Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad is the name for two different railroads in Minnesota
.
and came into existence in 1863 when financier Jay Cooke
selected Duluth as the northern end of a new railroad. Lyman Dayton, a local businessman put up $10,000 of his own money to do the original surveying work and served as the railroad's president until his death in 1865.
The LS&M was completed in 1870, running through the city of Carlton
and running along the path of the St. Louis River to Duluth. Later that year the first passenger trains started running between the Twin Cities and Duluth.
The LS&M was a victim of the Panic of 1873
, as Jay Cooke's company was overextended and burdened with financial commitments to the Northern Pacific Railway
. The LS&M reorganized in 1877 as the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad
. It was later folded into the Northern Pacific Railway
. The northern section of the line was relocated but it remained in service carrying passenger traffic until the 1930’s.
company to offer a passenger excursion service along the St. Louis River.
Much of the modern LSMRR route follows the right-of-way that the historic LS&M built in the 19th century. The LSMRR was given the accolade "Best Train Ride" by the St. Paul Pioneer Press (May 18 2003)
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Historic railroad
The Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad (LS&M) was the first rail link between the Twin Cities and DuluthDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
and came into existence in 1863 when financier Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke
Jay Cooke was an American financier. Cooke and his firm Jay Cooke & Company were most notable for their role in financing the Union's war effort during the American Civil War...
selected Duluth as the northern end of a new railroad. Lyman Dayton, a local businessman put up $10,000 of his own money to do the original surveying work and served as the railroad's president until his death in 1865.
The LS&M was completed in 1870, running through the city of Carlton
Carlton, Minnesota
Carlton is a city in Carlton County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 862 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Carlton County.Minnesota State Highways 45 and 210; and County Roads 1 and 3 are four of the main routes in the community....
and running along the path of the St. Louis River to Duluth. Later that year the first passenger trains started running between the Twin Cities and Duluth.
The LS&M was a victim of the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
, as Jay Cooke's company was overextended and burdened with financial commitments to the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
. The LS&M reorganized in 1877 as the St. Paul and Duluth Railroad
St. Paul and Duluth Railroad
The St. Paul and Duluth Railroad was reorganized from the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad in 1877. It was bought by the Northern Pacific in 1900...
. It was later folded into the Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
. The northern section of the line was relocated but it remained in service carrying passenger traffic until the 1930’s.
Modern railroad
The name of the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad (LSMRR) was revived in 1981 when the volunteer Lake Superior Transportation Club incorporated a heritage railroadHeritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
company to offer a passenger excursion service along the St. Louis River.
Much of the modern LSMRR route follows the right-of-way that the historic LS&M built in the 19th century. The LSMRR was given the accolade "Best Train Ride" by the St. Paul Pioneer Press (May 18 2003)