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51-804: (Redirected from Wisconsin Central Railway ) Wisconsin Central may refer to: A predecessor of the Soo Line Railroad known by the names: Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871–1899) Wisconsin Central Railway (1897–1954) , which also used the name "Wisconsin Central Railroad" Wisconsin Central Ltd. , a regional railroad acquired by the Canadian National Railway in 2001 Topics referred to by

102-598: A 57-mile stretch of wilderness blocking the way to Lake Superior and the land grant money. This time, construction didn't resume for three years. This delay was due largely to the Panic of 1873 , an economic crisis which was called the "Great Depression" in the U.S. until the depression of the 1930s took over that name. One of the causes of this economic slump in 1873 was speculation on railroads. The Wisconsin Central had received financial support from towns like Menasha and Stevens Point. By this time, they had spent that money, and with

153-949: A federal land grant. It was the only land grant railroad in Wisconsin. The railroad's tracks reached Ashland in 1877, St. Paul in 1884, Chicago in 1886 and Superior in 1908. The line was leased from 1889 to 1893 by the Northern Pacific Railway. The lease was terminated when the Northern Pacific declared bankruptcy during the Panic of 1893. While under the control of the Northern Pacific, the Wisconsin Central Railroad constructed Solon Spencer Beman 's great Romanesque Grand Central Station in Chicago in 1889 as its southern terminus. When Northern Pacific defaulted on its lease terms in 1893,

204-458: A halt. One December morning, word came to stop all work on the northern section of the railroad. The Wisconsin Central was short on funds. Captain Rich was in charge of this northern division of the railroad and his orders were to pay off the workers and help transport anyone who wanted to leave. Lake Superior was freezing over so boats weren't running, there were no railroads or highways out of Ashland, so

255-576: A lumber man from Stevens Point. They had the right to the land grant, but it paid only after track was built, so they needed money to get the project rolling. Judge Reed went east looking for financing. Gardner Colby of Boston had worked his way up from store clerk to store owner to importer, then bought a textile mill and made his fortune selling clothing to the Union Army during the Civil War. Interested in Wisconsin timber and iron ore, he could arrange

306-507: A male householder with no wife present, and 43.9% were non-families. 34.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.84. The median age in the city was 35.4 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 13.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 13.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of

357-423: A producer of plastic films; Genesis Attachments, manufacturer of shears and grapples; Amsoil , a producer of synthetic motor oil and lubricants; and Crane Song Ltd., a manufacturer of discrete Class A electronics for recording studios. Fraser Shipyards also provides many jobs to local residents. They repower and repair commercial vessels. Superior Public Library is located in downtown Superior. Superior City FC,

408-656: A refinery in Superior. The refinery is located along a pipeline connecting western Canada and the Midwest . On April 26, 2018, there was an explosion at the refinery. Douglas County issued a state of emergency due to heavy smoke, and then an evacuation order for local residents and workers. There were 20 injuries, and five were taken to hospital in Duluth. No fatalities were reported. Growing area manufacturers include FenTech, Inc., which manufactures vinyl doors and windows; Charter NEX Films,

459-546: A semi-professional soccer club, compete in the United Premier Soccer League (UPSL). Founded in 2023, the club supports a Men's UPSL Premier team, a Women's UPSL Premier team, and multiple amateur adult teams. The club plays their home games at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex, located at Superior Senior High School. There are several parks in the city, including the second largest municipal forest in

510-521: Is an industrial city, with ship harbors along two sides, several large rail yards, an oil refinery, and shipyard. The first log cabin in Superior was erected in September 1853 on the banks of the Nemadji River , at the same time that ground was broken for construction of the locks and ship canal at Sault Ste. Marie , Michigan . This was intended to allow ships to bypass the rapids at that site. Superior

561-541: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Wisconsin Central Railroad (1871%E2%80%931899) Despite these successes, it struggled financially from the start and was bankrupt by 1879. It was leased to the Northern Pacific Railway from 1889 to 1893, and was finally reorganized from bankruptcy in 1897 as the Wisconsin Central Railway . By

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612-495: Is part of the Duluth radio and television market. The following routes are located within the city of Superior. Richard I. Bong Airport (KSUW) serves the city and surrounding communities. Duluth International Airport in Duluth is the nearest commercial airport, with service on three commercial and two cargo airlines, as of December 2018. The Duluth Transit Authority provides Superior and nearby Duluth with fixed-route and dial-a-ride public bus service. Intercity bus service to

663-564: The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad acquired the several Chicago properties of the Wisconsin Central including Grand Central Station to form the Baltimore and Ohio Chicago Terminal Railroad . Superior, Wisconsin Superior ( / s ʊ ˈ p ɪ r . i . ə r / ; Ojibwe : Gete-oodenaang ) is a city in and the county seat of Douglas County, Wisconsin , United States. The population

714-661: The Cathedral of Christ the King in Superior is the mother church of the diocese. Saint Francis Xavier Catholic Church, located in the East End of Superior, has been noted for its architecture. Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church is the only congregation of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod located in Superior. It recently moved from its original location on Belknap Street to a new campus on North 28th Street. Pilgrim Lutheran Church

765-796: The Chippewa and Wisconsin Rivers . At that time, U.S. relations with Great Britain were complicated. Britain was officially neutral during the Civil War, but many of the British elites sympathized with the Confederacy . This was only 50 years after the War of 1812 , in which Britain had captured Prairie du Chien , among other indignities. It was also less than 100 years after the American Revolution . The British Province of Canada lay just across Lake Superior , and

816-570: The Soo Locks to the new dock in Ashland, then up the track as it was built. By late 1872, over a thousand men were working on this northern segment. Progress was slow, and by winter the line had progressed only six miles, to White River where the contractors and the Chicago Bridge Company built a bridge 1,600 feet long and 110 feet above the water in the ravine below. Things would soon come to

867-578: The United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 55.65 sq mi (144.13 km ), of which, 36.96 sq mi (95.73 km ) is land and 18.69 sq mi (48.41 km ) is water. Most of Superior is level with a gradual slope toward Lake Superior. As of the census of 2020 , the population was 26,751. The population density was 730.5/sq mi (282.0/km ). There were 12,593 housing units at an average density of 343.9/sq mi (132.8/km ). The racial makeup of

918-582: The War Department wanted the ability to move troops and supplies to the border. Toward that end, the government cut military wagon roads through the northern forest. These were financed in part by land grants , where the government gave the road-builders timber and land close to the roads. However, these stump-choked wagon roads would have transported war materials very slowly, so in 1864 the U.S. Congress offered similar land grants to encourage several proposed railroad-building projects from Portage up through

969-637: The "new Chicago". Many of the investors were from out East, so the buildings received names like the New Jersey Block and the Maryland Block. By 1892, population was 34,000. Then the Panic of 1893 hit, and development slowed again. Between 1890 and 1920, the city was heavily settled by migrants from the eastern United States as well as immigrants from over 15 countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Belgium, Poland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, and Croatia. According to

1020-610: The 80 miles to Superior in January. This episode came to be called the "Ashland War". At the southern construction camp, the year didn't end much better. When work was suspended, the workers waited in the camp at Colby two weeks without pay. Finally, 900 frustrated men commandeered a train and rode it down to Stevens Point, where they smeared tar on the Wisconsin Central's new bridge across the Wisconsin River, and threatened to burn it if they weren't paid. The railroad soon complied and paid

1071-985: The Spartan. Over 1,400 students are also enrolled in the Maple School District. Parochial schools include the Catholic Cathedral School, the Protestant-based Maranatha Academy and Twin Ports Baptist School. The University of Wisconsin–Superior (UWS) is a public liberal arts college. Originally opened as a state Normal School (teacher's college), UWS became part of the University of Wisconsin System in 1971. Northwood Technical College (formerly WITC) offers skill development and technical education, with an enrollment of over 2,200. Superior

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1122-523: The United States, located in the city's Billings Park neighborhood. The current mayor of Superior is Jim Paine, who was first elected in 2017. Superior is served by the Superior School District , which has one high school, one middle school, and six elementary schools, with a total enrollment of over 5,000 students. Superior High School enrolls more than 1,500 students. Its mascot is Sparty

1173-551: The age of 18 and 7.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line. In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.7% under the age of 18, 12.9% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The transportation industry accounts for more than 1,000 jobs. The Twin Ports of Duluth–Superior,

1224-482: The center of the state to Superior . Generally, if a railroad was built of adequate quality, its company received half the land and timber for ten miles on either side of the segments built - the odd-numbered sections . Two companies were established in 1866 to take advantage of Congress's offered land grants. The first corporation, the Winnebago and Lake Superior Railroad Company, was chartered to build from Menasha ,

1275-600: The city is provided by Indian Trails . A proposed Amtrak route running between Duluth and the Twin Cities has a planned stop in Superior and is the final stop before arriving in Duluth or the first stop after departing from Duluth. Previously, Superior was served by passenger rail until 1984 at the Superior Union Station . Superior is the episcopal see of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Superior , and

1326-539: The city was 49.0% male and 51.0% female. As of the 2000 census , there were 27,368 people, 11,609 households, and 6,698 families residing in the city. The population density was 740.9 people per square mile (286.1/km ). There were 12,196 housing units at an average density of 330.2 per square mile (127.5/km ). The racial makeup of the city was 94.26% White , 0.68% Black or African American , 2.23% Native American , 0.84% Asian , 0.04% Pacific Islander , 0.26% from other races , and 1.69% from two or more races. 0.83% of

1377-540: The city was 87.7% White , 2.1% Native American , 1.8% Black or African American , 0.9% Asian , 0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.6% from other races , and 6.7% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.1% Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2010, there were 27,244 people, 11,670 households, and 6,548 families residing in the city. The population density was 737.1/sq mi (284.6/km ). There were 12,328 housing units at an average density of 333.5/sq mi (128.8/km ). The racial makeup of

1428-428: The city was 91.5% White , 1.4% African American , 2.6% Native American , 1.2% Asian , 0.2% from other races , and 3.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.4% of the population. There were 11,670 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.2% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had

1479-625: The dream of a rail and water highway from coast to coast. In 1883 General John H. Hammond formed the Land and River Improvement Company, which developed much of West Superior, including the West Superior Iron and Steel plant. Numerous grain, coal and lumber businesses formed in the same period. In the Boom Period from 1888 to 1892, Land and River Improvement and others built impressive architect-designed business blocks on Tower Avenue, seeing Superior as

1530-527: The financing that Judge Reed's group needed. However, Colby didn't know anything about building a railroad, so he brought in Elijah B. Phillips, president of the Lake Shore and Northern Indiana Railway. With financial backing secured, Judge Reed went back to Wisconsin to lay more groundwork. He had a civil engineer plan and estimate the first portion of the proposed railroad. That stretch from Menasha to Stevens Point

1581-473: The largest in the Great Lakes , welcomes both domestic and foreign vessels. Bulk solids (such as grain) make up much of the tonnage handled by the port, and the silos of such port facilities are visible on the Superior waterfront. In 2004, the port's busiest year since 1979, more than 41.4 million metric tons were shipped out of the port. BNSF Railway has an operations hub in Superior. Cenovus Energy operates

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1632-510: The manufacturing center on Lake Winnebago , north to Stevens Point, and then onward to Superior. This railroad eventually was headed by Judge George Reed of Manitowoc . The second corporation, the Portage and Superior Railroad Company, intended to build from the city of Portage north to Stevens Point, also to Superior. The two railroads were consolidated in 1869 to become the Portage, Winnebago, and Superior Railroad Company, and this railroad's name

1683-485: The men back. Then, he and his men jumped into their wagon and fled for Ashland, with angry workers in pursuit. Ashland shut down its saloons as the workers arrived to try to keep things under control. The city ended up calling in the Bayfield militia , which marched across the bay on the ice and put Ashland under martial law for ten days. The workers were soon paid and the militia escorted over 1,000 men out of Ashland to walk

1734-408: The nationwide economic slump, financier Gardner Colby was having trouble raising more money from his investors. They were already behind on payments to subcontractors and for that reason, in 1874, the construction contractor on the south end quit. The Wisconsin Central's existence as an independent carrier was short-lived. Much of the Wisconsin Central right of way was built over land obtained through

1785-566: The neighboring city across the bay, Duluth, Minnesota , form a single metropolitan area called the Twin Ports . They share a harbor that is one of the most important ports on the Great Lakes . Both cities feature museum ships ( SS  William A. Irvin in Duluth and SS  Meteor in Superior), devoted to the local maritime heritage. Superior was the final port of call for SS  Edmund Fitzgerald before her sinking on November 10, 1975. It

1836-454: The new railroad late in the year and were impressed with its smoothness. The second construction season in 1872 also went well, though it was a different operation. Beyond Stevens Point, the route passed through a wilderness of forests and swamps, with occasional camps of Native Americans, timber cruisers, and pioneer settlers. This time, the Hooper, Boyle and Seymour Construction Company organized

1887-410: The only way out for these men was to walk 80 miles of trails to Superior. The 1,000 men who were there were not happy about the situation. After some days, when Rich, the pay-master, and guards arrived at a place called Kelly's camp to settle up, the workers demanded pay up to that day, instead of the day work was stopped. When Rich refused, the men tried to take the money. Rich pulled his revolver to hold

1938-512: The population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 15.8% were of German , 13.6% Norwegian , 10.9% Swedish , 9.3% Irish , 7.2% Polish , 6.9% Finnish and 5.3% American ancestry. There were 11,609 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.9% had someone living alone who

1989-465: The project, Stevens Point $ 30,000, Ashland $ 20,000, and other towns smaller amounts. Construction began June 15, 1871 in West Menasha. Reuben Scott of Menasha oversaw this first 63-mile leg to Stevens Point. Two subcontractors cleared and graded the roadbed, employing as many as 2,000 men, 600 horses, and 100 yoke of oxen. Other contractors built bridges, culverts, and trestles. The largest such project

2040-554: The road-building work, beginning March 18. At the Wisconsin River just west of Stevens Point, a bridge-building contractor constructed a three-span Howe truss railroad bridge. The railroad also established its operating headquarters in Stevens Point, building a six-stall roundhouse and shops there. By September, the rails had reached 51 miles northwest of Stevens Point, to a place initially called "Section 53". Shortly, they named

2091-431: The same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Wisconsin Central . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wisconsin_Central&oldid=1039727412 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description

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2142-493: The station Colby , in honor of Gardner Colby's son Charles, a director of the Wisconsin Central and a partner in the Phillips and Colby Construction Company. Beyond Colby, they had cleared the roadbed to "Mile Post 101", which would later be renamed Worcester , just south of modern Phillips . In April of the same year, construction began south from Ashland. The railroad had originally planned for Bayfield , an existing town, to be

2193-529: The terminal on Lake Superior, but then decided Ashland was more suitable. In 1870, when the railroad's civil engineer surveyed Ashland, its population was five. With news of the railroad's plans, businesses poured in. The Bayfield Press described it as "the Future Iron City of Lake Superior". In 1872, the Wisconsin Central built its dock at Ashland. The general contractor on this stretch was Stoughton Brothers of Winona and supplies had to be shipped in through

2244-553: The time of the Civil War , the southern half of Wisconsin was somewhat settled. Much of the north, however, remained wilderness, including swaths of virgin timber and deposits of iron ore. Treaties with Native Americans had placed most of this land in the hands of the federal government. Logging of the white pine had begun along the rivers, where the product could be floated out, but some stretches of timber stood far from large enough streams for river-logging. One such stretch lay between

2295-458: The workers. By next spring, in early 1873, the railroad had scraped together enough money to resume construction. That year, another 24 miles of track was completed south of Ashland, to a place called Penokee Gap, including another huge bridge near the place still called Highbridge . From the south, rails were laid from Colby north to Worcester, just south of modern Phillips. Then, with 194 miles of track built, construction stopped again, leaving

2346-608: Was 26,751 at the 2020 census . Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city lies at the junction of U.S. Route 2 and U.S. Route 53 immediately north of, and adjacent to, both the Village of Superior and the Town of Superior . Bordered by Saint Louis, Superior, and Allouez bays, the city is framed by two rivers: the Nemadji and the Saint Louis . Superior and

2397-407: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.91. The city's median household income was $ 31,921, and the median family income was $ 41,093. Males had a median income of $ 33,712 versus $ 22,073 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 17,253. 13.4% of the population and 9.6% of families were below the poverty line . 16.0% of those under

2448-481: Was already somewhat settled, and Reed traveled up and down it raising support from the young towns that stood to profit from a rail connection. The arrangement with Colby was that locally raised money would buy the right of way , clear and grade it, put in culverts and bridges, and provide ties . Then, Colby and his associates would provide the rails, stations, and all the equipment to run a railroad. Reed persuaded Menasha, Neenah , and Waupaca to each give $ 50,000 to

2499-654: Was changed to the Wisconsin Central Railroad Company in 1871. The Manitowoc and Minnesota Railroad, which Reed also headed, was consolidated into the Wisconsin Central in July 1871. None of these early railroad companies laid track, but their mergers provided corporate structure to move forward. As corporate consolidation proceeded, Reed planned to build the first leg of the Wisconsin Central from Menasha to Stevens Point. Reed's colleagues included Menasha civic leader (and his brother) Curtis Reed and Matt Wadleigh,

2550-510: Was incorporated as a city on March 25, 1889. Around the same time Superior became the seat of newly formed Douglas County. Immediately there was eagerness for a railroad from Lake Superior to the Pacific Coast, and investment flowed in, but then the Panic of 1857 hit, investment slowed, and the population of the new city collapsed from 2500 to 500. 25 years later the Northern Pacific Railway and other rail lines finally arrived, fulfilling

2601-560: Was the 200-foot bridge across the Wolf River at Gills Landing , with a half mile of trestle approaches. The road bed was formed 16 feet wide at the top, with nine-foot hand-hewn cross ties. Then the iron rails were laid. Given equipment at that time, they made remarkable progress, averaging a mile per day. By October, two trains were running daily to Waupaca, and the first train steamed into Stevens Point on November 15, an occasion for celebration there. Governor Taylor and other dignitaries rode

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