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Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway

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Date: 10 Oct 1852 to 31 Mar 1980
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The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, commonly known as the Rock Island Line, was a major transportation company that operated in the Midwestern United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was one of the largest railroads in the country at the time, and was known for its efficient and reliable service, connecting Chicago and other major cities to rural areas and small towns across the Midwest. Despite its historical significance and popularity, the Rock Island Line eventually faced financial difficulties and was forced into bankruptcy, eventually being dissolved in 1980. However, its legacy lives on through its impact on the growth and development of the Midwest, and in the songs and legends it has inspired over the years.

Contents

Early Beginnings

George Davenport, Entrepreneur
Antoine Le Claire, Banker
James Grant, First President of C&RI


Like so many other railroads of the time, the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was launched in the mid-19th century to connect small rural towns. The ideal of the "Rock Island Line" got its start from a group of businessmen, George William King, known as Colonel George Davenport[1] from Iowa in the town that bears his name, Antoine Le Claire[2], James Grant[3], Ebenezer Cook[4], and A. C. Fulton, all from the Iowa side, met with W. A. Whittaker and Lemuel Andrews, both Rock Island businessmen. Also in attendance were Charles Atkinson from a town called Moline and N. D. Elwood from Joliet. Richard P. Morgan, a civil engineer, attended the meeting with the group. Together, they laid out plans in 1845 to lay 75 miles of track to link Rock Island, Illinois across the Mississippi River, from Davenport, Iowa to LaSalle, Illinois on the banks of the Mississippi. They officially incorporated on February 27, 1847 as the Rock Island and La Salle Railroad.[5]

Although the plans were ready, they lacked funding to begin construction. It wasn't until 1850 that they had raised $300,000 to begin their project. When they sought an engineer, Henry Farnam[6], already known for his work on the Michigan Southern Railroad building toward Chicago, to survey the route. They were told that extending the line to Chicago offered a better chance of success. So they quickly agreed to this new plan and renamed the company Chicago & Rock Island (C&RI).[5]

4-4-0 Rocket

Vintage Steam Train

In August of 1852, construction began westward from Chicago to Joilet, Illinois. When the track was completed, the 4-4-0 Rocket, an American-type locomotive built by the Rogers Locomotive Works of Patterson, New Jersey, and called the "Rocket", pulled the first train from Chicago to Joliet on October 10, 1852. The trip took about two hours to complete on a 40 mile stretch of track.[7][5] Work continued, and on February 22, 1854, the line to Rock Island was opened for service.[5] The route ran through Frankfort, New Lenox, and Joliet. It was a forty-mile run from Chicago to Joliet.[7] Railroad service between the cities proved an immediate success, and they continued their expansion to the Mississippi River.[5]

Bridging the Mississippi

Bird's eye view of first bridge
approaching Iowa side of river

In April 1856, the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad built the first bridge across the Mississippi River, which spanned the river between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa. Before the bridge was built, steamboats were the main means of transportation for passengers and cargo across the river. Steamboat owners were unhappy with the construction of the bridge. They saw it as not only a hazard to navigation, but also a threat to their livelihood. It would pit both sides, with the Steamship owners trying to stop the construction of the bridge. The government opposed the building of the bridge, but Jefferson Davis of Mississippi, and Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce, declared an interest in the bridge as a means to link the far west to the South. With his support, the bridge construction began, and on the morning of April 21, 1856, it was completed and the first train rolled across the river.[8]

Effie Afton Hits the Bridge
Steamboat Effie Afton crashed into the bridge,

Just fifteen days after the completion of the bridge, the steamboat named Effie Afton crashed into the bridge on May 6, 1856. Destroying the steamboat and part of the bridge. The owners of the Effie Afton sued Chicago & Rock Island Railroad for damages and wanted them to pay for the loss of the Effie Afton and its cargo. They also wanted the court to declare the bridge a danger to river travel and order its removal.[8]

The lawyers for the steamboat owners argued in court that the bridge was a hazard to boat travel on the Mississippi River, and said it should be torn down before more boats ran into it and before anyone was killed. The lawyers for the railroad included a young Abraham Lincoln, who argued the bridge was not a hazard to navigation if the steamboat pilots were careful. He further said it was the fault of the Effie Afton, which had run into the bridge. The lawyers also argued that railroads were just as important for transportation as the steamboats, and maybe more important. They pointed out that steamboats could not travel the northern part of the river for three or four months because it was frozen. While trains could operate year-round, and the railroads had just as much right to the river as steamboats.

Four months after bridge repair

The case was initially ruled against the railroad, with a jury returning against the bridge. The case next went to the United States Congress, where they decided the bridge was a hazard and should be removed, but it ultimately went all the way to the Supreme Court. Where they lost again, but quickly filed for an exception, stating the court lacked jurisdiction to take action against the property. and the court finally agreed, allowing the bridge to remain.[8]

Competition and Recession

Rock Island was on a fast pace of construction and its future bright. From all outward appearances, it was on track to become the Midwest's premier railroad. However, that quickly changed, as the nation dipped into recession and the company's financing sources dried up. At the same time, competition appeared with the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad (M&M), the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, and Chicago & North Western all set their sights on expansions into Council Bluffs, Iowa and beyond.[5]

To make matters worse for Rock Island, Congress passed the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, and President Lincoln signed it into law. Establishing the Union Pacific Railroad as the eastern leg of the Transcontinental Railroad. With the goal of building west of Omaha, Nebraska across the Missouri River from Council Bluffs, Iowa.[5]

All the railroads advanced little over the next few years, with the start of the Civil War. The war compounded an already bad situation. Forcing Chicago and Rock Island (C&RI) into bankruptcy.[5]

Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Formed

John F. Tracy

On July 9, 1866, the company reorganized as the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.[7][5] The race was on to beat its competitors to Council Bluffs, Iowa. Under the new leadership of John Tracy, they reached Council Bluffs on May 11, 1869. One day after, the Transcontinental Railroad held their formal opening ceremonies at Promontory Summit, Utah. However, the Rock was not the first to reach Council Bluffs. Chicago and North Western completed the route in January of 1867.[5]

Their late arrival to Council Bluffs caused repercussions throughout the years that followed, as its interchange business with Union Pacific was only a fraction of what C&NW enjoyed.[5]

Expansion

Despite playing second-fiddle in the race to Council Bluffs, Rock Island continued their expansion. By the end of 1872, Rock Island track in Illinois had grown to 317, in Iowa 718, and in Missouri 319. Over the next ten years, the Rock Island expanded in several directions. In 1879, it connected to Kansas City through an operating agreement with Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad. From there, they began planning routes into Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, and Oklahoma.[9]

In 1885, they purchased the majority shares of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railway. Taking the line over completely. This rail extending from Burlington to Manly Junction, Iowa, and included lines to Estherville, Sioux Falls, and Watertown, South Dakota. As well as providing entry into Minnesota and the Twin Cities. The majority of the track they now operated had been built by the Chicago, Kansas and Nebraska Railway Company.[9]

In 1885, Marcus Aurelius Low, a lawyer for Rock Island, submitted a plan to quickly extend the lines into Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico. It was a huge undertaking, and together with Hilon Adelbert Parker[10] , one of the leading railroad engineers, began working together in Topeka, Kansas to bring the plant to fruition. In 1885, they built a line from Denver and Colorado Springs, and the following year line from Lost Springs, Kansas, to Caldwell, Kansas, now the Oklahoma line.[9]

The stage was all set for the great project, but they had to wait for approval from Congress to build in Indian Territory. In 1887, Congress approved the charter and right to cross Indian Territory and pass through Texas to Galveston, and also for another line from Liberal across Indian Territory, Texas and New Mexico Territory to El Paso. They signed a contract with Union Pacific to operate on the tracks between Kansas City and North Topeka for 999 years.[9]

Monroe Davis Herington

The original plans to build a track to Lost Springs, Kansas passed near Herington. The town founder, Monroe Davis Herington[11], traveled to Topeka, Kansas to meet with Marcus A. Low and pursued him to bring the railroad to his town. With a simple handshake agreement between a pioneer rancher and Rock Island, the railroad was diverted through his town. It would later prove to be one of the important division points on the Rock Island line, and one of the most substantial and prosperous for the town of Herington.[9]

Following the old Chisholm trail, the railroad reached Pond Creek in 1888 and reached Enid and Hennessey without incident. The first train reached Hennessey that year and brought high grade see wheat for local farmers. El Reno was reached in 1890, and from there it stretched on to Minco, Indian Territory, before coming to an end. At the same time this track was being laid, they extended the southward to Horton, Kansas to Jansen, Nebraska. From Jansen, the line moved rapidly to Limon, Colorado, towards Colorado Springs. The entire line was opened in 1888, and they signed another contract with Union Pacific to allow service from Limon to Denver in 1889.

The line from McFarland to Belleville, to connect the Colorado line with the Southwestern route, was completed in 1887. By June 10, 1891, through various consolidations, the lines in Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado were connected to the Rock Island, a total of 1,476 miles of new railroad.[9]

In 1892, railway construction resumed on the line from Minco, Oklahoma south to the Texas border, and was reached by years end. The company was renamed the Chicago, Rock Island and Texas Railway Company, with Low as President. The line was extended from Fort Worth to connect the Red River with the line built from Minco. This opened through service from Rock Island, from Chicago, Illinois to both St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri, all the way to Texas.[9]

Ransom Reed Cable
Fractional Share of the Chicago,
Rock Island & Pacific Railway
Company, issued 30. June 1898

In 1898, Ransom Reed Cable became the seventh president of Rock Island. In that time, the amount of track had grown from 1,381 to 3, 568. What hadn't grown during his tenure was the development of the timber industry along the system rails. He apparently gave little or no thought for terminal facilities, or securing land to build the terminals. His only concern was the freight and connecting lines.[9]

The Rock Island signed an agreement to buy the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf on May 1, 1902, and leased all the railway to the Rock Island except for the Coal and Land Grants in Arkansas. By the end of 1902, the lines were completed from Liberal, Kansas to Dalhart, Texas, and Bravo on the Texas-New Mexico boundary line, then to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, for connection to the El Paso and Southwestern line. That same year, the Rock Island acquired the St. Louis to Kansas City line from the St. Louis and Fort Scott Rail Road Company.[9]

It continued its expansion and acquired the St. Louis, Kansas City and Colorado previously under the control of Santa Fe, but had passed into receivership. Rock Island acquired the Santa Fe interest and control of both railroad companies. Around the same time, they acquired the Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern Railroad with a lease to operate it for 999 years. This added another 1,289 miles of track for the company.[9]

At the end of fifty years of growth, the Rock Island had 354 miles in Illinois, 1,897 miles in Iowa, 217 miles in Minnesota, 333 miles in Missouri, 1,044 miles in Kansas, 246 miles in Nebraska, 167 miles in Colorado, 486 miles in Arkansas, 240 miles in Texas, and 38 miles in Louisiania.[9]

Bleak Outlook 1915

Warren Grafton Purdy

After fifty years of phenomenal growth, President Warren Grafton Purdy[12], President of the line, started to build much-needed terminal facilities and modernize. He had a good knowledge of the railroad business, and his undertakings were perhaps the way of progress that would have given the Rock Island the solid footing it needed. But before his reforms could be realized, he was ousted by the Reid-More syndicate in 1901. The group consisted of William Bateman Leeds Sr.[13], the tin plate king, Daniel Gray Reid[14], and brothers James Hobart and William Henry Moore.[15]

The syndicate led by President Leeds had ambitious plans to develop the first coast-to-coast trunk line. They bought up Frisco Railway to give them more access to the middle west. He bought both the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf, and the Burlington, Cdear Rapids and Northern. In 1904, he stepped down and Benjamin L. F. Winchell became president. The mileage the rail company operated had grown to 7,259, but the lines they had acquired after the syndicate takeover required extensive improvements. Winchell continued to expand the railroad and increase profits, but it was countered with the larger increase in fixed charges.[9]

A 1907 advertisement for travel
between Chicago and the Pacific Coast

Winchell left the company with the selling of Frisco and was succeeded by Henry Uri Mudge in 1909. The company went into receivership in 1915, and Jacob McGavock Dickinson[16] was appointed administrator. Under his administration, he managed to turn things around for Rock Island and straight out their tangled finances.[9]

With the end of the Reid-Moore syndicate, James E. Gorman became the next president of the company. The Great War was underway, and Rock Island continued its road to recovery with increased revenues. Then in the fall of 1928, came the memorable crash of the stock market. The Depression that followed took its toll on the railroad, and it passed again into receivership. E. M. Durham was appointed administrator of the company.[9]

John Dow Farrington was appointed Chief Operating Officer, and started what he called "planned progress". Anything and everything that could be scraped was sold and the money put into upgrading rails. Mile by mile, state by state new rail was laid to hand higher speeds and heavier trains. Lines were relocated to eliminate curvature.

Build Cimarron River Bridge

One of the greatest undertakings was to build a new bridge over the Cimarron. The bridge was built jointly with the Milwaukee Road, spanned the Missouri River and provided a new and better operation into Kansas City.

Age of Diesels

Aerotrain advertisement

The first diesel switchers were acquired in 1937, and later were followed by the Rock Island's first streamliner, the Texas Rocket. Other dieselized Rockets followed. The nation was again at war, but the progressive planning that followed the years before. brought the rail system to a point where it could handle the war time traffic. At the time, Rock Island's steam power locomotives totaled 1,160 in 1947, and had been reduced in half. President Durham retired, and Farrington succeeded him as the new president.

In 1948, Rock Island again emerged from receivership, having faced almost insurmountable obstacles to enter their hundredth year of service. It continued its success until 1955, when it peaked and again began the inevitable decline.[17]

The Merger Attempt

Rock Island E8 #652 with E6 #630
at Midland Railway, Baldwin City, KS.

The Rock Island was known as "one railroad too many" in the plains state. The Burlington covered the same territory, and the Rock Island had longer routes, making them less able to compete. Their only option left for survival was a merger. They attempted to merge with Union Pacific, but the merger was tightened up through opposition with the consolidation. During the ten year period that the company plans were in limbo, they continued to rack up losses.[17]

With the merger near, they made a last ditch effort to cut expenses to conserve cash. Rail maintenance was slashed, passenger service reduced, and locomotives received only the basic maintenance. At the systems declined, they came less attractive, as they once were for the merger. The deal once struck to merge was broken, and they were adrift on their own.[17]

Last Attempt to Survive

One of the last passenger timetables.

They hired a new CEO, John W. Ingram[17], to try and get the company back on track. Ingram quickly sought loans to rebuild the line, but it was too late. On March 17, 1975, the Rock Island entered its third bankruptcy.[17]

In receivership, Ingram continued to argue the company could be rebuilt, but creditors, such as Henry Crown[18], argued for the shutdown and liquidation. Over the next two years, the company operated the best it could. In the end, the company's attempt to reorganize was denied, and the Rock Island was ordered to be shutdown and liquidated.[17]

Legacy

The Rock Island Railroad was a major transportation company that operated in the Midwestern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was known for its efficient and reliable service, and was one of the largest railroads in the country at the time.

The Rock Island Railroad has left a lasting legacy in popular culture, and is remembered in several songs and legends. One of the most famous is the song "The Rock Island Line," a folk song popularized by Johnny Cash, Peter Seeger and the blues man himself, Huddie William Ledbetter in the mid-20th century. The song tells the story of a hobo who travels the rails on the Rock Island Line, and has become a classic of American folk music.[19]

Another legend surrounding the Rock Island Railroad involves the ghost train that is said to still roam the tracks. According to the legend, the ghost train is a train involved in a terrible accident that now haunts the tracks, appearing to travelers as a warning of danger.[20]

Or the idyllic railway track that ran beside the small hotel in Eldon, Missouri, owned by the grandmother of Mrs. Paul (Ruth) Henning, inspired the popular television show "Petticoat Junction" in the 1960s.[17]

Despite its historical significance, the Rock Island Railroad was eventually forced into bankruptcy and dissolved in 1980. However, its legacy continues to live on in the songs, legends, and memories of those who knew and loved the company.

Sources

  1. Wikipedia contributors. "George William King, known as Colonel George Davenport." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 2 Feb 2023
  2. Wikipedia contributors. "Antoine Le Claire." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 2 Feb 2023
  3. Wikipedia contributors. "James Grant." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 2 Feb 2023
  4. The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa, University of Iowa Press Digital Editions. "Ebenezer Cook." Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  5. 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 Marvel, Bill. The Rock Island Line. United States: Indiana University Press, 2013. "The Rock Island Line." Accessed 2 Feb 2023
  6. Wikipedia contributors. "Henry Farnam." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Blackhawk Railway Historical Society, "The Railroads of Will County Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific." Accessed 6 Feb 2023
  8. 8.0 8.1 8.2 Pfeiffer, David A., Library of Congress, National Archives, Prologue Magazine Bridging the Mississippi, The Railroads and Steamboats Clash at the Rock Island Bridge, Summer 2004, Vol 36, No. 2 "Bridging the Mississippi." Accessed 2 Feb 2023
  9. 9.00 9.01 9.02 9.03 9.04 9.05 9.06 9.07 9.08 9.09 9.10 9.11 9.12 9.13 The Rocket. United States: n.p., 1952. "The Rocket - Volumes 11-13 - Page 6 - Google Book Results." Accessed 6 Feb 2023
  10. Clements Library, University of Michigan. "Hilon Adelbert Parker Biography." Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  11. Portrait and Biographical Record of Dickinson, Saline, McPherson and Marion Counties, Kansas. United States: Chapman Bros., 1893. "Monroe Davis Herington Biography." Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  12. The University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley, University Library Special Collections and Archives. "Warren Grafton Purdy Biography." Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  13. Wikipedia contributors. "William Bateman Leeds." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  14. Wikipedia contributors. "Daniel Gray Reid." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  15. Wikipedia contributors. "William Henry Moore." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  16. Wikipedia contributors. "Jacob McGavock Dickinson." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Wikipedia contributors. "Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  18. Wikipedia contributors. "Henry Crown." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  19. Wikipedia contributors. "Rock Island Line." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023
  20. Wikipedia contributors. "Ghost Train." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 7 Feb 2023




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Thank you for your comments. That is a fascinating story. I love the connections with history and events. My grandfather worked, which is how he ended up from Alabama in Arkansas where he met my grandmother. I get a lot of enjoyment picturing stories like yours and others, and taking in the experiences they encountered and what life would have been like back then. I will keep an eye out for more on his story. I'm just south of Fort Smith, Arkansas, where the settlers left for the land rush.
posted by Jimmy Honey
Hi Jimmy, thank you for a fascinating article. My husband's great grandfather, Conrad Strecker, was born in Germany in 1861 to the once-noble Strecker von Rautenkranz family and emigrated to America, arriving at Castle Garden in 1883. Long story short, he learned English and saw an opportunity by following his father's occupation as a Blacksmith, he took part in the Oklahoma Land Run of 1893 on a wagon he built himself and settled with his family (of six boys) in Pond Creek, Oklahoma. There he obtained land and town lots and set up a hardware store and blacksmith shop, eventually becoming one of the richest men in town. He became a town leader, mayor, banker and, we believe, and investor in the Rock Island railway. We don't have much information about his involvement in the rail line and would love to find out more. We have an article that describes the problems encountered as the rail line was routed through towns that can only be described as the "Wild West". I'm not sure how to attach the article for you, but it is titled, "Hell on Rails: Oklahoma Towns at War with Rock Island Railway". My husband came to Australia on his own adventure 50 years ago and never left, but we are very conscious of his heritage in both the USA and Germany and do all we can to find out as much as we can about it.

Best regards, Marlene & Scott Conrad Strecker.

posted by [Living Field]