The Milwaukee Road
when prompted by shopping cart
“How refreshing it must have been to those truly interested in railroad history to come across August Derleth’s The Milwaukee Road: Its First Hundred Years in 1948. . . . Any reader intersted in the Milwaukee, or Midwest railroading in general, will find The Milwaukee Road an excellent source.”—Annals of Iowa
From its incorporation in 1847 in Wisconsin Territory to its first run in 1851—twenty miles between Milwaukee and Waukesha—to its later position of far-flung power, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul &Pacific Railroad Company had a vivid history. By 1948, the Milwaukee Road had more than 40,000 employees and maintained more than 10,000 miles of line in twelve states from Indiana to Washington.
Also in 1948, August Derleth's popular and well-crafted corporate history celebrated the strength and status of this mighty carrier. On February 19, 1985, the railroad became a subsidiary of Soo Line Corporation and its identity vanished overnight. Nonetheless, it remains a romantic memory, and Derleth's book remains the only complete history of this innovative and dynamic railroad.