Cairo and Vincennes Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Cairo and Vincennes Railroad was a 19th-century American
railroad that connected Cairo, Illinois
, with Vincennes, Indiana
. It was chartered by the state of Illinois
in 1867 through the efforts of former American Civil War
General Green B. Raum, who subsequently oversaw the planning and engineering of the proposed line. Within a few years, the fledgling railroad company named another former general, Ambrose Burnside
, as its president. The Cairo & Vincennes began laying track in 1870 and completed the initial portion in 1872 to haul coal from southern Illinois mines. However, the route was not fully completed until late in 1874.
In January 1874, the railroad was teetering on bankruptcy and the contractors, the firm of Winslow & Wilson, applied for control. In February, a new board of directors assumed control of the railroad and named industrialist J. P. Morgan
as the new president, replacing Burnside. In April, the C&V formally went into receivership. The next month, receivers H. L. Morrill and A. B. Salford took possession of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad.
The line was reorganized into the Cairo and Vincennes Railway in 1880, which in turn became part of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway in 1881, but was resold to the Cairo, Vincennes and Chicago Railway at the Wabash's foreclosure
in 1889. The CV&C became part of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
(Big Four) system, which itself became part of the New York Central Railroad
system in 1906. Much of the original route of the C&V remains in usage for freight hauling. Part, in Illinois, has ben rededicated as the Tunnel Hill State Trail
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
railroad that connected Cairo, Illinois
Cairo, Illinois
Cairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...
, with Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes, Indiana
Vincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
. It was chartered by the state of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
in 1867 through the efforts of former American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
General Green B. Raum, who subsequently oversaw the planning and engineering of the proposed line. Within a few years, the fledgling railroad company named another former general, Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
, as its president. The Cairo & Vincennes began laying track in 1870 and completed the initial portion in 1872 to haul coal from southern Illinois mines. However, the route was not fully completed until late in 1874.
In January 1874, the railroad was teetering on bankruptcy and the contractors, the firm of Winslow & Wilson, applied for control. In February, a new board of directors assumed control of the railroad and named industrialist J. P. Morgan
J. P. Morgan
John Pierpont Morgan was an American financier, banker and art collector who dominated corporate finance and industrial consolidation during his time. In 1892 Morgan arranged the merger of Edison General Electric and Thomson-Houston Electric Company to form General Electric...
as the new president, replacing Burnside. In April, the C&V formally went into receivership. The next month, receivers H. L. Morrill and A. B. Salford took possession of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad.
The line was reorganized into the Cairo and Vincennes Railway in 1880, which in turn became part of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway in 1881, but was resold to the Cairo, Vincennes and Chicago Railway at the Wabash's foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
in 1889. The CV&C became part of the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway
The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, also known as the Big Four Railroad and commonly abbreviated CCC&StL, was a railroad company in the Midwestern United States....
(Big Four) system, which itself became part of the New York Central Railroad
New York Central Railroad
The New York Central Railroad , known simply as the New York Central in its publicity, was a railroad operating in the Northeastern United States...
system in 1906. Much of the original route of the C&V remains in usage for freight hauling. Part, in Illinois, has ben rededicated as the Tunnel Hill State Trail
Tunnel Hill State Trail
The Tunnel Hill State Trail is a bicycle trail running from Harrisburg to Karnak, Illinois. The trail runs along the former bed of a part of the Cairo and Vincennes Railroad, a transportation unit led during its early years by Civil War General Ambrose Burnside...
.
Cities on the line
- Vincennes, IndianaVincennes, IndianaVincennes is a city in and the county seat of Knox County, Indiana, United States. It is located on the Wabash River in the southwestern part of the state. The population was 18,701 at the 2000 census...
- St. Francisville, IllinoisSt. Francisville, IllinoisSt. Francisville is a city in Lawrence County, Illinois, United States. The population was 759 at the 2000 census.-Geography:St. Francisville is located at ....
- Allendale, IllinoisAllendale, IllinoisAllendale is a village in Wabash Precinct, Wabash County, Illinois. The population was 528 at the 2000 census.- History :The original location of Allendale was Timberville, South of the current location. When the railroad was to come through the region, the town was moved to its current location...
- Mt. Carmel, Illinois
- Grayville, IllinoisGrayville, IllinoisGrayville is a city in Edwards and White counties in Illinois. The population was 1,725 at the 2000 census. Grayville is the birthplace of naval hero James Meredith Helm.-Geography:Grayville is located at ....
- Carmi, IllinoisCarmi, IllinoisCarmi is a city in White County, Illinois, along the Little Wabash River. The population was 5,240 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of White County.-Demographics:...
- Norris City, IllinoisNorris City, IllinoisNorris City is a village in White County, Illinois. The population was 1,057 at the 2000 census.Norris City was incorporated in 1901.-Geography:Norris City is located at ....
- Eldorado, IllinoisEldorado, IllinoisEldorado is a city in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,122 at the 2010 census, with a 1925 peak of 8,000. Although the city's name is spelled as if it were Spanish, the name was originally "Elder-Reado" -- a combination of the last names of the town's two founders,...
- Muddy, IllinoisMuddy, IllinoisMuddy is a small incorporated village located in the Harrisburg Township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 68 at the 2010 census. Muddy was built as a coal mining village to house miners working in O'gara #12 mine located on the north bank of the Saline River...
- Harrisburg, IllinoisHarrisburg, IllinoisHarrisburg is a city and township in Saline County, Illinois, United States. It is located about southwest of Evansville, Indiana, southeast of St. Louis, Missouri. The 2010 population was 9,017, with a township population of 10,790. It is the county seat of Saline County...
- Ledford, IllinoisLedford, IllinoisLedford is an unincorporated community in the Harrisburg Township, Saline County, Illinois, United States situated between Carrier Mills and Harrisburg, Illinois. It was named after a well known Ledford family in the area...
- Carrier Mills, IllinoisCarrier Mills, IllinoisCarrier Mills, formerly Carriers Mills and Morrilsville, also known as Catskin, is a village in Saline County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,886 at the 2000 census. Carrier Mills was named after George Washington Carrier and his saw and grist mill, and was one of the early Cairo...
- Stonefort, IllinoisStonefort, IllinoisStonefort is a village in Saline and Williamson counties, Illinois, United States. The population was 297 at the 2010 census. Stonefort school system merged with Carrier Mills, and is platted on the face of a bluff or Stonefort Bluff.-Geography:...
- New Burnside, IllinoisNew Burnside, IllinoisNew Burnside is a village in Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 242 at the 2000 census.-Geography:New Burnside is located at ....
- Parker, Illinois
- Tunnel Hill, IllinoisTunnel Hill, IllinoisTunnel Hill is an unincorporated community in northwestern Johnson County, Illinois. It's best known in the 21st Century for its namesake railroad tunnel that gives the name to the Tunnel Hill State Trail, a rails-to-trails project developed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources....
- Vienna, IllinoisVienna, IllinoisVienna is a city in Johnson County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,434 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Johnson County, and the site of two well-known state penitentiaries. Heron Pond - Little Black Slough Nature Preserve, a National Natural Landmark, is nearby. The...
- Forman, Illinois
- Mound City, IllinoisMound City, IllinoisMound City is a city located along the Ohio River in Pulaski County, Illinois, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 692. It is the county seat of Pulaski County.-Geography:Mound City is located at ....
- Cairo, IllinoisCairo, IllinoisCairo is the southernmost city in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is the county seat of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. The rivers converge at Fort Defiance State Park, an American Civil War fort that was commanded by General Ulysses S. Grant...