Chapter Thirty

RAILROADS OF MAHASKA COUNTY-THEIR BEGINNING AND GROWTH.

Early in the '50s an air line railroad route was projected through Iowa by a company named the Mississippi & Missouri Railroad Company. Work was begun at Muscatine. The proposed route was surveyed directly through Mahaska county, crossing the river at Rochester. During Judge Crookham's administration of county affairs one hundred thousand dollars of county bonds as a subscription to the enterprise were voted to the company, but for some reason they were not issued. Soon after Judge Rhinehart was elected county judge in answer to a petition of more than one-fourth of the voters in the county, he submitted to the people the question whether he should subscribe in the name of the county $150,000 more in bonds payable in twenty years at ten percent interest, payable semi-annually. The subscription was voted in March, 1856. Before delivering the bonds Judge Rhinehart required security from the company that the road should be built. The security was not given and the bonds were not delivered. In 1859 Judge Rhinehart called for an election to decide whether the loan should be rescinded or delivered to the company. A decided majority were against rescinding and bonds to the amount of $200,000 were delivered to John A. Dix, president of the company, with the understanding that the road was to be completed to Oskaloosa before September, 1860. The company was to expend the sum of $15,000 in Mahaska county during the summer of 1859, and the county was to pay interest of $100,000 of the bonds until the road was completed to Oskaloosa. Certificates of stock to the amount of the subscription were given by the company and also bonds for the execution of its contract. In a short time the sale of the bonds was enjoined because parts of the agreement had not been complied with, and the only loan ever made by the county was annulled.

The bonds remained in possession of the company until 1870, when steps were taken by the board of supervisors to recover them. In this they were successful and William G. Briggs, chairman of the board, and the county auditor were appointed a committee to burn the documents.

H. R. Kendig says that in 1857, when the disposition of these bonds was in doubt, a delegation of gentlemen from Burlington, among whom were Fitz Henry Warren, afterwards General, and Judge 1. C. Hall, representing the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy road, visited Oskaloosa and a public meeting was held in the. old courthouse. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy was at that time completed to Rome. These men proposed to our financiers that if they would make over to them the bonds which had been voted to the doubtful Mississippi & Missouri road, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy company would come up the divide from Rome and coming through Oskaloosa would take the third tier of counties to Council Bluffs instead of the second tier, over which their route had been surveyed. They counted that they would gain a decided advantage in the management of their road bed on this upland route across the state. Although these men pleaded their cause earnestly and eloquently, the moneyed men in Oskaloosa failed to see the immense value to be gained by the offer, and turned it down. Everybody can see it now that it was the golden opportunity not only in the lifetime of one generation, but in the lifetime of a city. Just what Oskaloosa would have been all these years with a great transcontinental trunk line touching its. life eighteen to twenty hours out of the twentyfour of each day, it is difficult to tell. It is said that E. W. Eastman became so discouraged over the failure to accept this offer that he left the city, locating at Eldora, and in after years was elected lieutenant governor of Iowa.

KEOKUK & DES MOINES.

The Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad was built from Keokuk to Eddyville as early as 1861. It was intended to extend it to Des Moines and then on north into Minnesota. Until it reached Des Moines some years later it was called the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minsota Railroad Company. Then for some years it was known as the Des Moines Valley. Later the name was changed to the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad Company, which it retained until the road became a part of the Rock Island system in 1878.

From Eddyville the road was built up the Muchakinock valley through the southeast part of the county during the summer of 1864. The company which furnished the capital for the building of this road were Gilman & Son, of New York city. Certain alternate sections of land located ten miles on each side of the Des Moines river had been granted to them by the state in consideration of this public improvement. These lands had been granted by congress to the Des Moines River Improvement Company. This concession had been made by congress because of the belief then generally shared that the Des Moines river could, with a system of locks and back water dams, be made a navigable stream throughout most of the year. Upon the failure of this company these lands were transferred to the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minnesota Railroad Company on condition that they should assume certain obligations and claims which were due the settlers from the improvement company. It was to the interest of the railroad company to build the road along the river adjacent to their lands and it was their intention to follow the stream, keeping above high water mark to Des Moines. Their plea was that they were compelled to avoid the prairies because of the drifting snows which had been a great source of expense to many western roads in previous winters. At the sessions of the legislature in 1863-4 the owners of the road desired to secure such legislation as would give them a complete title to their lands, in order that they might raise sufficient capital to continue building the wad by mortgaging these lands. Mahaska county was represented in the legislature by Judge Crookham, and Poweshiek and Iowa counties by M., E. Cutts, who resided at that time at Montezuma. While these gentlemen favored the grant and were anxious to see the road built, they determined to oppose the bill unless the managers were willing to bring the road through Oskaloosa. When the bill was introduced into the senate, Mr. Crookham had an amendment presented by Senator Clarkson providingthat the road should go within one-half mile of the square in Oskaloosa. After some debate it passed the senate and went to the house. The chairman of the house committee pigeonholed the bill and refused to present it to that body, he being on the other side of the question. The railroad men then declared that if the Oskaloosa amendment was insisted upon, they would build the road up the river without legislation anel leave Oskaloosa out. John R. Barnes states that there was a distinct understanding between Dr. Boyer and the Keokuk managers of the road that at a suitable point on the Des Moines river along the line of the road above Eddyville a town site should be selected and that Dr. Boyer should have charge of platting, laying 'out and selling lots for the same. This fact was not known to the legislative lobby at the capitol.

The friends of the Oskaloosa measure finally determined to make the best compromise which they could with the railroad authorities. They agreed to support the bill which had passed the senate providing that the road should be built up the Muchakinock valley to the nearest point on that stream to Oskaloosa, and from there it was understood that the road would turn back to the Des Moines river. Back in 1860 an Oskaloosa company had been organized under the name of the Mahaska County Railroad Company, having for its purpose the building of a railroad from Eddyville to Oskaloosa. They had the road graded, partly bridged and furnished with ties. In the spring of 1864 the Keokuk, Des Moines & Minnesota road built upon this grade to Beacon and left the Oskaloosa company without compensation. An offer of several thousand 'dollars from Pella relieved the management of the road from fear of prairie snow drifts and instead of going back to the Des Moines river as they had intended to do, the road was surveyed through Pella and on to Des Moines, reaching that city in the fall of 1866. In the year 1874 the road was bought by the first mortgage bond-holders for $1,175,000 and called the Keokuk & Des Moines Railroad Company. Some years later it was leased to the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific, which now operates it in connection with its other lines.

CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC.

For a number of years the terminus of this branch of the Rock Island was at Sigourney. In 1875 Superintendent Riddle proposed to the people of Oskaloosa that he would build the road into this city at once if they would furnish the right-of-way and raise the sum of $20,000. The proposition was accepted by Oskaloosa and the money was raised by local subscription. By February of the following year the trains were running into the city regularly. The road extends across the county directly westward to Knoxville, its present terminus.

IOWA CENTRAL RAILROAD.

While David Morgan was teaching in Spring Creek Institute two and a half miles east of Oskaloosa, he called the first meeting to consider the building of the Iowa Central Railroad. This was about 1863. Mr. Morgan was an organizer of unusual ability. He came to this county from Tennessee in 1860. He was a brother of our Dr. J. W. Morgan. As early as 1858, a north and south road had been talked of by J. B. Grinnell and others. The wealth of the Iowa coal fields had been recognized and the coming demand for fuel for the railroads being built farther north had been anticipated. But the breaking out of the rebellion paralyzed the undertaking for several years. A corporation was formed and an organization completed at New Sharon, January 5, 1865, with headquarters at Oskaloosa. The following officers were elected: David Morgan, president; A. C. Williams, vice-president; Z. T. Fisher, secretary; W. T. Smith, treasurer; directors, David Morgan, H. P. Pickerell, W. T. Smith, W. H. Seevers, Daniel Anderson, A. C. Williams, Peter Melendy, Z. T. Fisher and Reuben Michel.

During this year a railroad convention of delegates along the proposed line of the road from the state line to Cedar Falls was held at Oskaloosa. The first spadeful of dirt was thrown by President Morgan, with a silver spade, south of Cedar Falls, and at the same time a contract for twenty miles of grading was let. The indifference of the citizens of Black Hawk and Tarna counties to the new road afterwards caused a new survey to be made through Marshalltown, and the grade was never used. W. T. Smith succeeded Mr. Morgan to the presidency and during his administration the grading was pushed.

After the usual vicissitudes in railroad building, the road was completed from Albia to Mason City and on February 4, 1871, the ceremony of driving the last spike took place, just across North Skunk river, about thirty-five feet this side of the Mahaska county line. The road has since been extended to connect with lines which run from St. Louis to St. Paul, and with the Peoria branch, which was built in 1882, is a most valuable adjunct to Oskaloosa and Mahaska county interests.

CHICAGO, BURLINGTON & QUINCY RAILROAD.

This road came to Oskaloosa from Winfield in the year 1883 and was successfully operated as a narrow guage until it became a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad system. On June 29, 1902, the entire 105 miles from Mediapolis to Oskaloosa, and the eighteen miles running from Winfield to Washington, were in twelve hours rebuilt and widened to a wide gauge road. Up to January 1, 1893, the road was known as the Burlington & Western Railroad. Since that date it has been operated as a part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system. During the spring of 1903 the road was completed to Tracy and now runs regular trains between Chicago and Des Moines.