Part 83 (1/2)

H W SHEETZ, G L OTIS, J J CRUTTENDEN, _Committee_

LAND GRANTS, RAILROAD SURVEYS AND CONSTRUCTION

In May, 1857, Congress gave to Minnesota, then a territory, a rant of about 9,000,000 acres of land, to aid in the construction of several projected trunk roads through her bounds The roads specified were: From Stillwater, by way of St Paul and St

Anthony Falls, to a point between the foot of Big Stone lake and the mouth of the Sioux Wood river, with a branch via St Cloud and Crow Wing to the navigable waters of the Red River of the North; from St

Paul and St Anthony via Minneapolis to a convenient point of junction west of the Mississippi to the southern boundary of the Territory in the direction of theSioux river, with a branch via Faribault to the north line of the state of Ioest of range 16; fro Sioux river south of the forty-fifth parallel of north latitude; also froet lake, up the valley of Root river, to a point of junction with the last e 17, every alternate section of land designated by odd numbers, for six sections in width on each side of said road and branches It was enacted that the lands granted were to be subject to the disposal of the legislature

An extra session of the legislature was convened in June, 1857, to accept the grant and devise means to build the road

The financial crisis of 1857 and unwise legislation in 1858, notably the atte the roads, served to delay the various enterprises projected, and forpersistent effort at every state legislature to effect favorable changes in the condition of affairs

A few of the 5,000,000 bonds were issued, but the general dissatisfaction, and feeling that they were not issued on a legal or rational basis, depreciated their value, and they were sold at a sacrifice and afterward redeemed by the State

THE NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD

The idea of a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific was openly discussed as early as 1837, in which year Dr Hartwell Carver ated his views through the press and by pamphlets In 1845 Asa Whitney evolved a plan for the northern route, and awakened considerable popular enthusias scheme, or at best a visionary enterprise Mr Whitney made a preliminary survey from Prairie du Chien as far as the Rocky mountains Mr Josiah Perham, afterward the first president of the Northern Pacific Railroad Coet Sound, to be known as the People's Pacific Railway, and obtained a charter fro his scheress was prevailed upon by Thaddeus Stevens to abandon this schee of a bill for the construction of the present Northern Pacific route The bill passed both houses and was signed by President Lincoln, July 2, 1864 The first permanent officers were: Josiah Perham, president; Willard Sear, vice president; Abiel Abbott, secretary; J S Withington, treasurer

The grants of land voted by Congress were accepted, and in the following year the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota granted right of way Not much was done until 1869, when Jay Cooke & Co becaht have been successful in placing the bonds of the road upon the easternwhich time the firm of Jay Cooke & Co went down overburdened with railroad securities The financial panic of 1873 which followed found the company in possession of 555 miles of completed railroad, of which 450 reached froet Sound; but embarrassed by want of funds the enterprise made but little headway, and in 1875 Henry Villard was appointed receiver, and a decree of sale obtained by which the bondholders were enabled to becoement and by the powerful aid of Henry Villard and Thomas F Oakes, the public, and especially the capitalists of the country, regained faith in the enterprise, and the as pushed steadily forward until Septeolden spike was driven at Gold Creek by Henry Villard Mr Villard resigned the presidency of the road in December of the same year, and Robert Harris succeeded him The main line of this road extends from Duluth to Tacoma, a distance of nearly 2,000 gregates 3,395

The ues of wilderness to be traversed, the ed, the supposed obstructions from wintry storms to be overcome, all these were of such a nature as to h the liberality of the governers, accoovernrant of forty sections to the mile With this liberal basis, bonds for the required amount of money were speedily furnished to build and equip the road from Lake Superior to the Pacific coast This road has, however, the advantage of southern roads, in that it traverses a rich agricultural andthrough belts of timbered land not excelled in the quantity and quality of their production The old, silver, copper, lead and coal

The country along the road is being rapidly settled, and the property in its possession, and that of those who haveits line, has increased to inal value

THE CHICAGO, ST PAUL, MINNEAPOLIS & OMAHA RAILROAD

The Wisconsin legislature in 1854 chartered a company to construct and operate this road, then called the St Croix, Superior & Bayfield railroad May 3, 1856, Congress granted twelve sections of land to thea railroad from Hudson in the St Croix valley to Bayfield on Lake Superior, with a branch to Superior City July 5, 1864, this grant was increased to twenty sections per mile, with indemnity lands to make up deficiencies These lands were ceded directly to the State A coislature of Wisconsin, to which were consigned the lands and franchises granted by the govern the road The lands and franchises passed through several organized co, extension of time was asked and obtained froovern the construction still further, other coation ensued The state legislature upheld the chartered right, and appointed agents to watch the ti to 200,000 was collected fro of the roads in 1879

The St Paul, Stillwater & Taylor's Falls Company in 1872 had built a line of railroad from Hudson to New Richmond In 1874 the St Croix, Superior & Bayfield Company obtained possession of this line of road and continued it in the direction of Superior, co it in 1883 to Superior City, Bayfield, Washburn, and Ashland The company have built a road from Hudson by River Falls to Ellsworth in Pierce county

The ricultural and iion The coon bay, extensive docks, elevators, warehouses and shops

There are on the , 10 from 100 to 300 feet, 10 from 300 to 500 feet, one of theh The as and lumber carried over this road amounts (1888) to 1,240,000,000 feet, and 1,500,000,000 feet remain There are few trips more enjoyable to the tourist than the one over this road, terion attractive for its beautiful scenery, including the lovely bays of Ashland, Washburn and Bayfield, with their picturesque shores, hills green with spruce pine and balsam, and the Apostle islands, favorite haunts of summer travelers The road is splendidly equipped and well officered

THE ST PAUL & DULUTH RAILROAD (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE LAKE SUPERIOR & MISSISSIPPI)

The first land grant for Minnesota was made in 1854, for a road froave twenty sections perWhile the bill was in the hands of the enrolling coes were made in its provisions, as a consequence of which, after it had passed both houses and was in the hands of the president, it was recalled by the house of representatives, which had originated it, the fraudulent passages were pointed out, and the further consideration of the bill was indefinitely postponed

Railroad enterprise received a check froress gave ten alternate sections on each side of lands to aid in building the Lake Superior & Mississippi railroad This grant was increased to twenty sections per iven The state of Minnesota has also given seven sections of swaave a bonus of 250,000 in city bonds, to run twenty years, and St Louis county gave 150,000 in bonds for a like period Frohfare has been built and ed holders inal incorporators were mostly citizens of Philadelphia who, under the name and title of the ”Nebraska & Lake Superior Coislature May 25, 1857

Their chartered rights were aed to that of ”Lake Superior & Mississippi Railroad Coress and the state legislature from time to time, as asked for by the company The road was commenced in 1867 and coed to ”St Paul & Duluth” in 1875 The first cost of building was 7,700,000 The company have in addition built branch roads from White Bear to Minneapolis, fro to Taylor's Falls, fro, from North Pacific Junction to Cloquet, and a branch in Pine county to Sandstone City The Taylor's Falls & Lake Superior branch road received seven sections per mile of swamp lands from the State, 10,000 in ten per cent bonds froo Lake, 5,000 from the town of Shafer, and 18,600 from the town of Taylor's Falls

Presidents of the St Paul & Duluth railroad: Ly, Frank Clark, John P Illsley, H H Porter, James Smith, Jr, and Wm H Fisher