CB&Q RR
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CB&Q RR |
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The Burlington Route had its beginning in Aurora, Illinois when a small group of millers, needing a way to ship their products to market, built a 12-mile line extending northward from Aurora to Turner Junction, Ill. The line was chartered February 12, 1849 and began operations Sept. 2, 1850 as the Aurora Branch Line. The Aurora Branch Line built their line south and west to Mendota, Ill. At this time, a group of men in Galesburg was formed looking to bring a railroad to their land-locked community. This group was headed by Chauncey Colton and Silas Willard who gave the final $50,000.00 of the $300,000.00 needed in pledges to build the railroad. On February 15, 1851, the Central Military Tract Railroad was organized. The final charter was amended to allow the company to build a line to Mendota, Ill. The first train arrived in Galesburg on Dec. 7, 1854. The Peoria and Oquawka line was granted a charter on February 12, 1849 and after numerous changes and Oquawka's failure to raise the needed capital, the line became the Peoria and Burlington Line. The first train began operating in early 1855. In the meantime, another line came into the picture. In Quincy, Illinois, the charter of the Northern Cross Railroad was amended to connect with the other rail lines at Galesburg. Thus named "Chicago" to the east, "Burlington" to the west and "Quincy" to the south. "Galesburg being the hub" The C.B.&Q. Railroad, known as the Burlington Route or as many called it, just the "Q". Little thought was given by this small group of millers in 1849 at Aurora that their little "connecting line" would become the premier "Burlington Route" which was a combination of 204 separate and distinct railroad companies. The Burlington was never in the hands of a receiver. It never defaulted on its interest and no mortgage was ever foreclosed. It paid dividends continuously beginning in 1862. The only class one railroad to do so. The history and growth of the Burlington is the history and progress to the territory it served. by Harold Ziehr, current Board Member In the early 1840's the nation was expanding rapidly to the west and the modes of transportation were walking, horseback, mule, oxen and wagon. Canals were built to move bulk commodities and people but they had drawbacks. Yielding to the terrain and bad weather were some of these drawbacks. By this time, railroads had become popular and were being built up and down the east coast. The state of Illinois with it's relatively new capitol in Springfield, passed a law authorizing millions of dollars to finance railroads to be built from the southern end of the state to Chicago and Galena, and from the Indiana border to the Mississippi River. However, all failed except for one. Then on February 12, 1849, the Illinois General Assembly granted a charter to the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad. This endeavor proposed that the line would go through Knoxville, then the county seat, but not through Galesburg. Enter Chauncey Still Colton, 1800-1885, a local merchant who had a very keen foresight and knew the larger village of Galesburg had a greater need for a railroad. This prominent merchant had traveled east to buy merchandise and had seen railroads in action. He knew they held a great deal of potential and promise for Galesburg. Thus, like a brilliant sun bursting through the storm clouds, Chauncey Colton would champion the cause for a railroad to Galesburg, for he more than anyone understood the benefits of such an adventure. The 882 souls of Galesburg that made up the shopkeepers, blacksmiths, college professors and farmers were all clamoring for a piece of either the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad or a line to Chicago. After many town meetings Chauncey Colton, W.S. Gale, Silas Willard, George Lamphere and James Bruce conceived a charter for a railroad to be built from Galesburg heading northeast to the Rock Island and LaSalle Railroad. This connection would give Galesburg a route to Chicago. This proposal was given to George Lamphere, who was sent to Springfield, and on June 19, 1852, a charter called the "Central Military Tract" was born. Money was raised and surveyors started marking a right away, a path for the railroad track that would be laid, to Sheffield. According to Earnest Calkins in his book They Broke the Prairie , “About this time, Chauncey Colton was on a buying trip in New York, where he failed to raise much interest for capital for the new railroad. However, while in Boston he met two men, which turned out to be a critical encounter, for great things hung upon it.” One was Senator James W. Grimes, also an attorney from Burlington, Iowa, who just happened to be on the board of directors of the Peoria and Oquawka Railroad. Senator Grimes was desperately seeking a way East for his small band of people on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. The second was Elisha J. Wadsworth, president of the Aurora Railroad. A short line from Aurora to West Chicago and a connection with the Galena and Chicago Union Railroad and hence a means into Chicago itself. Over dinner they talked of nothing but railroading. History was being made that would change the small prairie town and western Illinois forever. Mr. Wadsworth was desperately seeking a way into the rich fertile prairie lands of western Illinois, and Senator Grimes was desperately seeking a way East. Finally, Mr. Colton said “here we are representing three different projects, each having the same end in view; each road is worth nothing, but combined in a single line the roads will prove a great venture.” The three decided to organize a railroad from Burlington, IA, to Galesburg, IL, and hence to Aurora, IL. Also at this time a line from Quincy, IL, called the Northern Cross, was being built northeast and might be coerced into coming to Galesburg. Mr. Wadsworth indicated that his railroad was being financed by eastern capital and that the group should meet with a Mr. James F. Joy, a young man representing the interest in railroad promotion of one John Murray Forbes, a Boston Capitalist. This meeting would greatly shape the future Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad. In fact, Mr. Forbes would be the very back-bone of the new railroad for many years to come. Without his insight and integrity the railroad might never have come to fruition. The Eastern Capitalist had insisted that the tiny town of Galesburg raise $300,000 for this venture. It boggles the mind to contemplate such a huge sum for that day and age, but by the eleventh hour they had raised $250,000. At this time, Chauncey Colton and his good friend Silas Willard sold their very souls to come up with the extra $50,000 and the day was saved. Mr. Joy could not restrain his admiration for such colossal financial courage. To think, that just thirty years later, the city of 20,000 inhabitants coerced the Santa Fe Railroad to come through Galesburg for a mere pittance of $60,000. One can only contemplate what might have been if Mr. Forbes would have carried through his idea to buy the Santa Fe Railroad, as the Burlington Northern Railroad did some 100 years later. Time was not wasted and construction crews were well on their way towards Mendota, while the Aurora Branch was coming from the north towards the same town. The Aurora Branch completed their line on October 10, 1854. The Central Military Tract finished their line on December 7, 1854. On this date, December 7, 1854, a construction train with an appropriately named locomotive “Reindeer”, as Christmas was only a few weeks away, was the first train to arrive in Galesburg. By this time, both the Northern Cross and the Peoria and Oquawka had run afoul of funds and had ceased operations on the construction of their lines. Mr. Joy came to the rescue, with the financial backing of Mr. Forbes, the eastern capitalist. The lines were finally completed, but not officially merged into the newly named company, The Chicago Burlington and Quincy Railroad, ( the Q). The Peoria and Oquawka were joined to the Burlington on June 24, 1864, and the Northern Cross on July 30, 1865, thus officially completing the new name and a legend was born. Not long after this time the local timber areas were being played out and the switch to coal, for heating of dwellings and steam engines, had become the fuel of choice. Hence, coal mining became popular and a large source was found between Wataga and Victoria. The Galesburg and Great Eastern Railroad was born and became a legend in its own right. To the south a narrow gauge line, the Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railroad, was started and finally completed between West Havana, IL, and Galesburg, IL. This endeavor lasted some time until the “Q” bought it and converted it into a standard gauge line. As the years moved on, the “Q” in Galesburg expanded in every direction, with major lines to Chicago, Minneapolis, Denver, Kansas City, St. Louis, Paducah and Peoria. All of this meant supporting facilities had to be erected to serve the traffic. Major shops and no less than three roundhouses were built to meet the railroads traffic demands. A car erecting building was added later, where hundreds of new cars were constructed. Incoming and outgoing yards had to be constructed and the famous “twin humps” were located just to the south of Galesburg. Passenger trains by the dozen came and went and the need for a large station and mail facilities were constructed. In the ensuing years, then president Ralph Budd, claimed that Galesburg was “The Hub of the Burlington” and rightly so. Now that you have come to the door of the History of Railroading in Galesburg, enter into the Galesburg Railroad Museum, 211 S. Seminary Street (next to the Amtrak Depot), which has preserved this history since 1982. Enjoy the railroad world that Chauncey Still Colton so marvelously created out of “Log City”. |