USA > Minnesota > Stearns County > History of Stearns County, Minnesota, Volume I > Part 62
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The original charter which was secured through the efforts of J. P. Wil- son, who was a member of the territorial legislature, is a perpetual charter, and is said to be one of the best ever granted in any state, giving the company the right to connect with all other railroads without any further legislation.
Aided by the support of others associated with him, Mr. Wilson was able to keep the charter alive during the succeeding years until the time came when it could be made to serve at least in part its original purpose. A direct connection with Duluth was secured in 1882 when under this charter, which had been purchased by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Com- pany, the line from St. Cloud east to Milaca and Hinckley was built, being opened for operation December 17 of that year. This branch carried with it a land grant of ten sections per mile. Its construction not only gave St. Cloud a short line to Lake Superior ports, but put it in close touch with a number of the most prosperous and growing towns in Benton county, to the advantage mutually of the city and the people of these towns. The build- ing of the road has added materially to the development of the southeastern part of our neighboring county.
The line of railway up the west side of the Mississippi river from Minne- apolis to St. Cloud, sometimes known as the Osseo branch, was built by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Company under the charter of the Minneapolis & Northwestern Railway Company. It was built as far as Clearwater in January, 1882, and completed to St. Cloud and opened for
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operation December 17, 1882, the same date as the branch to Milaca and Hinckley.
The line southwesterly from St. Cloud for a distance of twenty miles to Richmond was built by the St. Cloud, Mankato & Austin Railway Com- pany, a sub-organization of the Minneapolis & St. Cloud Railway Company, and exercising its powers under the charter of the latter company.
This property was purchased by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railway Company in 1886, and during the fiscal year 1887 the line was ex- tended from Richmond to Willmar, a distance of thirty-eight miles, by the Manitoba Company. There was a land grant of four sections per mile at- taching to the twenty miles of this road from St. Cloud to Richmond, but neither the St. Cloud, Mankato & Austin Company nor its successors were able to have their claims to this grant recognized by the state authorities.
A branch line from Sauk Centre north was built as far as Browerville in Todd county by the Sauk Centre Northern Railway Company, being com- pleted and opened for operation March 27, 1882.
All of these branches, as well as the line first constructed, from St. Cloud up the Sauk valley to Melrose, Sauk Centre and Alexandria, thence on to the Pacific coast, being the main line of the road, are parts of the Great Northern Railway Company's magnificent system. They give St. Cloud and the towns and other cities in the county on its line direct connection not only with St. Paul, Minneapolis, Duluth and the cities of the Pacific coast and intermediate country, but with some of the chief markets of Iowa and South Dakota.
The advantages offered by two transcontinental lines, with their myriads of branches penetrating newly-developed as well as thickly-peopled local- ities, cannot be overestimated, and St. Cloud's industries, as well as such in- dustries as pertain to other parts of the county, are responding to the oppor- tunities for growth presented by the means thus afforded to enter profitable markets. This is especially true as regards the granite industry, and St. Cloud granite is in demand in almost all parts of the West and Southwest.
The St. Cloud & Willmar Branch. As is briefly referred to elsewhere, this branch was built under a charter secured by a minor organization con- trolled by the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Company. The survey was made by engineers of the Manitoba Company, beginning in July 1885, and before the close of the month a number of carloads of steel rails to be used in laying the track had arrived at the St. Cloud depot. The con- tract for building the road as far as Cold Spring was let in September to D. C. Shepard & Co., of St. Paul, with Foley Brothers of St. Cloud, sub-contractors for a part of the distance. Grading was promptly begun and by December 12 the track had been laid as far as Rockville. It was completed the fol- lowing year, reaching Richmond in the spring. A train ran to Zion July 11, 1886, the only regular station at that time being at Cold Spring, with James Beaty, formerly of Sauk Rapids, agent.
A free excursion train consisting of sixteen passenger coaches, the super- intendent's car and a baggage car, furnished by the railroad company, run to celebrate the completion of the road to Willmar, brought to St. Cloud Au-
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gust 11, 1886, by actual count 1,766 persons. They were met at the station by a committee of citizens with conveyances and taken about the city and to the fair grounds. Here the Willmar band was joined by the Princeton band which had been engaged for the day. A bountiful lunch had been provided, which seemed to be fully appreciated by the excursionists. A speech of wel- come was made by the Hon. H. C. Waite on behalf of the city, with responses by Judge Maynard, of Willmar, and George Geer, of Burbank. The after- noon was filled in with races, baseball, etc., the train starting on its return trip at six o'clock.
The road was regularly opened for business September 1, a mixed pas- senger and freight train leaving St. Cloud daily at 3:25 P. M., arriving at Willmar at 8 P. M .; returning it left Willmar at 6:30 A. M., arriving at St. Cloud at 11 A. M.
There was filed in the office of the register of deeds of Stearns county, June 16, 1886, a deed from the St. Cloud, Mankato & Austin Railroad Com- pany to the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad Company whereby the former conveyed to the latter that part of its line located between St. Cloud and Hutchinson, in McLeod county, and built as far as Richmond. The con- sideration was $295,000.
The franchises and the property of the Willmar and Sioux Falls road, which was a continuation of the St. Cloud and Willmar line, were September 23, 1887, transferred to the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Company. The road was a Manitoba enterprise from the first, being built with that company's money. The work of construction was completed to Sioux Falls, S. D., Oc- tober 26, 1888, providing for the running of through trains between that city and Duluth via St. Cloud. The distance from this city to Willmar is forty-eight miles and from Willmar to Sioux Falls 146 miles, making a total distance between St. Cloud and Sioux Falls 194 miles. Connection has also been made via Willmar and Garritson with Sioux City, Iowa.
An excursion to formally celebrate the completion and opening of the road to Sioux Falls was organized at Duluth and a special train, passing through St. Cloud, was run June 27, 1889. A number of St. Cloud business men accompanied the excursion as guests, meeting with a hospitable reception at Marshall, Pipestone and other places en route. The excursionists reached Sioux Falls that evening, where they had royal treatment during their stay returning on the twenty-ninth.
Removal of the Division. In 1896 the division headquarters of the St. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba Railroad were removed from St. Cloud to Melrose, where the necessary grounds had been secured and the preliminary arrangements made the year before. In 1885 the division headquarters at the first division terminal westward had been removed from Fergus Falls to Barnesville and it had been found that by this change the work was not equally distributed, the distance between St. Paul and St. Cloud being too short and that between St. Cloud and Barnesville too long for the economical handling of train crews, rendering a change necessary.
A suitable building for the division superintendent and his assistants, with roundhouse and all necessary equipment, was provided. The removal was
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the occasion of regret on the part of St. Cloud, as it took away a number of skilled and desirable citizens. On the other hand it was welcomed by Mel- rose which thereby acquired a valuable addition to its population, calling for the erection of a number of new buildings, with a corresponding increase in its general business.
The Railroad Strike. At midnight of April 16, 1894, all the trainmen on the Fergus Falls division of the Great Northern Railway, affiliated with the American Railway Union, went on a strike, the order being issued by L. D. ("Dad") Foster, president of the union, living at St. Cloud. The purpose of the strike was to secure a restoration of the scale of wages which had pre- vailed prior to August, 1893. The tie-up was complete, no trains, except those carrying the United States mails, being permitted to pass the station.
On the eighteenth an order was obtained for the United States Circuit Court forbidding the strikers to interfere with the operation of the road. A train from St. Paul brought Deputy U. S. Marshal Sheehan with twenty depu- ties, and an order of the court was read to the strikers, requiring L. D. Foster, five more mentioned by name "and others" to appear in St. Paul on the first Monday in June and answer the bill of complaint filed by the Great Northern Railway Company. As trains arrived from time to time they were taken pos- session of by the strikers, the engine and mail car being cut off and given permission to proceed, but the company declined to send them forward with- out the other cars. The railroad officials asked for protection from the chief of police and sheriff, but could not obtain it. A mass meeting at the opera house the evening of April 18 was largely attended by railroad men and citi- zens. Two days later United States Marshal Adam Bede arrived with a large force of deputies with warrants for the arrest of ten of the leading strikers, including L. D. Foster, president of the local union. No resistance was offered. Another mass meeting was held at the opera house on the evening of April 20, which was addressed by Eugene V. Debs, president, and George W. How- ard, vice-president of the American Railway Union. President Debs, who was the principal speaker, urged the men to keep within the law and commit no violenee, predicting that the strike would be settled in a few days and settled in the interest of the men. Further meetings were held, one on Sun- day evening, April 22, being addressed, by request of the strikers, by several of the ministers of the city. About half the men employed at the car shops, mostly car repairers and blacksmiths, joined the strikers, which came as a surprise as no reduction had been made in their wages.
Attempts made to effeet a settlement having failed, the overtures for arbitration offered by President Hill being rejected by the men the strike was ordered April 27 to be extended to St. Paul and Minneapolis.
As the result of arbitration conducted by a committee of business men of St. Paul, a satisfactory adjustment of the wages of the men affected by the proposed reduction was agreed upon, and May 2 the strike was officially declared to be at an end and the men were authorized to return to work, no employees being affected by the part they had taken in the strike. This result was hailed with delight by all parties concerned, including the business men of the city, who had been heavy losers by the tying up of traffic. The
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conduct of the men throughout had been free from violence or destruction of property, which made an early and favorable settlement the more possible. Unfortunately some of the business men of St. Cloud, in their zeal to show their sympathy with the strikers, engaged in acts of interference with the railroad company's operation of its trains, which later resulted in serious injury to the city.
Northern Pacific Railroad. This great transcontinental line, following some years after those traversing the more southern routes, received its char- ter from congress July 2, 1864, the act granting it being signed by Abraham Lincoln. Among the incorporators were General U. S. Grant, John C. Fre- mont, first Republican candidate for the presidency ; J. Edgar Thompson and Alexander Mitchell and S. S. L'Hommedieu, prominent business and railroad men of that day. The road was to extend from the head of Lake Superior to Puget Sound, on a line north of the forty-fifth degree of latitude, with a branch via the valley of the Columbia river to Portland, Oregon. It was given a rich grant of lands, twenty alternate sections per mile in the states and territories through which it should pass. Work was begun at the eastern end of the line, near Thompson Junction, September 15, 1870. The crossing of the Mississippi river, at Brainerd, a distance of ninety-one miles, was reached March 6, 1871. Jay Cooke, the great financier, was the chief factor in carrrying forward this stupendous enterprise, but financial reverses came and the road was sold under mortgage foreclosure. Henry Villard is the prominent figure in the days which followed and under his management the work of construction was carried to completion, the last spike being driven at Gold Creek, Montana, September 8, 1883, General U. S. Grant being one of the witnesses of the event.
The road had been built in two section, and the junction was made at Gold Creek on the date named. This permitted the operation of through trains to the Pacific coast via the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's line between Wallula, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. In the early seven- ties the Northern Pacific had constructed a railroad between Kalama and Tacoma; a line from Golbe to Portland was built in 1884, and in 1887 con- struction between Pasco and Tacoma was completed. This gave the Northern Pacific its own railroad from St. Paul and Duluth to Portland via Tacoma.
There had been very confident expectations that the Northern Pacific Railroad when constructed would run from Lake Superior via St. Cloud, the Sauk valley and Alexandria to Fort Abercrombie, thence continuing to the coast. From St. Cloud had started in 1854 into the then wilderness the first exploring expedition for the Northern Pacific. I was sent out by the war department under the act of congress which provided for the exploration of four routes to the Pacific and was commanded by Isaac I. Stevens, who took with him his commission as the first governor of Washington territory, and for whom it was intended a year later that Stearns county should be named. In a speech in the national house of representatives January 5, 1869, the Hon. William Windom, then a member of congress from Minnesota, had said of the proposed route: "Passing westward from the head of Lake Superior it crosses the Mississippi river at or near St. Cloud, Minnesota. Next it strikes
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the Red River of the North." A party of the Northern Pacific officials, headed by J. Gregory Smith, president of the road, arrived in St. Cloud July 3, 1869, on a tour of inspection and were given by the citizens a banquet at the Central House. Specches were made in which much confidence as to the early building of the road, with St. Cloud, one of the points on the line, was expressed.
In the year following announcement was made that an arrangement had been entered into between the St. Paul & Pacific and Northern Pacific com- panies, whereby the former would construct its line from Minneapolis to Breckenridge on the Red River, while a branch line would be built from St. Cloud to Pembina.
The route over which the Northern Pacific was constructed had then been decided on, and August 11, President Smith with Gen. Ira Spaulding, the chief engineer, and several of the directors were in St. Cloud, going from here first to the crossing of the Mississippi river where Brainerd now is and then, returning to this city, to the Red river country. During the fall of 1870 surveys were made for the St. Cloud and Pembina branch via Spunk Brook, through Todd county to Partridge river and Red Lake. Surveys were also made for a crossing of the Mississippi river at this place. During this year Gen. Ira Spaulding and Col. W. H. Owen, with their families, made their homes in St. Cloud, and directed surveying operations from here.
The year 1871 had a very rosy look for the people of St. Cloud from a railroad point of view, and they had good reason to expect some important construction and development work, one of the features of which was to be a union depot for two leading lines of railroad. But there is often a wide dif- ference between promise and performance-especially in railroad matters- as proved to be the result in this case.
After a conference at St. Paul between Mayor Kerr and the railroad committee of the common council and President Becker, of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company, regarding the running of the lines of that road into the city of St. Cloud and the construction of a union depot, the matter was taken up by the council. A public meeting was called for September 2, 1871, at which the wishes of the company and the interests of the city were fully discussed, resulting in the adoption unanimously of resolutions favoring action along the lines set forth in the proposition outlined below. September 5 a joint committee of the common council and citizens met with Gen. C. A. F. Folsom, chief engineer of the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad; William B. Payte, assistant engineer, and Simon P. Folsom, right-of-way agent, and submitted the following proposition :
The city of St. Cloud proposes to the First Division St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company to give to said company the right of way through the city for both the Brainerd and Sauk Valley (or Pembina) branches of said road, free of charge; to donate grounds in said city for a union depot of said roads (not exceeding twenty acres) and to give said company as a bonus the bonds of said city for the sum of $65,000; provided the said railroad company will, within one year from the date hereof, cross the St. Paul line of said road
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over the Mississippi river into the city of St. Cloud, at such point as said city may designate; take up and remove the tracks and depot buildings on said line east of the river from St. Cloud to Sauk Rapids; establish and maintain in said city of St. Cloud, at such point between St. Germain street and Cliff street, south of the ravine, in John L. Wilson's survey of St. Cloud, as said city shall designate, a union depot of both the said Sauk Valley (or Pembina) and the Brainerd branches; start and run the said Brainerd branch from said depot up the west side of the Mississippi river, and re-cross said river at Watab; and start and run the Sauk Valley (or Pembina) branch of said road from said depot, as a separate and independent line, in a westerly direction toward Sauk Centre. The city of St. Cloud indicates a decided preference for the crossing of the Mississippi river near the Stearns house (so-called).
The representatives of the railroad company expressed entire satisfaction with the proposition. Gen. Morris stated that the St. Cloud depot on the east side of the river would be used in making the new depot (which would be much larger) on this side; that the Sauk Rapids depot would be brought over and used for a general freight depot; that the turn-table would be brought to this side; that repair shops of different kinds would be constructed here, an engine house with eight stalls at least, a large elevator and other buildings.
Following a visit to this city December 22 by President Becker with a copy of a resolution adopted by the directors of the Northern Pacific Com- pany in New York December 13, which the company desired should be adopted by the city council and approved by the people, a meeting of citizens was held the following evening at which the resolution was unanimously approved. A special meeting of the council was held December 26, to consider this reso- lution which read as follows :
Resolved, That the crossing by the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad of the Mis- sissippi river at St. Cloud be at the "Wilson Crossing" so-called ; provided, how- ever, that there be given to the company free of cost, the right of way through the city and twenty acres of land for depot grounds, conveniently located, and a good and sufficient guarantee for the issue to the St. Paul & Pacific Railroad Company of $65,000 in the city's bonds, bearing interest at not less than seven per cent, payable semi-annually, the principal payable in not less than twenty years; and provided also that the city of St. Cloud shall never, by the action of its city council or otherwise, restrict the speed of that com- pany's trains; and provided also, that the city of St. Cloud shall hold that company harmless for all expense for maintaining gates or flagmen on the line of said road within the limits of said city.
The city council by a unanimous vote accepted and adopted the terms proposed in the above resolution in consideration of the crossing of the railroad at the "Wilson Crossing," at the foot of St. Augusta street, the constructing and running of the railroad to the depot grounds to be selected by the city within its corporate limits, the constructing and maintaining of depot build- ings thercon, and the running thence in a westerly direction in as straight a line as possible to a crossing of the Sauk river not north of the south half of section 4, township 124, range 28.
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The question of issuing $65,000 of bridge bonds and $15,000 right-of-way bonds was submitted to the voters of St. Cloud at an election held February 26, 1872, the vote being 385 to 17 on the bridge bonds and 401 to 1 on the right of way bonds. The location of the depot grounds had been definitely decided on the previous month.
Crossing into St. Cloud. The construction of the railroad bridge across the Mississippi river was begun in the spring and completed June 12, 1872, on the afternoon of which day the first train of cars ever in St. Cloud crossed the new bridge, the full length of which is 686 feet. The train consisted of three flat cars loaded with railroad iron and was drawn by engine No. 9, the F. R. Delano; Ed. Kittridge engineer, and Oscar Johnson fireman. This engine with its flat cars was engaged during the subsequent time in hauling iron for the extension of the traek. It was claimed for the new St. Cloud passenger station that it was the finest along the entire line from St. Paul up. Work was begun at this time on the new freight depot.
The first passenger train to come into St. Cloud crossed over from the east side August 26, 1872, and ran to the new station. Trains came directly to this station, whence the engine backed to Sauk Rapids; returning, the cars were pushed over to this station and started on the return trip to St. Paul. St. Cloud was made the terminal station. The track was accepted by the company to the seventy-fifth mile post, which was at this station. The first station west of St. Cloud was St. Joseph ; the next, at Spunk lake, was called Avon ; and the next Albany.
The schedule gave two trains daily each way, leaving St. Paul at 8:30 A. M. and 4:45 P. M., arriving at St. Cloud at 1 P. M. and 8:35 P. M .; leaving St. Cloud at 7:20 A. M. and 2:50 P M., reaching St. Paul at 10:45 A. M. and 6:45 P. M. This would be regarded as a very conservative time table today, when the run from St. Cloud to St. Paul is made by the best trains in two hours.
The road was completed to Melrose and trains began running to that place November 18, when congratulatory messages were exchanged between its citizens and George L. Becker, president of the St. Paul & Pacific. Major Edwin Clark had given the railroad company one-half of the platted townsite in consideration of that village being made a point on the road, this involv- ing a slight change in the line as located. A new time table went into effect, the trains leaving St. Paul at 8 o'clock A. M., reached St. Cloud at 12:35 and Melrose at 3 P. M .; returning leaving Melrose at 6 A. M., reached St. Cloud at 8:40 A. M. and S. Paul at 1:25 P. M. The local fares west from St. Cloud were: To St. Joseph, 35 cents; Avon, 75 cents; Albany, $1.05; Oak, $1.35; Melrose, $1.65.
The last stage for Sauk Centre left here November 18. Passengers for Sauk Centre and above took the stage at Melrose and the through mail went by the cars. A two-horse coach left St. Joseph daily carrying the mail and passengers for points on the old stage line between St. Joe and Melrose. Much of the grain which was previously shipped at Benson, on the main line, came to Melrose. The trains stopped at the old depot on the east side, from which point a "dummy" took passengers and freight to Sauk Rapids.
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