The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (A CMStP&P ), better known as the Milwaukee Road ( reporting mark MILW ), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest of the United States from 1847 until 1986.
71-504: Hokah can refer to a location in the United States: Hokah, Minnesota , a small city Hokah Township, Houston County, Minnesota See also [ edit ] Hookah [REDACTED] Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles about distinct geographical locations with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
142-524: A hilly landscape dominated by high bluffs and low river valleys known as coulees . The city's downtown is set on a small bluff between the Root River valley and the Thompson Creek valley. At the east end of downtown is Thompson Bluff, also known as Mt. Tom, a bluff that rises more than 400 feet above downtown. Like Thompson Creek, Thompson Bluff is named for Edward Thompson. Hokah was home to Como Falls,
213-504: A male householder with no wife present, and 44.7% were non-families. 38.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.76. The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 24% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.3% were from 25 to 44; 31.9% were from 45 to 64; and 11% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of
284-587: A merger with a larger system, not a slightly smaller one, could save the railroad. Almost immediately, the railroad filed unsuccessfully with the ICC to be included in the Union Pacific merger with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad . By the mid-1970s, deferred maintenance on Milwaukee Road's physical plant, which had been increasing throughout the 1960s as it attempted to improve its financial appearance for merger,
355-595: A plow factory, a furniture factory, three blacksmith shops, a shoe shop, two drug stores, and six general stores. In 1876, a railroad bridge was constructed across the Mississippi River from La Crosse, connecting the Root River Valley Railroad to the railroads across the river in La Crosse. In 1880, the Root River Valley Railroad was purchased by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad and
426-474: A tributary of the Root River that runs through the city and now bears his name. The first town meeting was held in 1858, and the town was officially incorporated into a village by the state of Minnesota on March 2, 1871. By 1875, Hokah had several major industries including four flour mills, cooper shops and a railroad depot, driven by the city's location on the navigable Root River near where it empties into
497-414: A waterfall on Thompson Creek. From 1858 until the 1930s Hokah was also home to Lake Como, a 90-acre, 20-foot deep man-made lake created by building a dam on Thompson Creek at Como Falls. Lake Como was a popular vacation spot in its heyday, drawing visitors from La Crosse and the surrounding area with lakeside cabins and boat rentals. The dam that created Lake Como failed during a flood in 1909 and allowed
568-585: Is a city in Houston County , Minnesota , United States. The population was 580 at the 2010 census . Hokah is located near the confluence of the Root and Mississippi rivers , opposite La Crosse, Wisconsin . Prior to the arrival of Europeans, the area that is now the city of Hokah was a Native American settlement of the Dakota people . The city's name, which is said to be a Native American word meaning gar fish or
639-400: Is a member of Southeastern Libraries Cooperating (SELCO), one of Minnesota's twelve regional public library systems, which serves the southeastern portion of the state. 43°45′34″N 91°20′47″W / 43.75944°N 91.34639°W / 43.75944; -91.34639 Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad The company experienced financial difficulty through
710-721: Is commemorated by buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis and preserved locomotives such as Milwaukee Road 261 which operates excursion trains. The railroad that became the Milwaukee Road began as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad in Wisconsin , whose goal was to link the developing Lake Michigan port City of Milwaukee with the Mississippi River . The company incorporated in 1847, but changed its name to
781-689: Is listed on the National Register of Historic Places . On August 19, 2007, 15.10 inches of rain fell in Hokah over a 24-hour period, breaking the previous 24-hour rainfall record for the state of Minnesota of 10.84 inches set on July 22, 1972 in Fort Ripley, Minnesota . This rainfall was part of the weather system that caused the 2007 Midwest flooding and caused widespread damage throughout Hokah and surrounding communities including landslides, damaged and destroyed homes, and washed-out roads. Hokah also holds
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#1732855511937852-605: The Gallatin Gateway Inn in Montana, southwest of Bozeman , via a spur from Three Forks . The reorganized company scarcely had a chance for success before the Great Depression hit. Despite innovations such as the famous Hiawatha high-speed trains that exceeded 100 mph (160 km/h), the railroad again filed for bankruptcy in 1935. The Milwaukee Road operated under trusteeship until December 1, 1945. During WWII
923-698: The I-90 Mississippi River Bridge in Dresbach carries Interstate 90 across the Mississippi River to northern La Crosse and Onalaska, Wisconsin . South of Hokah, the nearest place for vehicles to cross the Mississippi River is at the Black Hawk Bridge , thirty miles away in Lansing, Iowa . The nearby La Crosse Amtrak station provides daily service for the Empire Builder Amtrak route, and
994-603: The La Crescent-Hokah Public School District . St. Peter's School, a Catholic school serving pre-kindergarten through 8th grade, is also located in Hokah. Several universities, including the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse , Viterbo University , St. Mary's University of Minnesota , and Winona State University , are nearby. The city's public library is the Hokah Public Library. The library
1065-496: The La Crosse Regional Airport provides daily service to Chicago and Minneapolis via American Airlines and Delta Air Lines . As of the census of 2010, there were 580 people, 275 households, and 152 families residing in the city. The population density was 794.5 inhabitants per square mile (306.8/km ). There were 287 housing units at an average density of 393.2 per square mile (151.8/km ). The racial makeup of
1136-731: The Milwaukee District West and Milwaukee District North Lines respectively, were turned over to the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Rail Corporation, a forerunner of commuter rail agency Metra ). Still in reorganization, the Milwaukee Road attracted interest from three potential buyers: the Grand Trunk Corporation , the Chicago and North Western Railway , and the Soo Line Railroad . The Interstate Commerce Commission approved
1207-505: The Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad in 1850 before construction began. Its first line, 5 miles (8.0 km) long, opened between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa , on November 20, 1850. Extensions followed to Waukesha in February 1851, Madison , and finally the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien in 1857. As a result of the financial panic of 1857, the M&;M went into receivership in 1859, and
1278-455: The "Hill Lines" was approved at around the same time, and the merged Burlington Northern came into being. The formation of Burlington Northern in 1970 from the merger of Northern Pacific , Great Northern , Burlington Route , and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway on March 3 created a stronger competitor on most Milwaukee Road routes. To boost competition, the ICC gave the Milwaukee Road
1349-576: The 1890s, the company's directors felt they had to extend the railroad to the Pacific to remain competitive with other railroads. A survey in 1901 estimated costs to build to the Pacific Northwest as $ 45 million ($ 1.32 billion in 2023 dollars). In 1905, the board approved the Pacific Extension, now estimated at $ 60 million ($ 1.58 billion in 2023 dollars). The contract for the western part of
1420-511: The 1970s and 1980s, including bankruptcy in 1977 (though it filed for bankruptcy twice in 1925 and 1935, respectively). In 1980, it abandoned its Pacific Extension, which included track in the states of Montana , Idaho , and Washington . The remaining system was merged into the Soo Line Railroad ( reporting mark SOO ), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Kansas City ( reporting mark CPKC ), on January 1, 1986. Much of its historical trackage remains in use by other railroads. The company brand
1491-690: The CMSt.P&P sponsored one of the Army's MRS units the 757th Railroad Shop Battalion. The Milwaukee Road enjoyed temporary success after World War II . Out of bankruptcy and with the wartime ban on new passenger service lifted, the company upgraded its trains. The Olympian Hiawatha began running between Chicago and the Puget Sound over the Pacific Extension in 1947, and the Twin Cities Hiawatha received new equipment in 1948. Dieselisation accelerated and
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#17328555119371562-804: The Canadian National Railway. Regional passenger trains that the Milwaukee Road operated from Chicago up to Amtrak 's assumption of passenger operations in 1971 included the Twin Cities Hiawatha serving Minneapolis, the Sioux serving Madison, Wisconsin , the Milwaukee Express serving Milwaukee, and the Varsity serving Madison. Amtrak still operates several services on the Milwaukee Road's Twin Cities mainline. Daily long distance service to and from
1633-498: The Cascades through the 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 -mile (3.6 km) Snoqualmie Tunnel , just south of Snoqualmie Pass and over 400 feet (120 m) lower in elevation. The single-track tunnel's east portal at Hyak included an adjacent company-owned ski area (1937−1950). Together, the 645 miles (1,038 km) of main-line electrification represented the largest such project in the world up to that time, and would not be exceeded in
1704-474: The Dakota name for the nearby Root River , derives from the chief of the settlement, Chief Wecheschatope Hokah. There were, at one time, more than thirty Indian mounds throughout the area including several effigy mounds, though most have been lost. The first recorded European settler in Hokah was Edward Thompson, who arrived in 1851 with his wife and family and constructed a flour mill and dam on Thompson Creek,
1775-837: The John Wayne Pioneer Trail) in Washington, Milwaukee Road Rail Trail in Idaho, Route of the Hiawatha Trail in Idaho and Montana, Route of the Olympian in Montana, Midtown Greenway in Minnesota, Bugline Trail in Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Road Transportation Trailway in Indiana all run on sections of the right-of-way among others. Today, both the Milwaukee Road and Soo Line Railroad trackage make up
1846-655: The Midwest US routes of the CPKC . Following the 1984 abandonment of the Pacific Extension, Tacoma Rail purchased all of Milwaukee's lines south of Tacoma. Starting in 1990, the Chehalis–Centralia Railroad began operating over the section from Centralia to Curtis. In 2010 the line was sold to the Port of Chehalis and in 2019, The railroad purchased the line from Chehalis to Ruth. In 2021 the section from Highway 6 West to Curtis
1917-559: The Milwaukee Road after the Soo Line sale was its holding company, the Milwaukee Land Company, reverted to Chicago Milwaukee Corporation ownership (CMC). Without the railroad, CMC's primary function became disposal or redevelopment of Milwaukee Road real estate not sold to the Soo Line, which stretched from Bedford, Indiana, to Washington state. The larger properties were developed into big-box retail or industrial sites. The CMC itself
1988-540: The Milwaukee Road also operated an extensive commuter rail service in the Chicago area. One branch served the northern suburbs and extended into the outer suburbs of Milwaukee, while another branch served the western suburbs. These services passed to the Regional Transportation Authority in 1982 after the Milwaukee Road's bankruptcy. They are still operated today by Metra , Chicago's commuter rail agency, as
2059-513: The Milwaukee Road exercised its right under the Burlington Northern merger to petition for inclusion based on its weak financial condition. The ICC denied it on March 2, 1977. Between 1974 and 1977, the Milwaukee Road lost $ 100 million, and the company filed for its third bankruptcy in 42 years on December 19, 1977. Judge Thomas R. McMillen presided over the bankruptcy until the Milwaukee Road's sale in 1985. The railroad's primary problem
2130-624: The Milwaukee Road for its "City" streamliners in 1955. The Milwaukee Road's Pioneer Limited was one of the first named trains and its colorful Hiawatha trains were among the nation's finest streamliners. The post-World War II Hiawatha trains remain a high-water mark for passenger train industrial design. Starting in November 1955, the Milwaukee Road assumed joint operation of the Union Pacific's City of Los Angeles , City of Portland , City of Denver , and Challenger trains as well as
2201-422: The Milwaukee Road held a staggering advantage over BN, carrying nearly 80% of the originating traffic along with 50% of the total container traffic leaving the Puget Sound (prior to severe service declines after roughly 1974). In 1970, the president of Chicago and North Western offered to sell the railroad to the Milwaukee Road outright. President William John Quinn refused, stating that it now believed only
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2272-808: The Milwaukee Road's transcontinental service to the West Coast. While the Burlington Northern merger generated more traffic on this route, it was only enough to wear out the deteriorating track, not enough to pay for rebuilding. This forced trains to slow at many locations due to bad track. A final attempt to devise a plan to rehabilitate the Pacific Extension under the Milwaukee Road Restructuring Act failed. Operations ended west of Miles City, Montana , on February 29, 1980. The new, smaller railroad began earning small profits in 1982 (that same year, its two commuter rail lines, collectively known as
2343-626: The Mississippi River and serves as part of the Great River Road , passes just to the east of Hokah. Two nearby motor vehicle bridges span the Mississippi River and connect the southeastern corner of Minnesota to the La Crosse area in Wisconsin: six miles north of Hokah, the Mississippi River Bridge carries U.S. routes 14 and 61 and connects downtown La Crescent, Minnesota to downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin, and eight miles north of Hokah,
2414-416: The Mississippi River as well as the Root River Valley Railroad which ran through the north end of the village from nearby La Crescent to Rochester, Minnesota . The railroad depot was equipped for all types of railroad work, including the construction of railroad locomotives and coaches. The depot employed as many as 500 workers and constructed as many as 300 coaches in one year. As of 1880, Hokah also had
2485-481: The Pacific Extension. Operating conditions in the mountain regions of the Pacific Extension proved difficult. Winter temperatures of −40 °F (−40 °C) in Montana made it challenging for steam locomotives to generate sufficient steam. The line snaked through mountainous areas, resulting in "long steep grades and sharp curves". Electrification provided an answer, especially with abundant hydroelectric power in
2556-766: The Pacific Northwest is provided by the Empire Builder along the Chicago-St. Paul route after the train was rerouted by Amtrak on the first day of operations on May 1, 1971. Amtrak also operates corridor services as the Hiawatha along the Chicago-Milwaukee section of the route. In 2024, Amtrak began service for the Borealis , supplementing the Empire Builder with an extra daily round trip from Chicago to St. Paul. For years,
2627-547: The UP/ Southern Pacific City of San Francisco . After assuming operation of the UP's services, the Milwaukee Road gradually dropped its orange and maroon paint scheme in favor of UP's Armour yellow, grey, and red, finding the latter easier to keep clean. The Milwaukee Road's streamlined passenger services were unique in that most of its equipment was built by the railroad at its Milwaukee Menomonee Valley shops, including
2698-660: The US until the Pennsylvania Railroad 's efforts in the 1930s. The two separate electrified districts were never unified, as the 216-mile (348 km) Idaho Division (Avery to Othello) was comparatively flat down the St. Joe River to St. Maries and through eastern Washington , and posed few challenges for steam operation. Electrification cost $ 27 million, but resulted in savings of over $ 1 million per year from improved operational efficiency. The Chicago, Milwaukee, and Puget Sound Railway
2769-405: The average family size was 2.96. In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 19.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the city
2840-501: The city was 51.0% male and 49.0% female. As of the census of 2000, there were 614 people, 271 households, and 159 families residing in the city. The population density was 860.1 inhabitants per square mile (332.1/km ). There were 278 housing units at an average density of 389.4 per square mile (150.3/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 98.37% White , 1.14% African American , 0.16% from other races , and 0.33% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.81% of
2911-404: The city was 96.6% White , 0.2% African American , 0.7% Native American , 0.3% from other races , and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 275 households, of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.5% had
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2982-756: The company purchased the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad; by now, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota , Iowa , South Dakota , and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan . The corporate headquarters were moved from Milwaukee to the Rand McNally Building in Chicago, America's first all-steel framed skyscraper, in 1889 and 1890, with the car and locomotive shops staying in Milwaukee. The company's general offices were later located in Chicago's Railway Exchange building (built 1904) until 1924, at which time they moved to Chicago Union Station . In
3053-429: The end of private intercity passenger operations in 1971. The Milwaukee prided itself on its passenger operations, providing the nation with some of its most innovative and colorful trains. The railroad's home-built equipment was among some of the best passenger equipment ever run on any American railroad. The Milwaukee's reputation for high-quality service was the principal reason that Union Pacific shifted its service to
3124-455: The four generations of Hiawatha equipment introduced in 1933–34, 1935, 1937–38, and 1947–48. Most striking were the " Beaver Tail " observation cars of the 1930s and the " Skytop Lounge " observation cars by industrial designer Brooks Stevens in the 1940s. Extended "Skytop Lounge" cars were also ordered from Pullman for Olympian Hiawatha service in 1951. The Olympian Hiawatha set, as well as some full-length " Super Domes " were later sold to
3195-446: The lake to drain but was rebuilt in 1922. By the late 1930s, soil erosion from nearby farms prior to the widespread local use of contour plowing caused the lake bed to fill in, bringing about the end of Lake Como. Until August 2018, the site of Lake Como was used as a community park, pool, and baseball field. A severe storm in late August 2018 dumped almost eight inches of rain in the area in less than 24 hours, causing massive damage to
3266-511: The line paralleled the Northern Pacific Railway . Trains magazine called the building of the extension, primarily a long-haul route, "egregious" and a "disaster". George H. Drury listed the Pacific Extension as one of several "wrong decisions" made by the Milwaukee Road's management which contributed to the company's eventual failure. Beginning in 1909, several smaller railroads were acquired and expanded to form branch lines along
3337-421: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hokah&oldid=614303650 " Category : Place name disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Hokah, Minnesota Hokah ( / ˈ h oʊ k ə / HOH-kə )
3408-506: The mountains, and a ready source of copper in Anaconda, Montana . Between 1914 and 1916, the Milwaukee Road implemented a 3,000 volt direct current (DC) overhead system between Harlowton, Montana , and Avery, Idaho , a distance of 438 miles (705 km). Pleased with the result, the Milwaukee electrified its route in Washington between Othello and Tacoma , a further 207 miles (333 km), between 1917 and 1920. This section traversed
3479-590: The name was changed to Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul after constructing an extension to Chicago in 1872. The company absorbed the Chicago and Pacific Railroad Company in 1879, the railroad that built the Bloomingdale Line (now The 606) and what became the Milwaukee District / West Line as part of the 36-mile Elgin Subdivision from Halsted Street in Chicago to the suburb of Elgin, Illinois . In 1890,
3550-458: The offers by both Soo Line and C&NW. Ultimately, Judge McMillen approved the former's offer on February 19, 1985. The Soo reorganized the property as The Milwaukee Road, Inc. , prior to merging the Milwaukee into the company itself effective January 1, 1986. The Soo Line would be acquired by Canadian Pacific in 1990 with the latter consolidating with the Kansas City Southern Railway 33 years later. The successor-in-interest to what remained of
3621-472: The old cars rather than buying new ones. This contributed to car shortages that turned away business. The Milwaukee Road chose at this time to end its mainline electrification. Its electric locomotive fleet was reaching the end of its service life, and newer diesel locomotives such as the EMD SD40-2 and the GE Universal Series were more than capable of handling the route. The final electric freight arrived at Deer Lodge, Montana on June 15, 1974. In 1976,
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#17328555119373692-713: The park and rerouting the path of water around the rock formation that made up Como Falls, basically destroying the falls. In the following months, local and state parties' funding was allocated to rebuilding the route for water that creates Como Falls. Hokah is located approximately six miles west-southwest of downtown La Crosse, Wisconsin, or about nine miles by automobile via the Mississippi River Bridge in La Crescent. Minnesota State Highway 44 passes directly through downtown Hokah and has its northern terminus at an intersection with Minnesota State Highway 16 northeast of downtown. Minnesota State Highway 16 passes just north of downtown. Minnesota State Highway 26 , which follows
3763-408: The population. There were 271 households, out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.3% were non-families. 35.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and
3834-430: The railroad depot in Hokah was razed in favor of other facilities elsewhere, leaving several hundred workers without employment and causing many people to leave the area. Hokah's other industries suffered from this loss of population and many of the other local businesses eventually closed. On April 23, 1923, the village was reincorporated as a city. Hokah City Hall, built by the Works Progress Administration in 1938,
3905-411: The record for the most rainfall in any month for the state of Minnesota at 23.86 inches, also set in August, 2007. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 0.75 square miles (1.94 km ), of which 0.73 square miles (1.89 km ) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km ) is water. Hokah's location in the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota gives it
3976-409: The right to connect with new railroads in the West over Burlington Northern tracks. Traffic on its Pacific Extension increased substantially to more than four trains a day each way as it began interchanging cars with Southern Pacific at Portland, Oregon and Canadian railroads at Sumas, Washington . The railroad's foothold on transcontinental traffic leaving the Port of Seattle increased such that
4047-404: The route was awarded to Horace Chapin Henry of Seattle . The subsidiary Chicago, Milwaukee and Puget Sound Railway Company was chartered in 1905 to build from the Missouri River to Seattle and Tacoma. Construction began in 1906 and was completed three years later. The route chosen was 18 miles (29 km) shorter than the next shortest competitor's, as well as better grades than some, but it
4118-415: The transcontinental routes to the Pacific was tough. The premier transcontinental streamliner, the Olympian Hiawatha , despite innovative scenic observation cars, was mothballed in 1961, becoming the first visible casualty. The resignation of President John P. Kiley in 1957 and his replacement with the fairly inexperienced William John Quinn was a pivotal moment. From that point onward, the road's management
4189-416: Was $ 26,838, and the median income for a family was $ 36,000. Males had a median income of $ 32,212 versus $ 21,016 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 15,630. About 16.5% of families and 15.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over. Hokah, the nearby community of La Crescent, and the surrounding area are served by
4260-532: Was a major feat. Original company maps denote five mountain crossings: Belts, Rockies, Bitterroots , Saddles , and Cascades. These are slight misnomers as the Belt mountains and Bitterroots are part of the Rockies. The route did not cross over the Little Belts or Big Belts , but over the Lenep-Loweth Ridge between the Castle Mountains and the Crazy Mountains . Some historians question the choice of route, since it bypassed some population centers and passed through areas with limited local traffic potential. Much of
4331-417: Was absorbed by the parent company on January 1, 1913. The Pacific Extension, including subsequent electrification, cost the Milwaukee Road $ 257 million, over four times the original estimate of $ 60 million. To meet this cost, the Milwaukee Road sold bonds, which began coming due in the 1920s. Traffic never met projections, and by the early 1920s, the Milwaukee Road was in serious financial condition. This state
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#17328555119374402-429: Was an expensive route, since Milwaukee Road received few land grants and had to buy most of the land or acquire smaller railroads. The two main mountain ranges that had to be crossed, the Rockies and the Cascades , required major civil engineering works and additional locomotive power. The completion of 2,300 miles (3,700 km) of railroad through some of the most varied topography in the nation in only three years
4473-432: Was beginning to cause problems. The railroad's financial problems were exacerbated by their practice of improving its earnings during that period by selling off its wholly owned cars to financial institutions and leasing them back. The lease charges became greater, and more cars needed to be sold to pay the lease payments. The railroad's fleet of cars was becoming older because more money was being spent on finance payments for
4544-452: Was beset with legal and financial woes, filing for bankruptcy (under numerous versions of CMC/Heartland Partners), as a result of environmental cleanup costs and liabilities at former Milwaukee Road sites. CMC Heartland, and its various reincarnations, were dissolved in a final liquidation process that came to a close in 2010. Much of the abandoned Milwaukee PCE line has become rail trails . The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail (formerly
4615-408: Was complete by 1957. In 1955, the Milwaukee Road took over from the Chicago and North Western 's handling of Union Pacific 's streamliner trains between Chicago and Omaha . The whole railroad industry found itself in decline in the late 1950s and the 1960s, but the Milwaukee Road was hit particularly hard. The Midwest was overbuilt with a plethora of competing railroads, while the competition on
4686-452: Was considered, but not pursued. In 1980 the secondary line between Marquette, Iowa and Rapid City, South Dakota on its section between Mitchell and Kadoka was embargoed and then acquired by the South Dakota Department of Transportation . Between 1977 and 1984, route distance was reduced to a quarter from its peak and a third from its total in 1977, shrinking to 3,023 miles (4,865 km). The most extensive abandonment eliminated
4757-451: Was exacerbated by the railroad's purchase of several heavily indebted railroads in Indiana . The company declared bankruptcy in 1925 and reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad in 1928. In 1929, its total mileage stood at 11,248 miles (18,102 km). In 1927, the railroad launched its second edition of the Olympian as a premier luxury limited passenger train and opened its first railroad-owned tourist hotel,
4828-436: Was fixated on merger with another railroad as the solution to the Milwaukee's problems. Railroad mergers had to be approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission , and in 1969 the ICC effectively blocked the merger with the Chicago and North Western Railway (C&NW) that the Milwaukee Road had counted on and had been planning for since 1964. The ICC asked for terms that the C&NW was not willing to agree to. The merger of
4899-399: Was leased. Milwaukee Road Historical Association now owns the Milwaukee Road trademarks/copyrights, except for the AAR reporting marks (MILW) used by the Soo Line Railroad (which does business in the American Midwest as the Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway). The Milwaukee Road aggressively marketed passenger service through much of its history, maintaining a high quality of service until
4970-511: Was purchased by the Milwaukee and Prairie du Chien Railroad in 1861. In 1867, Alexander Mitchell combined the M&PdC with the Milwaukee and St. Paul (formerly the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad Company ) under the name Milwaukee and St. Paul . Critical to the development and financing of the railroad was the acquisition of significant land grants. Prominent individual investors in the line included Alexander Mitchell, Russell Sage , Jeremiah Milbank , and William Rockefeller . In 1874,
5041-405: Was that it possessed too much physical plant for the revenue it generated. In 1977, it owned 10,074 miles (16,213 km) of track, and 36% of that mileage produced a mere 14% of the company's yearly revenue. The approach taken by the bankruptcy trustees was to sell or abandon unprofitable or marginally profitable lines, leaving a much smaller railroad which could be profitable. Outright liquidation
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