Encyclopedia Dubuque
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CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD: Difference between revisions
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Ultimately covering an estimated 1,500 miles in the Midwest, the railroad was called the "Corn Belt Route." It led from Dubuque past Sageville and into Durango, Graf, Twin Springs, Epworth, Farley, and Dyersville through some of the wildest and most scenic regions in the county. Faced in 1885 with a route for the Dubuque and North Western five miles north of their city, residents of Dyersville sent representative businessmen to Dubuque to negotiate with railroad management. As a result of the meeting, the railroad was granted free right-of-way through the Dyersville corporate limits. Three blocks of residential area were given for railroad use and the homes were moved from the land by the city. | Ultimately covering an estimated 1,500 miles in the Midwest, the railroad was called the "Corn Belt Route." It led from Dubuque past Sageville and into Durango, Graf, Twin Springs, Epworth, Farley, and Dyersville through some of the wildest and most scenic regions in the county. Faced in 1885 with a route for the Dubuque and North Western five miles north of their city, residents of Dyersville sent representative businessmen to Dubuque to negotiate with railroad management. As a result of the meeting, the railroad was granted free right-of-way through the Dyersville corporate limits. Three blocks of residential area were given for railroad use and the homes were moved from the land by the city. | ||
The first train moving westward rolled through Dyersville in 1886. The immediate effect of the railroad included rising land values and business prosperity. The Chicago Northwestern Railroad, an east-west system, was known as the "Maple Leaf Route," because at Oelwein the stem of the route from Chicago branched into lines aimed toward Omaha, Kansas City and St. Paul. | [[Image.CGW.png|left|thumb|150px|]]The first train moving westward rolled through Dyersville in 1886. The immediate effect of the railroad included rising land values and business prosperity. The Chicago Northwestern Railroad, an east-west system, was known as the "Maple Leaf Route," because at Oelwein the stem of the route from Chicago branched into lines aimed toward Omaha, Kansas City and St. Paul. | ||
In 1968 the railroad was merged with the Chicago and Northwestern. The railroad stopped service to Dyersville in 1956 and the depot was demolished in 1972. In the 1980s the decision was made by the railroad's parent corporation to abandon the line. A scramble started among conservation people, adjoining landowners and bicyclists who sought to create a bike path on the former right-of-way. Eventually the bicyclists won and [[HERITAGE TRAIL]] was created. | In 1968 the railroad was merged with the Chicago and Northwestern. The railroad stopped service to Dyersville in 1956 and the depot was demolished in 1972. In the 1980s the decision was made by the railroad's parent corporation to abandon the line. A scramble started among conservation people, adjoining landowners and bicyclists who sought to create a bike path on the former right-of-way. Eventually the bicyclists won and [[HERITAGE TRAIL]] was created. | ||
[[Category: Railroad]] | [[Category: Railroad]] | ||
Revision as of 18:55, 12 August 2010
CHICAGO GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD. The railroad was founded by Alpheus Beede Stickney in 1885 as the Minnesota and Northwestern Railroad, a regional line between St. Paul and the Iowa state line. Through mergers and new construction, the railroad, named Chicago Great Western after 1892, quickly became a multi-state carrier. Arriving in Dubuque County around 1886, the railroad was to be a connection between Dubuque and Oelwein. Known at the time as the DUBUQUE AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD, by 1892 it was called the Chicago Great Western.
Ultimately covering an estimated 1,500 miles in the Midwest, the railroad was called the "Corn Belt Route." It led from Dubuque past Sageville and into Durango, Graf, Twin Springs, Epworth, Farley, and Dyersville through some of the wildest and most scenic regions in the county. Faced in 1885 with a route for the Dubuque and North Western five miles north of their city, residents of Dyersville sent representative businessmen to Dubuque to negotiate with railroad management. As a result of the meeting, the railroad was granted free right-of-way through the Dyersville corporate limits. Three blocks of residential area were given for railroad use and the homes were moved from the land by the city.
left|thumb|150px|The first train moving westward rolled through Dyersville in 1886. The immediate effect of the railroad included rising land values and business prosperity. The Chicago Northwestern Railroad, an east-west system, was known as the "Maple Leaf Route," because at Oelwein the stem of the route from Chicago branched into lines aimed toward Omaha, Kansas City and St. Paul.
In 1968 the railroad was merged with the Chicago and Northwestern. The railroad stopped service to Dyersville in 1956 and the depot was demolished in 1972. In the 1980s the decision was made by the railroad's parent corporation to abandon the line. A scramble started among conservation people, adjoining landowners and bicyclists who sought to create a bike path on the former right-of-way. Eventually the bicyclists won and HERITAGE TRAIL was created.