History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 43

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 43

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).

" By the first of May, 1955. emigration began to pour into the State, especially seeking the lands of this company. It was about the 5th of that month that the writer hereof was detailed to locate for Adam Smith thirty-two tracts of three hundred and twenty acres eich, between Ashkum Station, on the north, and Rantoul on the south. The lands were to be located in the following manner: Each tract to be three miles from the railroad, three miles from timber, and three miles from any improvement whatever; that is, we have a distance of forty miles north and south in which to make the selections. We started out and succeeded in making nearly all of the locations. There were a few tracts, however, which had to come inside the three-mile limits, and we had the order so changed as to allow this to be done. When the land grant was made, from a few miles south of Chicago to the south line of Coles County, be- low Mattoon, the country was one hleak wilderness, save small set- tlements along the timber belts, which were off from the line of railroad; from the Boubornais settlement to the timber southwest of l'axton, inside the fifteen-mile limits on the west side of the railroad, there were but two families living at the time. The same condition of things existed on the main line, especially so between LaSalle and l'ana, Along the timber belts and water ways there were meagre settlements, while, in the great open prairie, selt le- ments had not begun. This was the condition of the country along the line of the Illinois Central in the beginning of 1855. It was a common occurrence in those days for the, writer to have a train stop in the great open prairie to allow himself and a party of land hunters to get off, and start out over the prairie from section to section, making sales if it was possible to do so, Then striking the road at some other point, with a red handkerchief as a flag, the first train that came along would be stopped, nnd the party taken aboard. In nearly every instance of this kind, sales of the company's lands were effected before returning to Chicago, when the purchasers received their contracts or deeds. When Colonel Mason located the line of road not a single railroad crossed the right-of-way of this company from Chicago to Cairo, and from Centralia to Dunleith; but the face of the country was bound to change. The settlers were continually pouring into the State and seeking the lands of this company. Many bought large tracts, be- ing encouraged so to do by the low rate of interest charged, which was only two per cent per annum. Two years, interest paid at the time of purchase was all that was required down, but the great ma- jority bought from eighty to one hundred and sixty acres each. Dur- ing the years 1855-56 the number of seekers for these lands was very great, and as many as twenty and thirty frequently took the train from Chicago, generally in charge of a land salesman to select homes for themselves and their families. By the close of 1856 more than 1,000,000 acres had been sold. Early in 1856, W. 11. Osborn had succeeded J. N. A. Griswold as president of the road, and the Hon. John Wilson from the General Land Office at Washington had succeeded Charles M. Dupuy as commissioner in charge of the land department of the company. Mr. Wilson, like his prede- cessor, put forth every effort known in the way of advertising, to attract the attention of the general Eastern, Southern and European public to the lands of the Illinois Central Railroad. The very large sums of money expended in this way had their effect ten-fold, not only in attracting the people of the country to the lands of, this company but to the great undeveloped Northwest where not a railroad then existed. Many of the travelers and ex-

plorers, after looking over the country tributary to the Illinois Cen- tral followed the water-courses to the far West and Northwest, and saw the endless plains and the beautiful countries now embraced within the boundaries of Minnesota, Nebraska, Dakota, and even the far-off country beyond."

Chuck Q.P. Holdem.

GALENA & CHICAGO UNION RAILROAD COMPANY,- The year 1850 is the commencement of an era in the railroad history of Chicago and Illinois. Then the ob- taining of the land grant by the Illinois Central made the building of that road an assurance, and the con- struction of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad to Elgin, forty miles west, placed that line on a paying basis from the start. The hearts of the stockholders were gladdened, even in 1850, by their pocket-books re- ceiving a dividend of ten per centum. It already was assuming so independent an air that when, in Decem- ber, 1850, the Michigan Southern made a proposition to build a road to the Indiana State-line, using the grant of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad in its construction, that corporation flatly refused the offer, saying that it could build the road itself.

During the year ending June 3, 1851, the company purchased Block t, original town of Chicago, one-half mile east of the then depot. A drawbridge over the North Branch was constructed in t851, and the tracks laid through new North Water Street. On that day William B. Ogden resigned the presidency of the road, and Jolm B. Turner, antong its earliest and most faith- ful friends, was elected to the position. In November a fine passenger depot, fifty by two hundred and thirty feet in size, was constructed on North Water Street, west of Clark.

The road was finally completed to Belvidere, when the management was called upon to encounter greater vexa- tions than any it had been able to dispose of up to that time. At this point an effort was made to divert the road from its original route to Savannah, which would leave Stephenson County without the benefits her peo- ple ltad so industriously labored for and liberally con- tributed to obtaining. Those who had urged the taking of stock were discouraged at the apparent failure of the scheme, while those who had subscribed were bitter in their expressions of disappointment. Finally, a com- mittee of gentlemen from Freeport, composed of J. H. Addams, D. A. Knowlton, O. H. Wright and John A. Clark, visited Rockford to endeavor to procure the exe- cution of the original contract, and secured the indorse- ment of the people that so far as they could influence a decision it should be done. The trip was continued to Chicago, and after labors that were effectual as were the laborers deserving of the public thanks, the project of diverting the road was abandoned. Labor was con- tinued on the route, and in August, 1853, the iron horse entered Freeport amid the rejoicings that such an occa- sion would bring forth.

In 1848 a charter was procured by the officers of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad to extend their road between Beloit and Madison-subsequently known as the Rock River Valley Railroad. In 1851 the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad Company was incorporated, and, with the Rock River Valley, was consolidated with the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac, in 1855. This system was in turn consolidated with the Wisconsin & Superior.

Digitized by Google

179

THE RAILROAD SYSTEM.

A contract was made between the Galena & Chicago Union and Chicago & Aurora railroads, December 13, 1851, for carrying on a joint business. This contract was signed by E. S. Wadsworth, president, of the Aurora Branch road, and John B. Turner, president of the Galena & Chicago Union. On June 28, 1856, the company entered into an arrangement with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company through James F. Joy, amending the contract made with this company or its predecessor in 1851. Moses M. Strong, president of the Mineral Point Railroad ; W. P. Burrall, president of the Illinois Central, and John B. Turner, president of the Galena & Chicago Union, entered into a contract October 10, 1853, regulating the business of the Min- eral Point road so far as it related to the two principal roads named.

The contract with the Beloit & Madison Railroad Company providing for the building of that road, was made January 2, 1854, J. B. Turner, president of both roads, signing on behalf of each.

The contract with the Fox River Valley Railroad Company was entered into March 15, 1854, and signed by J. B. Turner on the part of the Galena & Chicago Union, and B. W. Raymond on that of the Fox River Valley. This contract provided for the construction of the road by the latter and its equipment by the former company, and also laid down rules for the division of revenues and special privileges.

The Dixon Air Line, a branch of the Galena & Chicago Union, was built in 1854. It was subsequently purchased by the Chicago & North Western.

The Chicago, St. Charles & Mississippi Air Line Railroad was before the people in 1854 ; but the only work done on the road was its grading from Chicago to St. Charles, after which it was sold to the Galena & Chicago Union, and in 1864 was purchased by the Chi- cago & North-Western,

The progress of the road from 1849 to 1857 is shown in the following table :

Year.

Gross Earnings.

Expenditures.

1849-50.

$ 48,331 96

$ 18,519 82

1850-51

127,685 78

48,904 24

1851-52.

211.310 55

87.361 67

1852-53.

473.548 21

187.396 39

1853-54.

799,013 88

359.199 04

1854-55.

1,506,710 11

686,516 86

1855-56.

2,315,736 96

1.063,744 $5

1856-57

2,416,343 85

1,205,493 69

May to Dec., 1857.

1,640,806 04

921,251 82

The rewards which waited on the projectors were fully earned. A railroad conceived, equipped, and suc- cessfully managed during those early years, without aid from the State or General Government, pointed out .its projectors to be men at once self-reliant, energetic, en- terprising and intelligent. Michigan, Illinois, and in fact all States and private companies, that entered on such enterprises, were driven to the verge of ruin, the Ga- lena & Chicago Union Railroad Company alone making their enterprise successful from the moment work was begun. The history of the road up to 1864, when it was consolidated with the North-Western Railroad, is considered in the history of that immense railroad sys- tem.

CHICAGO & NORTH-WESTERN RAILROAD, 1854-57 .- The Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad, now the Chicago & North-Western, was originated in 1854. The Elgin & State Line Company's road, B. W. Ray- mond, president, was begun in 1854. It appears that the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad Company de-

signed to build an air line from Elgin to Chicago, and the object of the Elgin & State Line road was to con- nect the air line with the Wisconsin Central Railroad, then being constructed from the Illinois boundary to Stevens Point, Wis. The Galena & Chicago Union Railroad Company, however, refused to build the air line ; when its place was supplied by the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac. W. B. Ogden was president of this company, which must be considered identical with the Illinois & Wisconsin Railroad Company, chartered under the concurrent acts of Illinois and Wisconsin. On the 13th of March, 1851, the Legislature of Wiscon- sin granted a charter to Levi Blossom, Charles H. Wheeler and others, as a corporation called the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad Company. At about the same time the Illinois Legislature granted a charter to the Chicago & Milwaukee Railroad Com- pany, with authority to build a line from Chicago to the State line between Wisconsin and Illinois, where it would meet the line built by the Green Bay, Milwaukee & Chicago Railroad Company. Both corporations be- gan the work of construction at once, and before the close of 1855 the two lines were completed and met at the State line. They operated the road together until 1863, when the two companies consolidated. It was in operation to Barrington January 1, 1855, and on March 1 to Cary-thirty-eight miles. In June and July, 1855, the gauge was changed, the line extended to Wood- stock, fifty-two miles from Chicago, and opened July 11, 1855.

The Beloit & Madison Railroad, subsequently the Rock River Valley Railroad, was built under the char- ter of 1848. The principals of the enterprise were John B. Macy, T. I .. Gillett and A. Hyatt Smith, the two first of Fond du Lac and the latter of Janesville, Wis, Books were opened December 19, 1850, and on July 10, 1851, ground was broken at Fond du Lac by Timothy F. Strong, Sr., for a six-foot gauge railroad. The road was first laid with wooden and strap-iron rails, over which the old " Winnebago " drew the first train. The little engine weighed fifteen tons. On her arrival at Sheboygan from Buffalo in 1851, fourteen yoke of oxen were attached to the wagon on which she was placed, and after six weeks of laborious effort over the forty-two miles of road her arrival was reported at Fond du Lac. This road was consolidated with the Illinois & Wisconsin in 1855, and both with the Chi- cago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac, September 6, 1855. In 1857 the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac absorbed the Wisconsin & Superior Railroad.

After the consolidation of the Illinois & Wisconsin and the Rock River Valley Railroad in 1855, under the name of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac Railroad Company, the progress of the road became remarkable. In 1856 the divisions from the State line to Janesville and from Fond du Lac to Minnesota Junction were completed ; the grade was changed from six feet to four feet cight and a half inches, and through-passenger trains run from Chicago to Mississippi, via Milton Junc- tion and Janesville, over the track of the Milwaukee & Mississippi, or Prairie du Chien Railroad. At this time the contest for the possession of the seven hundred thousand acres of railroad lands in Wisconsin took place. The influence of Milwaukee opposed the pre- tentious claims of the Chicago, St. Paul & Fond du Lac road ; and to meet their opposition a policy was adopt- ed which was attended with success. The Wisconsin & Superior Railroad Company was incorporated, seven hundred thousand acres of land secured, and in 1857 the charter and lands were placed in possession of the am-

Digized By Google

180

HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

bitious Chicago line. In addition to this the Marquette State line and the Ontonagon & State line roads were con- solidated. This policy of absorption was carried on un- remittingly, until at length the road became known throughout the world as the Chicago & North-Western.

CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAILROAD, 1849. 57 .- This great system, which, in these times embraces 4,126 miles of road, and brings the commerce of great portions of Illinois, lowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Colo- rado into the heart of thiscity, may be said to have formed a nucleus in 1849. The Aurora Branch Rail- road was incorporated February 12,1849, and empowered to build a road from Aurora to the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad in Du Page County. The first direct- ors were : S. F. Gale, I. H. Burch, Allen Robhins, E. S. Wadsworth, John Frink, E. C. Larned, John Van Nort- wick, B. Hackney, 1., D). Brady, J. W. Brooks, and Gilbert C. Davidson. On November 1, 1850, this branch was completed and cars from Aurora passed into Chicago over the Galena & Chicago Union Company's track.

December 13, 1851, the Aurora Branch Railroad Company and the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad Company entered into an agreement, to be in force for thirty years from January 1, 1852, containing those stipulations referred to in the history of the last-named road for the transaction of a joint business.

A contract made October 3, 1854, between George C. Bestor, president of the Peoria & Oquawka Railroad ; James F. Joy, president of the Chicago & Aurora Rail- rod, and J. W. Brooks, by J. F. Joy, president of the Central Military Tract, provided for the joint business of these roads. On January 1, 1856, the Northern Cross- roads, the Central Military Tract and the Chicago & Aurora, entered into further contracts for the regulation of joint business and for the disposal of the bonds then authorized. .

The gross earnings of the Chicago & Aurora Rail- road from January to December, 1854, were $300,042.62. of which sum $152,105.98 were disbursed on account of general expenditures.

The Peoria & Oquawka Railroad, 'chartered in 1849,) from Peoria through Galesburg to Burlington, was graded and several miles of track laid by January 31, 1854, to Galesburg, in December, 1854, and in 1856 was consolidated with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. This road was taken into the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system in 1863, thus opening a through route from East Burlington to Peoria.

The act to incorporate the Central Military Tract Railroad was approved February 13, 1851, with William McMurtry. C. S. Colton, James Bunce, W. S. Gale, H. H. May, G. . C. Lamphere, W. A. Wood, Alfred Brown, Alva Wheeler, Peter Grouse, Amos Ward, Patrick Dunn, Daniel Meeks, Silas Willard and A. C. Wiley incorpora- tors. In an amendment to this act, approved June 19, 1852, the names of Sylvester Blish, Barney M. Jackson, Myrtle G. Brace, Edward Holister, Edwin G. Ellet and William Maxwell were added to the list of incorporators. The road was built by Colton & Brooks and opened in 1855. The consolidation of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy with the Central Military Tract line was ef- fected July 9, 1856 ; but for convenience in rendering the accounts for receipts and disbursements, the actual consolidation dates from July 1, 1856. The earnings of the Central Military Tract Railroad for eight months, ending December 31, 1855, amounted to $314,529.56, of which $134,293.11 formed the aggregate expendi- tures.

Railroad connection between Chicago and Burling- ton, lowa, was established the first week in March,

1855. During the same year the Northern Cross road from Galesburg to Quincy was completed. During the session of the Legislature of 1855, a law had been passed consolidating the Aurora & Chicago, the Cen- tral Military Tract, the western end of the Peoria & Oquawka, and the Northern Cross Railroad companies into a single corporation under the name of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company. The Chicago & Aurora Railroad extended from Chicago to Mendota, the Central Military Tract from Mendota to Galesburg, the west end of the Peoria & Oquawka from Galesburg to Burlington, and the Northern Cross Railroad from Galesburg to Quincy. This consolidation gave Chicago five points of connection with the Mississippi Valley, and a road two hundred and ten miles in length. In 1856 arrangements were fully completed and trains run- ning into Chicago, from Geneva Junction, over the tracks of the Galena & Chicago Union Railroad. The tracks of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, via Six- teenth Street, were laid into the city in 1863.

The Rock Island & Alton Railroad Company, to whom aid was granted along its proposed line in 1856 (but in many instances the bonds representing this aid were returned to the people, was completed over a dif- ferent route from that selected in the first instance. under the name of Rock Island & St. Louis Railroad. The line was carried on under varied fortunes until in 1876 the Rock Island & St. Louis Company adopted the title St. Louis, Rock Island & Chicago Railroad Com- pany, and the same year the line was purchased by the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.

The income of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad for 1855, including balance of $82.473-35 car- ried forward from December 31, 1855. was $8c6,611.95, of which 8592,630.29 were expended in dividends, in- terest on bonds, sinking fund, taxes and operating ex- penses in 1854-55, leaving a balance of $213,981.66 to be credited to the company's account, on January 1, 1856. The expenditures of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy (consolidated ) from July 1, 1856, to April 30, 1857, were 8716,288.61, while the earnings reached $1,389,292.99.

The rolling stock in 1857 comprised eleven coal- burning locomotives, forty-three wood-burning loco- motives, twenty-six first-class passenger coaches, five second-class passenger cars, eight baggage cars, five hundred and ninety-four freight-house cars, one hun- dred and sixteen platform cars, and fifty coal cars.

The directors of the road in 1857 were Erastus Corning, New York; Edward L. Baker, U. Thayer, R. B. Forbes, S. H. Perkins, J. M. Forbes, J. W. Brooks, Massachusetts; James F. Joy, Detroit; Isaac H. Burch, Chicago; John Van Nortwick, Batavia, III., and C. S. Colton, Galesburg, Ill. The officers were John Van Nortwick, president; C. G. Hammond, superintendent; and Amos T. Hall, treasurer and secretary.

CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILROAD, 1847- 1857 .- This road had its origin in the Rock Island & LaSalle Railroad Company, chartered February 27, 1847. Although nothing was done toward the construc- tion of the road under this charter, attention was drawn to the project, and enthusiastic meetings and conven- tions were held during the year in Chicago, in favor of a railroad to the Pacific, Hon. Stephen A. Douglas occa- sionally lending his presence to them. In 1850, during the marked revival in railroad matters occasioned by the Illinois Central land grant, Henry Farnum came to Chicago from New Haven, upon William B. Ogden's invitation, to assist in the construction of the Galena & Chicago Union road, While here he examined the

Digized by Google

181

THE RAILROAD SYSTEM.

Rock Island route, and was so impressed with its ad- vantages that he wrote to his friend, Joseph E. Sheffield, a rich capitalist of New Haven, to come to Chicago and also look over the proposed route. This resulted in obtaining a charter and building the road.

On February 7, 1851, at the suggestion of Eastern capitalists and from motives prompted by general com- mercial foresight, the charter of the Rock Island & La Salle Company was amended so that the road could be continued from Peru, LaSalle County, by way of Ottawa and Joliet, to Chicago. The name was also changed to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company, additional subscriptions of $300,000 being required. By the 13th of the month the requisite amount of new stock had been taken. Surveys of the road under Richard P. Morgan, chief engineer, from Rock Island to Peru, had been going on since December, 1850, and were now (in April) nearly completed. Upon the re-organization of the company in April, 1851, J. B. Jervis was chosen president and William Jervis chief engineer. On account of high water the survey was not entirely completed until June 26. In August all surveys and estimates for the line to Chicago had been made, and on the 25th of that month the executive committee met Messrs. Far- num and Sheffield in New York city, and concluded a contract with them for the construction and equipment of the road. This contract was approved by the board of directors, meeting at Rock Island, on September 17. In January, 1852, the company contracted for the build- ing of the Rock-river bridge. Contracts were also made for iron for the whole road, ten thousand tons to be delivered in 1852 sufficient to furnish the road to Peru) and the remainder in 1853. A large enough force was to be put on the road to have it completed to Joliet by August 1, and to Ottawa by October 1. Work was finally hegun, April 10, 1852, underthe superintendency of Mr. Farnum. Although it did not progress quite as rapidly as was anticipated, the progress made was en- couraging. On October 18, the road was open from Chicago to Joliet, a distance of forty miles; January 5, 1853, to Morris, sixty-two miles; February 14, to Otta- wa, eighty-four miles; March 21, to LaSalle, ninety- eight miles; March 21, to l'eru, one hundred miles; September 12, to Tiskilwa, one hundred and twenty-two miles; October 12, to Sheffield, one hundred and thirty- seven miles; December 19, to Geneseo, one hundred and fifty-nine miles; and to Rock Island, one hundred and eighty-one miles, February 22, 1854.

The completion of the road to LaSalle and Peru afforded a full opportunity to calculate the advantages which its construction to the Mississippi would confer upon Chicago, as well as the extent to which the interest of the company would be served. Indeed, from that day in October, 1852, when the first passenger train passed down to Joliet, the success which waited upon the enterprise was manifest. In February, 1854, the road was opened to the Mississippi, and the nucleus of the magnificent system, known as the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad was firmly founded. From 1854 to 1857, nothing occurred to mar the harmony of progress, beyond the shocking accident, near Joliet, November 1, 1854. This catastrophe cost eight pass- engers their lives, and the company a large sum of money. In the fall of 1853 the company in union with the Michigan Southern Railroad Company, built their depot between Clark and Sherman streets, on VanBuren Street. This building incurred an expenditure of about $60,000 and gave the young city another substantial token of her enterprise and prospects.

CHICAGO & ALTON RAILROAD, 1846-57 .- The

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.

History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 43

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875