Sac County IAGenWeb - 1914 History, Chapter 15, Railroads and Transportation

There is no internal iniprovement that has done so much to develop this country as its railroads. The printing press, the railroad, the telegraph and the telephone combined move the world today. Up to about 1880, in this section of the West, the country was first expected to he fairly well developed before they had any chance to obtain railway service. The agricultural and mineral resources had first to be so far advanced and developed that there was quick returns to capital before such capital could be induced to construct a steam and iron highway through such section. Times have materially changed. Now the railroad goes on ahead and pioneers the way over trackless prairies, over forest and glen and swampy places, having in view the farmer who will ere long be enticed into coming and effecting permanent settlement, on account of the easy access to a railroad, which gives him, at once, a direct and speedy line of transportation.

Sac county was only partly settled until the railroads sought out this goodly land of fertility and surveyed her lines throughout her borders. This county was never bonded or heavily burdened by railroad taxes, as was the case in some of the more eastern counties in Iowa.

Again who built the railroads, as they first appeared on the map of our fair state? While not paying for the construction of these various roads, yet, strange to relate, the farmers built the roads; their teams made the grades, the "cuts and the fills;" their axes hewed the ties; their sons laid the rails and then manned the trains and officered the corporations. This is true today, as has but recently been noted by the vice-president of the great Illinois Central system, in a speech made at Storm Lake only last year: "Fifty per cent of the employes of the railroads come from the farm. The sons of lawyers do not make good brakemen; neither does the son uf a merchant seek employment as a fireman. Those who learn the mechanical trades are used to manual labor. The men who work on the track, also work on the farm a part of the time. These are the ones from whom the officials are made. There cannot rightfully be antagonism between the two vocations, and there is absolutely no cause for it where it exists. Only the demagogue will tell you that 'Wall Street owns the railroads." And that hence they are a legitimate prey for the common people.

"Of the ten thousand stockholders of the Illinois Central railroad eight thousand own one hundred shares or less. The maximum for one hundred shares, an ordinary Iowa farm is worth as much money. The great majority of shares are held in comparatively small amounts. From one hundred shares of Illinois Central stock the owner - widow, orphan or perhaps some superannuated person - gets seven hundred dollars per year. If the same money had been invested in Iowa land at the time this railroad was built it would now be worth many times as much, and invested in any of the industries would have brought far greater returns. Those who invest in railroad stocks are usually those who cannot manipulate their money in merchandising or in other ways requiring personal ability or superintendence."

With the north and south and east and west lines of railroad through Sac county, the farmer and merchant have been greatly benefited. All classes have been brought in touch with the great busy outside world.

As early as April, 1859, there was talk of building a railroad through Sac county. The question was whether the people of this county should vote away twenty-five thousand dollars worth of its swamp land that had been given the county by the state, to aid some company in constructing a railroad or not. Thirty-three votes were cast on the proposition, but all were cast against such measure. It is supposed the Wabash system was backing the enterprise, but the people, as bad as they needed a railroad, did not believe in paying for building it and let others own and control the stock in same.

The county developed as best it could, drawing her supplies from Des Moines, Council Bluffs, Fort Dodge and Sioux City for all the years intervening between 1855 and 1879, during which latter year the first rail was laid in the county - that making the track of the great Chicago Northwestern system and being the branch from the "Y" at Sac Junction to Sac City, which marked the beginning of the railroad era for this county. Very soon this railroad extended its lines north and west, giving Sac countv manv miles of road, the towns of Wall Lake, Auburn, Odebolt, Lake View being on one line, and Sac City, Early and Schaller on the line from Carroll to Sioux City via Correctionville.

The next move toward railroad building in Sac county was in 1899, when the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Company extended a branch of their road from Rockwell City, Calhoun county, to Sac City, completing the same to Storm Lake, thereby adding much improvement in shipping facilities and passenger accommodations thronghout this county.

The present mileage of the various railroads within this county, as shown by county records, is as follows: The Chicago & Northwestern lines, sixty-nine and one-half miles; the Illinois Central has nineteen miles; the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul system has nineteen and fifteen one-hundredths miles. This gives a total of mileage in Sac county of one hundred and seven and sixty-five one-hundredths miles.

There are twelve townships in this county having a railroad mileage and four without a mile of steam road within their limits. The Sac Sun has this to say in its issue of August, 1879, concerning the building of the railroad in this county: "Twenty-three years after it was laid out as a town Sac City has a railroad. The history of its efforts in this direction constitute a long chapter of hard work and bright schemes that failed, encouragements and discouragements, that perhaps have seldom been equalled in the history of any Iowa town.

"We believe that the Cedar Rapids & Missouri River Railroad (now the Northwestern system) was the first road to be surveyed through this county. It did not pass through Sac City, but the people had hopes of being able to bring it here. It was afterwards diverted south to Carroll county, to make its terminus at Council Bluffs, to connect with the Union Pacific system - which was then only a dream of the future.

"Next came the Iowa Falls & Sioux City line (now Illinois Central), which was surveyed through our county, some distance to the north of Sac City, but was finally changed to run through Buena Vista county.

"The next important project, and one of which we all felt sure was the Iowa Pacific, which was surveyed through Sac City and considerable work done on it in 1873-74, but the general prostration of business and almost total cessation of railroad building killed this enterprise, leaving us only a grade which in al! probability will never be used, although a road is now being built from Minneapolis to Fort Dodge, which is intended to extend on to Omaha. It may or may not come this way.

"In the spring of 1876 an effort was made to induce the Iowa Land Company to build a road, starting from Jefferson, coming up through Lake City and on to Ida coimty. But the present route of the Maple Valley road had already been selected, and it seemed as if the fates were against us in Sac county. The building of this road was a serious blow to Sac City and at one time threatened to swamp us. But, with an energy born of despair, its people started with more earnestness to secure a railroad. The Ilhnois Central was appealed to, but it would not consider or even condescend to reply to communications. About August, 1877, Judge Duffie wrote E. P. Hull, general manager of the Maple River Railroad Company, telling him that Sac City wanted a railroad and asked him if he could do anything to help us build one to Wall Lake. The reply led to the formation of the Sac City & Wall Lake Railroad Company in September, 1877, to build a road between those two points. Judge Duffie was elected president and a five per cent, tax was voted in aid of the road in Jackson township as well as in Cedar township, but defeated in Coon Valley and Wall Lake townships.

"A preliminary survey was made in the fall of the year last mentioned, and the cost of grading ascertained. In May, 1878, the company proposed to the Iowa Land Company to grade and bridge the road and provide right of way and depot grounds and give it to them if they would complete it and cause it to be operated. The proposition was taken under advisement by the company, but for a while no answer could be received.

"Our people again began to think they were to be disappointed and so turned their attention to a road to the east, connecting with the old Des Moines & Fort Dodge line at Cowrie. A company was formed and preparations made to go on with the work. A survey was made, but before it was finished the Iowa Land Company accepted the proposition made to them. They doubtless realized that Sac City was determined to have a road and thought it best to have one of theirs here, rather than a competing road.

"Last Friday [August, 1879] the rails were laid to Main street and the long-looked for, hoped-for, worked-for railroad became a glorious fact. Among those whose names should never be forgotten in securing this road to Sac City are: Judge Early, Judge Criss, Judge Duffie, Asa Piatt, W. H. Hobbs, N. W. Condron. While it has cost our people considerable, yet the road, we think, will amply repay all for what they have spent in securing it."

In October, 1887, Jackson township voted a five per cent aid towards building a railroad projected from Rockwell to Sac City, known as the Rockwell, Sac City & Dakota.

Chapter XV Railroads and Transportation History of Sac County, Iowa 1914

Chapter XV
Railroads and Transportation
History of Sac County, Iowa
1914