Mississippi and Missouri Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Mississippi and Missouri Railroad (M&M Railroad) was the first railroad in Iowa
and was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa
on the Mississippi River
and Council Bluffs, Iowa
on the Missouri River
and was to play an important role in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad
.
The line was originally created so that the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad could extend its line across the Mississippi River via Government Bridge which was the first bridge to cross the Mississippi when it opened in 1856.
Shortly after the bridge opened in 1856, a steamboat hit the bridge and steamboat companies sued to have the bridge dismantled. The M&M and Rock Island hired private attorney Abraham Lincoln
to defend the bridge. The case was to work its way through the courts to reach U.S. Supreme Court in 1862 during the American Civil War
when the court decided in the bridge's favor.
During Lincoln's investigation into the case he was to travel to Council Bluffs to inspect M&M property in August 1859 under the guidance of the M&M attorney Norman Judd. On the visit Judd and M&M engineer Grenville Dodge were to describe the merits of having the eastern terminus of the railroad at Council Bluffs. After the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, Lincoln was to pick Council Bluffs as the eastern terminus and the Union Pacific created by former M&M owner Thomas C. Durant
to be the company headed east (with the main engineer for the Union Pacific soon to be Dodge).
Durant was slow to build the M&M through Iowa although quick to manipulate its stock. He had gained control of the Union Pacific because of his stated plans for the M&M. However, the line under his ownership did not even make it half way across the state terminating in Kellogg, Iowa
40 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa
in 1865 with a branch to Muscatine, Iowa
terminating in Washington, Iowa
.
Durant built up his fortune by manipulating the M&M stock via rumors. First he drove up M&M stock by saying the transcontinental railroad would travel across Iowa via the M&M while at the same time quietly buying depressed Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad (CR&M) stock. Then he spread rumors that drove up the CR&M stock that the transcontinental would follow that line instead and Durant bought back the newly depressed M&M stock. The gambit made Durant and his cohorts $5 million.
The Rock Island Line bought the M&M on July 9, 1866 and completed its line to Council Bluffs in 1869 and was to extend the Muscatine/Washington Line to Leavenworth, Kansas
. The merged railroad was called the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
, a name it was to keep until being dissolved in bankruptcy in the 1970s.
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and was chartered in 1853 to build a line between Davenport, Iowa
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836 by Antoine LeClaire and was named for his friend, George Davenport, a colonel during the Black Hawk...
on the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
and Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs, known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowathe historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trailsis a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across...
on the Missouri River
Missouri River
The Missouri River flows through the central United States, and is a tributary of the Mississippi River. It is the longest river in North America and drains the third largest area, though only the thirteenth largest by discharge. The Missouri's watershed encompasses most of the American Great...
and was to play an important role in the construction of the First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
.
The line was originally created so that the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad could extend its line across the Mississippi River via Government Bridge which was the first bridge to cross the Mississippi when it opened in 1856.
Shortly after the bridge opened in 1856, a steamboat hit the bridge and steamboat companies sued to have the bridge dismantled. The M&M and Rock Island hired private attorney Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
to defend the bridge. The case was to work its way through the courts to reach U.S. Supreme Court in 1862 during the 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...
when the court decided in the bridge's favor.
During Lincoln's investigation into the case he was to travel to Council Bluffs to inspect M&M property in August 1859 under the guidance of the M&M attorney Norman Judd. On the visit Judd and M&M engineer Grenville Dodge were to describe the merits of having the eastern terminus of the railroad at Council Bluffs. After the Pacific Railroad Act in 1862, Lincoln was to pick Council Bluffs as the eastern terminus and the Union Pacific created by former M&M owner Thomas C. Durant
Thomas C. Durant
Thomas Clark Durant, was an American financier and railroad promoter. He was vice-president of the Union Pacific in 1869 when it met with the Central Pacific railroad at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory...
to be the company headed east (with the main engineer for the Union Pacific soon to be Dodge).
Durant was slow to build the M&M through Iowa although quick to manipulate its stock. He had gained control of the Union Pacific because of his stated plans for the M&M. However, the line under his ownership did not even make it half way across the state terminating in Kellogg, Iowa
Kellogg, Iowa
Kellogg is a city in Jasper County, Iowa, United States. The population was 606 at the 2000 census.-History:Kellogg was formed in September 1865. The railroad reached the town in 1866 and it was designated a station on the line...
40 miles east of Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
in 1865 with a branch to Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine, Iowa
Muscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,886 in the 2010 census, an increase from 22,697 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
terminating in Washington, Iowa
Washington, Iowa
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Iowa, United States. It is part of the Iowa City, Iowa Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,047 at the 2000 census.-History:...
.
Durant built up his fortune by manipulating the M&M stock via rumors. First he drove up M&M stock by saying the transcontinental railroad would travel across Iowa via the M&M while at the same time quietly buying depressed Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad (CR&M) stock. Then he spread rumors that drove up the CR&M stock that the transcontinental would follow that line instead and Durant bought back the newly depressed M&M stock. The gambit made Durant and his cohorts $5 million.
The Rock Island Line bought the M&M on July 9, 1866 and completed its line to Council Bluffs in 1869 and was to extend the Muscatine/Washington Line to Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth, Kansas
Leavenworth is the largest city and county seat of Leavenworth County, in the U.S. state of Kansas and within the Kansas City, Missouri Metropolitan Area. Located in the northeast portion of the state, it is on the west bank of the Missouri River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
. The merged railroad was called the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.-Incorporation:...
, a name it was to keep until being dissolved in bankruptcy in the 1970s.