Fifty Years In The Northwest / With An Introduction And Appendix Containing Reminiscences, Incidents And Notes

by William H. C. Folsom

The original incorporators were mostly citizens of Philadelphia who, under the name and title of the "Nebraska & Lake Superior Company," obtained their charter from the territorial legislature May 25, 1857. Their chartered rights were amended and their name changed to that of "Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad Company." The times for building were extended by Congress and the state legislature from time to time, as asked for by the company. The road was commenced in 1867 and completed to Duluth in 1870, and the name changed to "St. Paul & Duluth" in 1875. The first cost of building was $7,700,000. The company have in addition built branch roads from White Bear to Minneapolis, from White Bear to Stillwater, from Wyoming to Taylor's Falls, from Rush City to Grantsburg, from North Pacific Junction to Cloquet, and a branch in Pine county to Sandstone City. The Taylor's Falls & Lake Superior branch road received seven sections per mile of swamp lands from the State, $10,000 in ten per cent bonds from the town of Chisago Lake, $5,000 from the town of Shafer, and $18,600 from the town of Taylor's Falls.

Presidents of the St. Paul & Duluth railroad: Lyman Dayton, W. L. Banning, Frank Clark, John P. Illsley, H. H. Porter, James Smith, Jr., and Wm. H. Fisher.

MINNESOTA & MANITOBA RAILROAD.

Under the land grant of 1857 a road was projected between St. Paul and St. Anthony Falls, and completed in 1862, the first railroad in Minnesota, though others had been projected at an earlier period. This road was afterward extended to Breckenridge on Red river, and branches were built to St. Cloud, and from St. Cloud via Fergus Falls and Crookston to the national boundary at St. Vincent, and from Brekenridge through Dakota to the Great Falls in Montana. Subordinate branches to various points in Northern Minnesota, Dakota and Montana were also built. The roads from Minneapolis to St. Cloud and Breckenridge were built with German capital.

After the completion of the main lines a financial depression occurred, the bonds were sold at a low figure and subsequently passed into the hands of J. J. Hill and others. The aggregate mileage of this road and its branches amount to 2,685 miles. It traverses a wheat growing region not surpassed on the continent. The present terminus, the Great Falls of Missouri, is a mining centre for gold and silver. The country tributary to the road can not fail to make it one of the most important highways of commerce in the great West, and thus far the energy and ability of its managers has made it equal to the immense demands upon it.

STILLWATER, WHITE BEAR & ST. PAUL RAILROAD.

Under the grant of 1857, a road from Stillwater to St. Paul was projected, the road to commence at Stillwater and to proceed via St. Paul and Minneapolis to the western boundary of the State. The company holding the grant, through legislative action effected a change in the conditions of the grant allowing them to commence at St. Paul, building west and northwest, as a result of which the road from Stillwater to St. Paul was not built. After ten years of inactivity upon this portion of the road, the Stillwater people demanded, through their representatives in the legislature of 1867, legislation compelling the building of the road as originally devised. At this session Hon. John McKusick, not then a member of the legislature, but still an influential man, and representing public sentiment, importuned the company holding the franchises, through the president, Hon. Edmund Rice, either to build the road or to transfer the franchises to some responsible company who would build it. Hon. Henry A. Jackman and the writer, members of the ninth legislature, after conference with the president of the company, introduced a bill conveying the franchises from the original company to a company of St. Croix valley men, to be organized forthwith, with the conditions that they at once proceed to build the road from Stillwater to White Bear, connecting with the St. Paul & Duluth at that point. A section was placed in the bill locating the railroad lands near Kandiyohi lake. These lands were among the most valuable in the grant and were to inure to the new company at the completion of the road. The bill was passed and approved by the governor. The road was completed to Stillwater Dec. 20, 1869.

The legislature of 1869 transferred 44,246 acres, or one-half of the Kandiyohi lands, to the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor's Falls railroad.

THE ST. PAUL, STILLWATER & TAYLOR'S FALLS RAILROAD.

Part of the lands originally granted to the Stillwater, White Bear & St. Paul railroad were transferred by the legislature of 1869 to the St. Paul, Stillwater & Taylor's Falls railroad. The proceeds of the sale were to be applied to the construction of the above named road. The company was organized under the general laws of the State and incorporated Sept. 23, 1869. The route of the road defined in the articles of incorporation is between St. Paul and Taylor's Falls by way of Stillwater, passing through or near Marine, with a branch road to Hudson, Wisconsin. Length of main line from St. Paul to Stillwater is seventeen and fifty-four one hundredths miles. Hudson branch line from Stillwater junction to Lake St. Croix, three and one-fourth. South Stillwater branch line from Stillwater to South Stillwater, three miles. The first train by this line reached Stillwater from St. Paul Feb. 9, 1872. The capital stock, $1,000,000, may be increased at pleasure. The number of shares of capital stock is 10,000 of $100 each, limit of indebtedness, $1,500,000.