under varying circumstances. The proposition for a railroad in Mower county was made in 1854, when the JMinnesota & Northwestern Railroad Company was incorporated by the legislature to construct a line from Lake Superior by way of St. Paul, by the most practicable route to the Iowa line. This company was given a grant of alternate sections, six sections wide, on either side of the road it should build from the Iowa line northward, anywhere ^between ranges 9 and 17. This would have made it possible for the company to have secured control of considerable land in Mower county. In 1838 the grant to this company was made still more definite, and inchuling the building of a line road that should leave the Iowa line west of section thirteen and pass through Austin. The provisions of the grant were not complied with by the road, and the company never came into possession of the grant. In 1858 the grade for the Minneapolis & Cedar Valley road was made in this county. Then came nine years of waiting, during which time various propositions and wildcat plans were afloat. After this, on September 9, 1867, the first railroad engine ever operated in I\lower comity reached Le Roy.

The Minnesota & Northwestern. On June 29. 1854, the T'nited States congress passed an act to aid the territory of ^Minnesota in the construction of a railroad from the southern line of the territory, commencing at a point between ranges 9 and 17; thence by way of St. Paul, by the most practicable route to the eastern line of the territory of Lake Superior. The act granted every alternate section of land, six sections in width, designated by odd numbers on both sides of road as it should be built. In the terri- torial legislature of 1854, Joseph R. Brown introduced a bill to incorporate the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad Company. It was passed at midnight, on the last day of the session, and, contrary to expectation, Governor Gorman signed it. The route designated was from some point on Lake Superior by way of St. Paul to the Iowa line in the direction of Dubuque. As will be seen, the proposed route of the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad Company was identical with that mentioned in the land grant. After alterations and amendments, and charges of fraud both in the territorial legislattire and in Congress, the land grant act was repealed by congress. The company, however, contended that congress had no right to appeal the act. The higher courts also upheld the congressional repeal. The matter caused much discussion in succeeding sessions of the legislature, but in 1855 the legislature passed an act to amend the incorporation of the Minnesota & Northwestern Railroad Company over the governor's veto. In 1856 the time for the building of the road was extended, and the extension approved by the governor. The road was chartered May 23, 1857, to build a line from the Iowa state line, somewhere west of section thirteen, via Austin, Mankato, etc., to New Ulm, Minn. In 1858, in a joint session, the legislature confirmed the territorial land grant of 1854, congress in the meantime having made liberal provision for the giving of land grants to such railroads as should build in Minnesota. It was as the Minnesota & Northwestern that the Chicago Great "Western line from Hayfield to Omaha was first laid in this county.

The Land Grant Roads

An act Avas approved by the Minnesota territorial legislature May 22, 1857, creating four railroad corporations, and granting them alternate sections, designated by odd numbers, six miles in width on each side of the roads and their branches, this being in accord with the liberal railroad land grant by congress. These four railroad corporations, viz.. the Minnesota & Pacific Railroad Company (changed to St. Paul & Paeifie Railroad Company) : the Minneapolis & Cedar A^alley Railroad Company; the Transit Railroad Company (changed to Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company) ; and the Root River Valley & Southern Minnesota Railroad Company. The first named was created originally by this act. The latter three had already been organized. The companies were to pay three per cent of their gross earnings in lieu of taxes and assessments, and the lands granted by congress were to be. exempt from all taxation vantil sold and conveyaneed by the companies. The corporations were generally given ten years to con- struct their respective roads. The financial embarrassments of 1857 -retarded the progress of railroad building; and it also became evident that the parties who had obtained the railway charters mentioned had neither the money or credit to complete these great highways of internal improvements.

The territory of ]\Iinnesota was admitted to statehood May 11, 1858. The constitution ratified and adopted October 13, 1857, provided in article 10, section 2, that "no corporations shall be formed under special acts except for municipal purposes"; and it still further provided that "the credit of the state shall never be given nor loaned, in the aid of any individual, association or corporation. ' ' Notwithstanding the strong feeling worked up over the talk of getting bonds in the aid of railroads so badly needed in the state, the first act of the legislature, which was approved March 9, 1858, before the state was admitted, was to submit an amendment to the constitution, providing for loaning the state's credit to the four land grant roads to the extent of $1,250,000 each, or $5,000,000 in all. provided $100,000 for every ten miles to be graded, and $100,000 for every ten miles when the cars were running regularly. In return it required the roads to pledge the net income to pay the interest on the bonds, and to convey the first 240 sections of land from the government grant to the state, and to deposit in first mortgage bonds an amount equal to the loan from the state for security. This proposal occasioned much uneasiness among the most prudent of the citizens in the state; and though public meetings were held denouncing the measure, it was, however, upon being submitted to the people, on the appointed day of a special election, April 15, 1858. carried by a large ma.jority, there being 25,023 in favor to 6,733 against the amendment. The measure afterward became known as the Five Jlilljon Loan Bill. The state bonds were of $1,000 denomination, had twenty-five years to run with interest at seven per cent, the railroad companies to pay the interest, and were to be delivered to the incorporators of the companies when ten miles of the road was graded and ready for the superstructure. Owing to technicalities it was extremely difficult to market these bonds. Times were luird jind tlie companies were unable to pay the required interest.

Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway

The Minneapolis & Cedar Valley Railroad Company was cIimitered Marcli 1, 1856. with a capital stock of $3,()()0,()00 to construct a railroad from Minneapolis to a point of junction with the Root River Valley & Southern Minnesota Railroad in Dakota county, from one to six miles from IMendota, and thence in a southerly direction via Faribault, through the valley of the Straight river, to the southern boundary line of the territory at the Cedar river. They were also to have the right to build at any time a line from the Mendota Junction to St. Paul; also a like road to Hastings. After the passage of the amendment to the constitution in 1858 a mortgage was executed and bonds issued and deposited with the state, for which the company received .$600,000, state bonds. The company defaulted in the payments. September 1, 1859, the foreclosure was demanded. The trustees advertised and sold the property August 16, 1860, and bid it in for the state. The property, franchise, etc., were conferred March 10, 1862, upon the Minneapolis. Faribault & Cedar Valley Railroad Company. Quite an amount of grading had been done, but no track liad been laid.

The Minneapolis, Faribault & Cedar Valley Railroad Company was incorporated by the legislature of Minnesota March 10, 1862. Under this name the state transferred to Alexander James, Sylvester Smith, William H. Dike, Charles A. Wheaton, Franklin Steele, Henry Chapin, Thomas A. Harrington, Eli B. Ames, John ]\r. Oilman, William Gr. LeDuc and Rufus J. Baldwin all the property, franchises, etc., of the Minneapolis & Cedar Valley Company acquired by foreclosure August 16, 1860, and authorized a reorganization under the original charter. The same rights had been conferred upon Erastus Corning and associates in ]\Iarch. 1861, and upon N. D. Barney et al. in March, 1863, but they failed to comply with the conditions and forfeited them. By an act of the legislature which was approved February 1, 1864, the name was changed to the Minnesota Central Railway Company.

The Minnesota Central Railway Company was named in ar. act of the legislature, approved February 1, 1864, to take over the franchise and rights of the Minneapolis, Faribault & Cedar Valley Railroad Company. Acts Avere passed at different times extending the time of completion of the road, also an act authorizing the connection with the Iowa road at the state line. The road was completed from ^linneapolis via ^lendota to Owatonna, a distancr of seventy-one miles, in 1866, and the branch was built from ]\Iendota to St. Paul. September 18, 1866, tlie capital stock of tlie road Avas sold to the ^McGregor & Western Railroad Company for .$2,000,000, payable in a like amount of the latter company's stock. All the property except the land grant lands was conveyed June 26, 1867. This sale was practically a consolidation. The corporate existence of the company was continued by virtue of its land stock, and no interest in its lands ever passed to the McGregor & Western Company or its successors. The company was required by the land grant to build from Austin to the state line, but had not done so when it was transferred to the McGregor company. The ^Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company (which later on, February 7, 1874, became the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul), after acquiring the line of the consolidated company, August 5, 1867, reconveyed to the Minnesota Central Company in April, 1868, that part of the line between Austin and Mona, a distance of eleven miles, to enable it to earn the land grant.

As before stated, the first regular passenger train reached Le Roy from Cresco September 9, 1867. This was an important day for Mower county, and on that day, for the first time, the county had connection by rail with the Atlantic seaboard. In October, 1867, the line was completed from Owatonna to Austin, and for a short time the lines ending at Austin and Le Roy were con- Qected by the stage route of Nichols & Cotter. Later in the month the line was completed from Austin to Le Roy. In the same month a through freight car passed through Austin from New .York to Minneapolis, thus bridging by rail the distance from the Atlantic ocean to the head of Mississippi navigation.

Work was also pushed to the southward from Austin to the state line, and trains started running in January, 1870. April, 1870, the Milwaukee & St. Paul road took a deed to the line from Austin to Mona, paying 1,760 shares of common stock and a like amount of preferred stock. In January, 1870, the Illinois Central started running its trains from the state line south in Iowa.

November 3, 1870, the portion of the Iowa Central from the Minnesota state line to Mason City, now owned by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, was completed, and cars were put in operation. In December, 1871, the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & i\Iinnesota Railway tapped this line at Plymouth, in Cerro Gordo county, Iowa, and leased a right of way to Austin, thus practically extending its line to Mower county. A year later th6 Central Railway of Iowa began running trains from Austin to St. Louis over the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and TMinnesota, via the Iowa Central.

The McGregor and Western Railway Company was organized January 19, 1863, and was authorized to construct a road from or from near McGregor, westward and northwestward in Iowa. Later the charter was modified, allowing the company to construct a line from the state line to Austin, in ]\Iinnesota. In 1866 the company purchased the I\linnesota Central Railway Company, and gave in return $2,000,000 of its bonds. Tlie McGregor company was authorized March 7, 1867, by the Minnesota legislature, to construct a road via Austin, to Owatonna, and to exercise the franchise of the IMinnesota Central Railway Company. Articles of incorporation Avere filed in Minnesota June 8, 1867, and later in the month a deed was taken of the IMinnesota Central Company, then built from Minneapolis to Owatonna. The line was immediately transferred to the Milwaukee & St. Paul Company, which February 7, 1874, became the Chicago, INIilwaukee & St. Paul. The building of the McGregor line is recorded elsewhere in this chapter.

The Root River Valley & Southern Minnesota Railroad Avas chartered by the territory of Minnesota March 2, 185.3. The act to incorporate was passed on the above date by the territorial legislature, and amended February 27, 1857. The charter granted the privilege of covering almost everything in the southern end of the state, provided the eastern terminus remained at Hokah, viz. : "from the village of Hokah, in the county of Houston, and territory of Minnesota, westward by the most feasible and practicable route to some point between the south line of the territory and the point where the township line between 110 and 111 crosses the Minnesota river, thence west by the most direct and practicable route to the great bend of the Missouri river, with the privilege of a branch starting from Hokah and running to the west bank of the Mississippi, via Target Lake to Eagle Bluff in AVinona county. Also the privilege of building a branch from some point on the main line east of range 12, west of the fifth principal meridian, and Avestward through the counties of MoAver, Freeborn and Faribault, to the Avest line of the territory; also the privilege of constructing a ship canal from the main channel of the Mississippi river to Target Lake." May 22, 1857, the territory of the road was extended, and all the land grants applicable to its route duly conferred. This was one of the original land grant roads bought in by the state of Minnesota, Avhich later reissued its charter and loaned the credit of the state.

The Southern Minnesota Railroad Company Avas the name taken by the Root River Valley and Southern ^ilinnesota Railroad, ]May 23, 1857, the day after the land grant Avas conferred. The company executed a mortgage, issued bonds and deposited them Avith the state, receiving therefor $575,000 in state bonds. The company defaulted on the payments April 1, 1860, and the governor advertised and sold the property and conveyed the sani'i to the state. The state conferred the property, etc., on divers o.jcasions to various parties during the years 1861 and 1863, but tliey failed to comply Avith the conditions. The rights pertaining to the line througii the southern tier of counties Avere conferred upon

T. B. Stoddard and associates March 4, 1864, under the name of the Southern J\Iinnesota Railroad Company, thus reviving the old title. The company received aid from various municipalities. The road was completed to Rushford in 1867 ; to Lanesboro in 1868 ; from Ramsey to Wells in 1869 ; Lanesboro to Ramsey and from Wells to W^innebago in 1870, making a total of 1671/2 miles. After various litigation the Southern Minnesota Railway Company was organized under chapter 50 of the laws of 1876.

The Southern Minnesota Railway Company was organized I\Iareh 8. 1877. Tlie Southern Minnesnfa Railway Extension Company was also organized. January 1, 1880, the Southern Minnesota, after receiving a deed from the Extension company, deeded its road from the Mississippi river to Sioux Falls, and the branch from Wells and Mankato, to the Milwaukee & St. Paul Compauy, the latter issuing bonds and taking possession of the road INIay 1, 1880.

The year 1887 was an eventful one for Austin. The C, M. & St. Paul moved its shops here from "Wells, and also built a '"Y" from Ramsey so that the trains on the old Southern Minnesota line ran into Austin, thus doing away with the old stage coach that liad hitherto done duty between Austin and Ramsey. As a bonus for locating the shops here Austin gave $10,000 and ten acres of land.

Chicago Great Western Railroad

The Chicago Great Western Railroad Company, operating what is known as the Corn Belt Route, in 1910 succeeded the Chicago Great Western Railway Company, which operated what v.-as then known as the Maple Leaf Route. The latter company was organized in Illinois January 5, 1892, to effect the reorganization of tlie Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City Railway Company, which was an Iowa corporation and had absorbed the ]\Iiunesota and Northwestern. The early construction of the route in ^Minnesota was commenced in 1884 and completed in the summer of 1885, when one hundred and ten miles were built from Minneapolis to the Iowa state line, passing through Mower county, touching points that are now Waltham, Mayville, Austin, Varco and Lyle, and connecting at the latter place with the Illinois Central. The station at Austin Avas opened July 24, 1885, with 0. B. Johnson as first agent. A grand excursion to St. Paul took place August 20, 1885. In the fall of the same year a junction was made with the Iowa (Central Railroad at Manley Junction, Iowa. In 1887 the line from Ilaytield to Dubiuiue, Iowa, passing through INIower county and luiving stations at points that ai'c now Sargeant. Renova. Elkton and Taopi. was completed, as was the line from Chicago to

South Freeport, Illinois. The next year the missing link between Dubuque and South Freeport was completed, thus completing the line from ]Minneapolis and St. Paul to Chicago. On August 1, 1887, the first passenger train made the run between Chicago and St. Paul in thirteen and one-half hours. This was the inauguration of the' fast passenger train service in the West. Under an agreement with the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Pacific Railway- Company, the Chicago Great Western operates their lines of 271 miles from Mankato to Red Wing and another from Red Wing to Osage, Iowa, with branches from Winona to Simpson and from Claybank Junction to Claybank. The line from Red Wing to Osage crosses the extreme eastern portion of Mower county, passing into Fillmore county and then curving back into Mower county. In this county it has stations at Racine and LeRoy. The Wisconsin, Minnesota & Pacific Raihvay Company is a reorganization of one of the early ^Minnesota companies and was incorporated in Minnesota in April, 3894. This line was started in 1890, the company at that time being the Winona & Southwestern.

Illinois Central Railroad

The Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad, which is operated by the Illinois Central Railroad Company is a reorganized company holding its franchises by charter granted by the state of lovs-a, with the exception of the Albert Lea & Southern Railroad Company, incorporated September 20, 1899, under the general laws of Minnesota. This road, which extended from the Iowa state line to Gleuville Junction, thus crossing IMower county from Lyle westward, was consolidated with the Dubuque & Sioux City Railroad Company, July 1, 1902.

Aside from the roads mentioned scores more have at various times been projected, in which Austin people have been interested. But they have not yet reached IMower county, though even to the present day there is talk of another road being put through.