Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 20

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724

USA > Illinois > Winnebago County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I > Part 20

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

CHICAGO MEDICAL COLLEGE. (See North- western University Medical College.)

CHICAGO, MILWAUKEE & ST. PAUL RAIL- WAY, one of the great trunk lines of the North- west, having a total mileage (1898) of 6,153.83 miles, of which 317.94 are in Illinois. The main line extends from Chicago to Minneapolis, 420 miles, although it has connections with Kansas City, Omaha, Sioux City and various points in Wisconsin, Iowa and the Dakotas. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad Company enjoys the distinction of being the owner of all the lines operated by it, though it operates 245 miles of second tracks owned jointly with other lines. The greater part of its track is laid with 60, 75 and 85-lb. steel rails. The total capital invested (1898) is $220,005,901, distributed as follows: capital stock, $77,845,000; bonded debt, $135,285,500; other forms of indebtedness, $5,572,401. Its total earnings in Illinois for 1898 were $5,205,244, and the total expendi- tures, $3,320,248. The total number of em- ployés in Illinois for 1898 was 2,293, receiving

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

$1,746,827.70 in aggregate compensation. Taxes paid for the same year amounted to $151,285 .- (HISTORY). The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway was organized in 1863 under the name of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway. The Illi- nois portion of the main line was built under a charter granted to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company, and the Wisconsin por- tion under charter to the Wisconsin Union Rail- road Company; the whole built and opened in 1872 and purchased by the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company. It subsequently acquired by purchase several lines in Wisconsin, the whole receiving the present name of the line by act of the Wisconsin Legislature, passed, Feb. 14, 1874. The Chicago & Evanston Railroad was chartered, Feb. 16, 1861, built from Chicago to Calvary (10.8 miles), and opened, May 1, 1885; was consolidated with the Chicago & Lake Superior Railroad, under the title of the Chicago, Evanston & Lake Superior Railroad Company, Dec. 22, 1885, opened to Evanston, August 1, 1886, and purchased, in June, 1887, by the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway Company. The Road, as now organized, is made up of twenty-two divisions located in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Missouri and Michigan.

CHICAGO, PADUCAH & MEMPHIS RAIL- ROAD (Projected), a road chartered, Dec. 19, 1893, to run between Altamont and Metropolis, Ill., 152 miles, with a branch from Johnston City to Carbondale, 20 miles -- total length, 172 miles. The gauge is standard, and the track laid with sixty-pound steel rails. By Feb. 1, 1895, the road from Altamont to Marion (100 miles) was com- pleted, and work on the remainder of the line has been in progress. It is intended to connect with the Wabash and the St. Louis Southern systems. Capital stock authorized and subscribed, $2,500,- 000; bonds issued, $1,575,000. Funded debt, authorized, $15,000 per mile in five per cent first mortgage gold bonds. Cost of road up to Feb. 1, 1895, $20,000 per mile; estimated cost of the entire line, $2,000,000. In December, 1896, this road passed into the hands of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Company, and is now operated to Marion, in Williamson County. (See Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.)

CHICAGO, PEKIN & SOUTHWESTERN RAIL- ROAD, a division of the Chicago & Alton Rail- road, chartered as the Chicago & Plainfield Railroad, in 1859; opened from Pekin to Streator in 1873, and to Mazon Bridge in 1876; sold under foreclosure in 1879, and now constitutes a part of the Chicago & Alton system.

CHICAGO, PEORIA & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD

COMPANY (of Illinois), a corporation operating two lines of railroad, one extending from Peoria to Jacksonville, and the other from Peoria to Springfield, with a connection from the latter place (in 1895), over a leased line, with St. Louis. The total mileage, as officially reported in 1895, was 208.66 miles, of which 166 were owned by the corporation. (1) The original of the Jackson- ville Division of this line was the Illinois River Railroad, opened from Pekin to Virginia in 1859. In October, 1863, it was sold under foreclosure, and, early in 1864, was transferred by the pur- chasers to a new corporation called the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville Railroad Company, by whom it was extended the same year to Peoria, and, in 1869, to Jacksonville. Another fore- closure, in 1879, resulted in its sale to the creditors, followed by consolidation, in 1881, with the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway. (2) The Springfield Division was incorporated in 1869 as the Springfield & Northwestern Railway; construction was begun in 1872, and road opened from Springfield to Havana (45.20 miles) in December, 1874, and from Havana to Pekin and Peoria over the track of the Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville line. The same year the road was leased to the Indianapolis, Bloomington & West- ern Railroad Company, but the lease was for- feited, in 1875, and the road placed in the hands of a receiver. In 1881, together with the Jacksonville Division, it was transferred to the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway, and by that company operated as the Peoria & Spring- field Railroad. The Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific having defaulted and gone into the hands of a receiver, both the Jacksonville and the Spring- field Divisions were reorganized in February, 1887, under the name of the Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad, and placed under control of the Jacksonville Southeastern Railroad. A reorganization of the latter took place, in 1890, under the name of the Jacksonville, Louisville & St. Louis Railway, and, in 1893, it passed into the hands of receivers, and was severed from its allied lines. The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Railroad remained under the management of a separate receiver until January, 1896, when a reorganization was effected under its present name-"The Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis Rail- road of Illinois." The lease of the Springfield & St. Louis Division having expired in Decem- ber, 1895, it has also been reorganized as an independent corporation under the name of the St. Louis, Peoria & Northern Railway (which see).

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

CHICAGO RIVER, a sluggish stream, draining a narrow strip of land between Lake Michigan and the Des Plaines River, the entire watershed drained amounting to some 470 square miles. It is formed by the union of the "North" and the "South Branch," which unite less than a mile and a half from the mouth of the main stream. At an early day the former was known as the "Guarie" and the latter as "Portage River." The total length of the North Branch is about 20 miles, only a small fraction of which is navigable. The South Branch is shorter but offers greater facilities for navigation, being lined along its lower por- tions with grain-elevators, lumber-yards and manufactories. The Illinois Indians in early days found an easy portage between it and the Des Plaines River. The Chicago River, with its branches, separates Chicago into three divisions, known, respectively; as the "North" the "South" and the "West Divisions." Drawbridges have been erected at the principal street crossings over the river and both branches, and four tunnels, connecting the various divisions of the city, have been constructed under the river bed.

CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAIL- WAY, formed by the consolidation of various lines in 1880. The parent corporation (The Chicago & Rock Island Railroad) was chartered in Illinois in 1851, and the road opened from Chi- cago to the Mississippi River at Rock Island (181 miles), July 10, 1854. In 1852 a company was chartered under the name of the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad for the extension of the road from the Mississippi to the Missouri River. The two roads were consolidated in 1866 as the Chi- cago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, and the extension to the Missouri River and a junction with the Union Pacific completed in 1869. The Peoria & Bureau Valley Railroad (an important feeder from Peoria to Bureau Junction - 46.7 miles) was incorporated in 1853, and completed and leased in perpetuity to the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad, in 1854. The St. Joseph & Iowa Railroad was purchased in 1889, and the Kansas City & Topeka Railway in 1891. The Company has financial and traffic agreements with the Chicago, Rock Island & Texas Railway, extending from Terral Station, Indian Territory, to Fort Worth, Texas. The road also has connections from Chicago with Peoria; St. Paul and Minne- apolis; Omaha and Lincoln (Neb.); Denver, Colo- rado Springs and Pueblo (Colo. ), besides various points in South Dakota, Iowa and Southwestern Kansas. The extent of the lines owned and operated by the Company ( "Poor's Manual," 1898),

is 3,568.15 miles, of which 236.51 miles are in Illinois, 189.52 miles being owned by the corpo- ration. All of the Company's owned and leased lines are laid with steel rails. The total capitalization reported for the same year was $116,748,211, of which $50,000,000 was in stock and $58,830,000 in bonds. The total earnings and income of the line in Illinois, for the year ending June 30, 1898, was $5,851,875, and the total expenses $3,401,165, of which $233,129 was in the form of taxes. The Company has received under Congressional grants 550,194 acres of land, exclu- sive of State grants, of which there had been sold, up to March 31, 1894, 548,609 acres.

CHICAGO, ST. PAUL & FOND DU LAC RAIL- ROAD. (See Chicago & Northwestern Railway.) CHICAGO, ST. PAUL & KANSAS CITY RAIL- WAY. (See Chicago Great Western Railway.)

CHICAGO, ST. LOUIS & PADUCAH RAIL- WAY, a short road, of standard gauge, laid with steel rails, extending from Marion to Brooklyn, Ill., 53.64 miles. It was chartered, Feb. 7, 1887, and opened for traffic, Jan. 1, 1889. The St. Louis, Alton & Terre Haute Railroad Company is the lessee, having guaranteed principal and inter- est on its first mortgage bonds. Its capital stock is $1,000,000, and its bonded debt $2,000,000, making the total capitalization about $56,000 per mile. The cost of the road was $2,950,000; total incumbrance (1895), $3,016,715.

CHICAGO TERMINAL TRANSFER RAIL- ROAD, the successor to the Chicago & Northern Pacific Railroad. The latter was organized in November, 1889, to acquire and lease facilities to other roads and transact a local business. , The Road under its new name was chartered, June 4, 1897, to purchase at foreclosure sale the property of the Chicago & Northern Pacific, soon after acquiring the property of the Chicago & Calumet Terminal Railway also. The combination gives it the control of 84.53 miles of road, of which 70.76 miles are in Illinois. The line is used for both passenger and freight terminal purposes, and also a belt line just outside the city limits. Its principal tenants are the Chicago Great West- ern, the Baltimore & Ohio, the Wisconsin Central Lines, and the Chicago, Hammond & Western Railroad. The Company also has control of the ground on which the Grand Central Depot is located. Its total capitalization (1898) was $44,- 553,044, of which $30,000,000 was capital stock and $13,394, 000 in the form of bonds.

CHICAGO THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, organ- ized, Sept. 26, 1854, by a convention of Congre- gational ministers and laymen representing seven

100

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

Western States, among which was Illinois. A special and liberal charter was granted, Feb. 15, 1855. The Seminary has always been under Congregational control and supervision, its twenty-four trustees being elected at Triennial Conventions, at which are represented all the churches of that denomination west of the Ohio and east of the Rocky Mountains. The institu- tion was formally opened to students, Oct. 6, 1858, with two professors and twenty-nine matriculates. Since then it has steadily grown in both numbers and influence. Preparatory and linguistic schools have been added and. the faculty (1896) includes eight professors and nine minor instructors. The Seminary is liberally endowed, its productive assets being nearly $1,000,000, and the value of its grounds, build- ings, library, etc., amounting to nearly $500,000 more. No charge is made for tuition or room rent, and there are forty-two endowed scholar- ships, the income of which is devoted to the aid of needy students. The buildings, including the library and dormitories, are four in number, and are well constructed and arranged.

been acquired by purchase or lease, the most important in the State being the line from Bloomington to St. Louis by way of Jacksonville. This was chartered in 1851 under the name of the St. Louis, Jacksonville & Chicago Railroad, was opened for business in January, 1868, and having been diverted from the route upon which it was originally projected, was completed to Blooming- ton and leased to the Chicago & Alton in 1868. In 1884 this branch was absorbed by the main line. Other important branches are the Kansas City Branch from Roodhouse, crossing the Mis- sissippi at Louisiana, Mo .; the Washington Branch from Dwight to Washington and Lacon, and the Chicago & Peoria, by which entrance is obtained into the city of Peoria over the tracks of the Toledo, Peoria & Western. The whole number of miles operated (1898) is 843.54, of which 580.73 lie in Illinois. Including double tracks and sidings, the Company has a total trackage of 1,186 miles. The total capitalization, in 1898, was $32, 793,972, of which $22,230,600 was in stock, and $6,694,850 in bonds. The total earnings and income for the year, in Illinois, were $5,022,315, and the operating and other expenses, $4,272,207. This road, under its management as it existed up to 1898, has been one of the most uni- formly successful in the country. Dividends have been paid semiannually from 1863 to 1884, and quarterly from 1884 to 1896. For a number of years previous to 1897, the dividends had amounted to eight per cent per annum on both preferred and common stock, but later had been reduced to seven per cent on account of short crops along the line. The taxes paid in 1898 were $341,040. The surplus, June 30, 1895, exceeded two and three-quarter million dollars. The Chicago & Alton was the first line in the world to put into service sleeping and dining cars of the Pullman model, which have since been so widely adopted, as well as the first to run free reclining chair-cars for the convenience and comfort of its passengers. At the time the matter embraced in this volume is undergoing final revision (1899), negotiations are in progress connection with the railroad; but later over the . for the purchase of this historic line by a syndi-

CHICAGO & ALTON RAILROAD, an impor- tant railway running in a southwesterly direc- tion from Chicago to St. Louis, with numerous branches, extending into Missouri, Kansas and Colorado. The Chicago & Alton Railroad proper was constructed under two charters-the first granted to the Alton & Sangamon Railroad Com- pany, in 1847, and the second to the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad Company, in 1852. Con- struction of the former was begun in 1852, and the line opened from Alton to Springfield in 1853. Under the second corporation, the line was opened from Springfield to Bloomington in 1854, and to Joliet in 1856. In 1855 a line was con- structed from Chicago to Joliet under the name of the Joliet & Chicago Railroad, and leased in perpetuity to the present Company, which was reorganized in 1857 under the name of the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago Railroad Company. For some time connection was had between Alton and St. Louis by steam-packet boats running in line of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Railroad- the first railway line connecting the two cities- and, finally, by the Company's own line, which was constructed in 1864, and formally opened Jan. 1, 1865. In 1861, a company with the present name (Chicago & Alton Railroad Com- pany) was organized, which, in 1862, purchased the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago Road at fore- closure sale. Several branch lines have since

cate representing the Baltimore & Ohio, the Missouri Pacific, the Union Pacific, and the Missouri, Kansas & Texas systems, in whose interest it will hereafter be operated.

CHICAGO & AURORA RAILROAD. (See Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad.)

CHICAGO & EASTERN ILLINOIS RAIL- ROAD. This company operates a line 516.3 miles in length, of which 278 miles are within Illinois.

101

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

The main line in this State extends southerly from Dolton Junction (17 miles south of Chicago) to Danville. Entrance to the Polk Street Depot in Chicago is secured over the tracks of the Western Indiana Railroad. The company owns several important branch lines, as follows: From Momence Junction to the Indiana State Line; from Cissna Junction to Cissna Park; from Dan- ville Junction to Shelbyville, and from Sidell to Rossville. The system in Illinois is of standard gauge, about 108 miles being double track. The right of way is 100 feet wide and well fenced. The grades are light, and the construction (including rails, ties, ballast and bridges), is generally excellent. The capital stock outstand- ing (1895) is $13,594, 400; funded debt, $18,018,000; floating debt, $916,381; total capital invested, $32,570,781; total earnings in Illinois, $2,592,072; expenditures in the State, $2,595,631. The com- pany paid the same year a dividend of six per cent on its common stock ($286,914), and reported a surplus of $1,484, 762. The Chicago & Eastern Illinois was originally chartered in 1865 as the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes Railroad, its main line being completed in 1872. In 1873, it defaulted on interest, was sold under foreclosure in 1877, and reorganized as the Chicago & Nashville, but later in same year took its present name. In 1894 it was consolidated with the Chicago & Indiana Coal Railway. Two spurs (5.27 miles in length) were added to the line in 1895. Early in 1897 this line obtained control of the Chicago, Paducah & Memphis Railroad, which is now operated to Marion, in Williamson County. (See Chicago, Paducah & Memphis Railroad.)

CHICAGO & GRAND TRUNK RAILWAY. Of the 335.27 miles of the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railroad, only 30.65 are in Illinois, and of the latter 9.7 miles are operated under lease. That portion of the line within the State extends from Chicago easterly to the Indiana State line. The Company is also lessee of the Grand Junction Railroad, four miles in length. The Road is capitalized at $6,600,000, has a bonded debt of $12,000,000 and a floating debt (1895) of $2,271,425, making the total capital invested, $20,871,425. The total earnings in Illinois for 1895 amounted to $660,393; disbursements within the State for the same period, $345,233. The Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway, as now constituted, is a consoli- dation of various lines between Port Huron, Mich., and Chicago, operated in the interest of the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. The Illi- nois section was built under a charter granted in 1878 to the Chicago & State Line Railway Com-

pany, to form a connection with Valparaiso, Ind. This corporation acquired the Chicago & South- ern Railroad (from Chicago to Dolton), and the Chicago & State Line Extension in Indiana, all being consolidated under the name of the North- western Grand Trunk Railroad. In 1880, a final consolidation of these lines with the eastward connections took place under the present name- the Chicago & Grand Trunk Railway.

CHICAGO & GREAT EASTERN RAILWAY. (See Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway. )

CHICAGO & GREAT SOUTHERN RAILROAD. (See Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Railway.)

CHICAGO & ILLINOIS SOUTHERN RAIL- WAY. (See Peoria, Decatur & Evansville Rail- way.)

CHICAGO & MISSISSIPPI RAILROAD. (See Chicago & Alton Railroad. )

CHICAGO & NASHVILLE RAILROAD. (See Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad.)

CHICAGO & NORTHERN PACIFIC RAIL- ROAD. (See Chicago Terminal Transfer Rail- road.)

CHICAGO & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY, one of the great trunk lines of the country, pene- trating the States of Illinois, Wisconsin, Michi- gan, Iowa, Minnesota and North and South Dakota. The total length of its main line, branches, proprietary and operated lines, on May 1, 1899, was 5,076.89 miles, of which 594 miles are operated in Illinois, all owned by the company. Second and side tracks increase the mileage to a total of 7,217.91 miles. The Chicago & Northwestern Railway (proper) is operated in nine separate divisions, as follows: The Wis- consin, Galena, Iowa, Northern Iowa, Madison, Peninsula, Winona and St. Peter, Dakota and Ashland Divisions The principal or main lines of the "Northwestern System," in its entirety, are those which have Chicago, Omaha, St. Paul and Minneapolis for their termini, though their branches reach numerous important points within the States already named, from the shore of Lake Michigan on the east to Wyoming on the west, and from Kansas on the south to Lake Superior on the north .- (HISTORY.) The Chi- cago & Northwestern Railway Company was organized in 1859 under charters granted by the Legislatures of Illinois and Wisconsin during that year, under which the new company came into possession of the rights and franchises of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Com- pany. The latter road was the outgrowth of various railway enterprises which had been pro

102

HISTORICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ILLINOIS.

jected, chartered and partly constructed in Wis- consin and Illinois, between 1848 and 1855, including the Madison & Beloit Railroad, the Rock River Valley Union Railroad, and the Illi- nois & Wisconsin Railroad-the last named com- pany being chartered by the Illinois Legislature in 1851, and authorized to build a railroad from Chicago to the Wisconsin line. The Wisconsin Legislature of 1855 authorized the consolidation of the Rock River Valley Union Railroad with the Illinois enterprise, and, in March, 1855, the con- solidation of these lines was perfected under the name of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad. During the first four years of its exist- ence this company built 176 miles of the road, of which seventy miles were between Chicago and tlie Wisconsin State line, with the sections con- structed in Wisconsin completing the connection between Chicago and Fond du Lac. As the result of the financial revulsion of 1857, the corporation became financially embarrassed, and the sale of its property and franchises under the foreclosure of 1859, already alluded to, followed. This marked the beginning of the present corporation, and, in the next few years, by the construction of new lines and the purchase of others in Wisconsin and Northern Illinois, it added largely to the extent of its lines, both constructed and projected. The most important of tliese was the union effected with the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad, which was formally consolidated with the Chi- cago & Northwestern in 1864. The history of the Galena & Chicago Union is interesting in view of the fact that it was one of the earliest railroads incorporated in Illinois, having been chartered by special act of the Legislature during the "internal improvement" excitement of 1836. Besides, its charter was the only one of that period under which an organization was effected, and although construction was not begun under it until 1847 (eleven years afterward), it was the second railroad constructed in the State and the first leading from the city of Chicago. In the forty years of its history the growth of the Chi- cago & Northwestern has been steady, and its success almost phenomenal. In that time it has not only added largely to its mileage by the con- struction of new lines, but has absorbed more lines than almost any other road in the country, until it now reaches almost every important city in the Northwest. Among the lines in Northern Illinois now constituting a part of it, were several which had become a part of the Galena & Chicago Union before the consolidation. These included a line from Belvidere to Beloit, Wis .; the Fox

River Valley Railroad, and the St. Charles & Mississippi Air Line Railroad-all Illinois enter- prises, and more or less closely connected with the development of the State. The total capi- talization of the line, on June 30, 1898, was $200,968,108, of which $66,408,821 was capi- tal stock and $101,603,000 in the form of bonds. The earnings in the State of Illinois, for the same period, aggregated $4,374,923, and the expenditures $3,712,593. At the present time (1899) the Chicago & Northwestern is build- ing eight or ten branch lines in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota. The Northwestern System, as such, comprises nearly 3,000 miles of road not included in the preceding statements of mileage and financial condition. Although owned by the Chicago & Northwestern Company, they are managed by different officers and under other names. The mileage of the whole system covers nearly 8,000 miles of main line.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 20

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857- Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 724

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724