Redwood County, Minnesota - Chapter 21: Railroads, 1916

Redwood county is crossed by five railroads, operated by two companies, the Chicago and Northwestern Railway Co. and the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Co.

The Winona-Tracy branch of the old Winona & St. Peter, now the Chicago & Northwestern, extends through the southern part of the county, crossing the townships of Charlestown, Lamberton, North Hero and Springdale, with stations at Sanborn, Lamberton, Revere, and Walnut Grove. Springfield in Brown county is nine miles east of Sanborn and Tracy in Lyon county is eight miles west of Walnut Grove. The line was completed a few miles west of New Ulm in June, 1872. The next sixty miles through Redwood county and on to Marshall was rapidly constructed, and the first construction train reached Marshall on Oct. 12, 1872. Service was suspended during the long hard winter of 1873, and regular service inaugurated in the spring.

The first train to run within the limits of Redwood county on regular schedule left New Ulm at 9 o'clock on the morning of April 14, 1873, made the run of eighty miles in seven hours, and arrived at Marshall at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. H. B. Gary was the conductor, and Robert McConnell, the engineer. The train was made up of engine No. 26, a baggage car, a coach, and twenty-five freight cars.

The Minnesota Valley division of the Winona & St. Peter, now the Redwood Falls-Sleepy Eye branch of the Chicago & Northwestern, was constructed in 1878. Lumber was brought to Redwood Falls by rail as early as July, 1878, and on Aug. 1, a regular passenger service was inaugurated with W. C. Tyler as first station agent. He kept his office in a box car, while the station was being erected. This line crossed Morgan and Maxton townships diagonally and has stations in this county at Morgan, Gilfillan and Redwood Falls. Redwood Falls is the end of the line. Evan, in Brown county, is seven miles from Morgan.

The county issued bonds of $50,000 for the construction of the line to Redwood Falls. A petition was presented to the county board on July 24, 1876, asking for the issuance of bonds for the construction of a railroad which was to connect Redwood Falls with New Ulm. An election called for Aug. 18, 1876, resulted in a favorable vote by the people. On Sept. 6, 1876, the board decided not to issue the bonds until the railroad should be completed to Redwood Falls. Sept. 20, 1876, an insistent demand having been made for the issuance of the bonds, a committee of D. O. King, J. M. Little and Mathias Keller, was appointed to draw up a contract with the railroad company. On Feb. 15, 1877, the committee reported. On their recommendation the bonds were issued, and placed with the Bank of St. Paul, to be paid to the railroad should the line be completed and in use by Oct. 1, 1877. The conditions were not met, and the bonds were withdrawn. On Jan. 3, 1878 the commissioners extended the time for the completion of the road to Aug. 18, 1878. The railroad was built, and the bonds duly issued.

The Evan-Marshall line of the Chicago & Northwestern was built by the Minnesota Western Railway Company. Two surveys were made, one from Morgan and one from Evan. The latter was finally selected. Track laying started at Wabasso April 21, 1902, and Marshall was reached in July of that year. The stretch from Wabasso to Evan was also rapidly completed, and the line put in operation that summer and fall.

The line extends across the central part of Redwood county, crossing Brookville, Three Lakes, New Avon, Vail, Granite Rock and Westline townships, with stations at Wayburne, Clements, Rowena, Wabasso, Lucan and Milroy. , Evan in Brown county is five miles from Wayburne and Dudley in Lyon county is seven miles from Milroy.

The Sanborn-Vesta line of the Northwestern extends from Sanborn to Vesta, the tracks being in Charlestown, Willow Lake, Waterbury, Vail, Sheridan and Vesta townships, with stations at Sanborn, Wanda, Wabasso, Seaforth and Vesta. Vesta is the end of the line. Dotson, in Brown county, is eight miles from Sanborn. The road was built in the summer and fall of 1899, and the first train was run Nov. 27, 1899.

The Pacific division of the Minneapolis & St. Louis was completed to Morton in 1882, and the construction westward through Redwood county completed in 1884. It passes through Homier, Delhi and Kintire townships and touches Paxton township as well. The stations are at North Redwood, Delhi and Belview. Morton in Renville county is seven miles from North Redwood

The Chicago & Northwestern Co. The Winona and St. Peter Railroad Co., an outgrowth of the Transit line, of territorial days, was organized March 10, 1862, and completed its road from Winona to Rochester in 1864. Waconia was reached in 1867, Janesville in 1870, St. Peter in 1871; New Ulm in June, 1872; Marshall in November, 1872; and the western boundary of the state in 1874.

The Winona, Mankato and New Ulm Railroad Co. was organized in 1870, and a railroad was built from New Ulm to Mankato. It was afterward acquired by the Winona and St. Peter.

The earliest part of the Chicago & Northwestern system was known as the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad Co. incorporated under the laws of Illinois, Jan. 16, 1836. The real beginning of the Northwestern under its present name was when the Legislature of Wisconsin, on April 10, 1861, authorizing it to construct a railroad from Fond du Lac to the Menominee river. In October, 1864, the Penninsular Railroad was acquired, thus securing the trade of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

In 1867, the Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. became interested in the Winona and St. Peter and in 1870, the Mississippi river was bridged at Winona. The Chicago & Northwestern acquired by purchase the Winona and St. Peter June 7, 1900; the Minnesota and Iowa on June 8, 1900 ; and the Minnesota Western Railway on July 16, 1902.

The Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Co. The original Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Co. was a Minnesota corporation called the Minnesota Western Railroad Co., created March 3, 1853, by Chapter 66, Special Laws of 1853. In 1870, by authority of the State Legislature, the name was changed to the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railway Co. This company, authorized by the legislatures of both Minnesota and Iowa, absorbed the Minneapolis and Duluth, organized in April, 1871 ; the Minnesota and Iowa Southern, created in 1878; and the Fort Dodge and Fort Ridgely, incorporated in 1876. In the summer of 1888 the company went into the hands of a receiver, and in the fall of 1894 was sold under a decree of foreclosure. In November, 1894, the company was reorganized under the name of the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Company. To preserve the corporate rights of the company in the two states, that portion of its property lying in the state of Iowa was conveyed to a committee which, in January, 1895, organized the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad and Telegraph Company of Iowa, which in February following was formerly consolidated with the Minneapolis and St. Louis Railroad Company under that title. The reorganization was made under the laws of the both Iowa and Minnesota, and the present company retains all the rights of the original and con- stituent companies. On January 1, 1912, the company acquired by purchase all the railroad and connected property of the Iowa Central and Minnesota and the Dakota and Pacific Railway companies.

The main line from St. Paul westward, or what was originally called the Pacific Division, was constructed from Hopkins to Winthrop in February, 1882, and from Winthrop to Morton in November, 1882. Morton remained the terminal of the line for two years and in 1884 the line was continued to Watertown. The construction work of the line through this part of the state was done by the Wisconsin, Minnesota and Western Construction Co.

Acknowledgment. Thanks are due to Thomas Yapp and H. B. Warren, assistant secretary and statistician, respectively, of the State Railway and Warehouse Commission, for assistance in the preparation of this chapter.

References. Railroads in Minnesota are discussed at length in many of the standard Histories of Minnesota, and the story of the building of various branches is treated in several county histories. Interesting articles on the subject appear in the published "Collections" of the Minnesota Historical Society. Valuable material regarding the early railroads of the state; the "Five Million Dollar Loan"; the repudiation of railroad bonds by the state and the final settlement of the matter; together with a detailed history of the Winona & St. Peter; are to be found in the "History of Winona County, Minnesota, 1913, by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge.