Anamosa - A Reminiscence 1838 - 1988
The definitive history of the community of Anamosa, Iowa, USA
The definitive history of the community of Anamosa, Iowa, USA
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
Railroads Come to <strong>Anamosa</strong><br />
submitted by David G. Floyd<br />
The Dubuque Western Railroad was organized in<br />
1854. In 1857 Mr. C.L.D. Crockwell, editor of the<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> Eureka, drew a map showing the Dubuque<br />
Western, Iowa Central Air Line, and a railroad from<br />
Muscatine. Iowa. to St. Paul. Minnesota, with <strong>Anamosa</strong><br />
being the prospective railroad center. Crockwell was<br />
very disappointed over these maps. as he printed about<br />
75 of them and only sold about a dozen.<br />
In August 1857, an election was held in Jones County<br />
to give the people of the county the choice of giving the<br />
Dubuque Western Railroad Company the credit of<br />
Jones County. This measure lost by a decisive<br />
majority.<br />
On Dec. 29. 1857, the Dubuque Western was working<br />
its way toward <strong>Anamosa</strong>. The men and teams grading<br />
the right-of-way across the fields and cutting their way<br />
through Spencer's Summit, could be seen from the<br />
residence of Benjamin Chaplin. about two miles north<br />
of <strong>Anamosa</strong>.<br />
In the early part of 1858, Col. William T. Shaw of<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> advertised that he wished to purchase<br />
$250,000 worth of Dubuque Western Railroad Post<br />
Notes, for which he offered real estate in <strong>Anamosa</strong>.<br />
Strawberry I-lill or Langworthy.<br />
In February and March 1858, there were about 400<br />
men working on the right-of-way of the Dubuque<br />
Western Railroad between <strong>Anamosa</strong> and Monticello.<br />
The winter was very mild and the work was progressing<br />
well. On Aug. 4, 1858, the voters in the Corporation of<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> voted down a proposition for the city of<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> to take $6000 worth of stock in the Dubuque<br />
Western Railroad Co. The number of votes which were<br />
cast in this election indicated a population of about 350<br />
persons in <strong>Anamosa</strong> at that time.<br />
At a meeting of the stockholders of the Dubuque<br />
Western Railroad Company, held in Dubuque Sept. 1,<br />
1858. Col. Wm. T. Shaw of <strong>Anamosa</strong> was elected<br />
chairman. and Mr. C.H. Wright. secretary. Thefollowing<br />
persons were elected to the Board of<br />
Directors: L.H. Langworthy. E. Langworthy. H.P.<br />
Ward. David G. Scott. H.A. Wiltse, J.W. Finley. Col.<br />
Wm. T. Shaw, J .I-I. Fisher and John Taylor.<br />
The evening of March 9, 1860, found the <strong>Anamosa</strong><br />
citizens in a very jubilant mood, as the first train on the<br />
Dubuque Western R.R. rolled into <strong>Anamosa</strong>. A large<br />
crowd was on hand to greet the an'ival. The actual<br />
building of this line into the town began in July 1857,<br />
but in the following October the financial panic had<br />
spread throughout the country and the work struggled<br />
on until the autumn of 1859 when Col. William T.<br />
Kraucsh, former chief engineer of the New York 8: Erie<br />
Railroad. took over the building of this railroad.<br />
The first train consisted of the engine, a few freight<br />
cars. a passenger and baggage coach and the caboose.<br />
The rails were not laid all the way to the depot as yet.<br />
so the train was forced to stop just opposite the Bishop<br />
lsabell stone home. The depot was located east of North<br />
Scott Street and northwest of Dubuque Road. A Mr.<br />
Smith was the engineer and Denny Gordon was the<br />
fireman on this first train.<br />
The train schedule, early in the railroad's existence,<br />
was as follows: Left <strong>Anamosa</strong> at 5:55 a.m. and arrived<br />
in Dubuque at 10:25 a.m.: left Dubuque at 3:30 p.m.,<br />
arrived in <strong>Anamosa</strong> at 8 p.m. This was a trip of four<br />
and one-half hours for the fifty miles between the two<br />
cities. In 1987, we can make the same trip to Dubuque<br />
in a little over an hour by auto, and we think this a long<br />
time.<br />
The first station agent was a Mr. Brown and he was a<br />
big man, with an even bigger middle. His only exercise<br />
came by way of playing billiards, and his waistline<br />
showed it. He remained as station agent for quite a<br />
number of years.<br />
In the early spring of 1860, the Dubuque Western<br />
R.R. had two locomotives on the line. One was named<br />
the Prairie King; the other, Marion, both of which<br />
were kept very busy. A Mr. George D. Hilton had bought<br />
in <strong>Anamosa</strong>, and shipped to Dubuque, 1200 bushels of<br />
wheat and 2000 bushels of oats. He had paid 80 to 85<br />
cents a bushel for the wheat and 25 and 26 cents a<br />
bushel for the oats. Also, Fisher 8: Son. and Metcalf.<br />
Graham 8: Company. who operated flour mills in the<br />
<strong>Anamosa</strong> area, shipped many loads of llour.<br />
A Mr. Phelps was the freightmaster for the Dubuque<br />
Western in <strong>Anamosa</strong> at that time. He did a very<br />
good job of taking care of the shipments and was wellliked<br />
by everyone in town.<br />
In August 1863, the Dubuque Western RR was<br />
being surveyed and graded between Marion and Cedar<br />
Rapids.The grading between Springville and Marion<br />
was being prepared and bridges built. in readiness for<br />
the laying of the ties and rails.<br />
Pat Cunningham, who lived in <strong>Anamosa</strong> in the late<br />
1850s, worked as a bridge and depot builder on the<br />
Dubuque Western, and in 1862 moved to Farley, He<br />
later became Roadmaster on the Dubuque<br />
Southwestern. It is believed that he replaced Mr.<br />
Hepner, who was the first Roadmaster on the Dubuque<br />
Western RR, which later became the Dubuque<br />
Southwestern. Mr. Cunningham worked 18 years for<br />
the railroad, a good part of that time as Roadmaster.<br />
At some point during this period. the name of the<br />
Dubuque Western RR was changed to Dubuque<br />
Southwestern. It has been said that the rails on this<br />
railroad were so light that two good strong men could<br />
almost throw one of them over a hay stack. They<br />
were not only very light rails. they were not bolted<br />
together with plates at the ends, as they are today.<br />
Instead, they were held together by a flimsy kind of a<br />
chain formed in a blacksmith shop. This was the reason<br />
for the very slow speeds in traveling over these rails.<br />
The Dubuque Southwestem was extended to Marion<br />
in October 1864, and this event was announced in the<br />
Marion Patriot Newspaper. On Oct. 11, 1864. Mr.<br />
Farley. Superintendent on the Dubuque Southwestern.<br />
announced that he was making plans for two excursion<br />
trains — one for the people of Marion and Linn County<br />
and one for the people of Dubuque. Also that month.<br />
another locomotive was put into service on the<br />
Dubuque Southwestern, which was named the "W.B.<br />
Allison", in honor of Congressman Allison from<br />
Dubuque.<br />
This locomotive was put on the passenger run<br />
between Marion and Dubuque. Early in the winter of<br />
1867. this same locomotive was involved in a serious<br />
accident when it was thrown down a ten-foot<br />
embankment, where it landed wheels up. The engineer,<br />
James Rolla, and the fireman. Sears. trapped under the<br />
overturned locomotive, escaped by crawling through<br />
an opening. They were badly burned by steam and<br />
scalding water.<br />
The forward wheels of the baggage and passenger