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Some people moved on, and the Town of Drummond's population dropped from 1,054 in 1930 to 776 in 1940, but many families who had bought homes in Drummond stayed. The closing of the sawmill on November 7th, 1930 ended the only way of life many Drummond residents had known. Though change came slowly, the Rust-Owen Lumber Company finally allowed private businesses in town in 1921. In 1891 the Rust-Owen Lumber Company established the Drummond & South Western Railroad (D&S Railroad) to expedite transportation of the lumber made at their mill. Then the boards were trimmed and cut to lumber length and shipped out on the railroad. When the logs reached the Drummond mill, they were graded for quality and cut to boards. The logs were transported to the Drummond mill via wagon, sleigh, waterways and train. Lumberjacks used hand axes and crosscut saws to harvest trees and then cut the trees into logs. This new town, named Drummond, would be a company town - owned entirely by the Rust-Owen Lumber Company. During that summer, workers built a boarding house, tenement houses, a horse barn and a company store. A crew under the supervision of Frank Drummond began building a mill in the spring of 1882. In 1882, the same year the railroad arrived in Drummond, the Rust-Owen Lumber Company chose to locate a sawmill in Drummond. In 1880, the Chicago, Minneapolis and Omaha Railroad began pushing a line toward Lake Superior, which would open the forests of Bayfield County - including those in the Drummond area - to distant markets. Paul & Pacific).The prime timberlands of the Drummond area in the late 1800s contained a virgin forest of more than 80% white and Norway pine.
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#History of logging in wisconsin full
Paul Railroad, an early predecessor of the venerable Milwaukee Road (whose full name was the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. The M&PdC operated independently until late 1867 when it was purchased by the Milwaukee & St. Once both roads lost access to the Loop, ridership plummeted and both were abandoned in the early 1960's.īy 1860 the M&M operated a system of 238 miles although a year later due to financial troubles it fell into receivership and soon emerged as the Milwaukee & Prairie du Chein Railway. It even boasted a double-tracked main line, all electrified, and was successful, in particular, because it provided direct service to downtown Chicago via the Loop.Īlas, it, along with the Chicago, Aurora & Elgin, was pushed out in favor of highways, in particular the Eisenhower Expressway. This large and well-remembered interurban provided extensive rapid-transit service from Milwaukee to Chicago. In 1993 it was acquired by new startup Wisconsin Central and subsequently abandoned.įinally, the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee cannot be forgotten. The "Green Bay Route" served the heart of Wisconsin, running 250 miles from Winona to Green Bay/Kewaunee. In addition to these routes, almost all of the historic Green Bay & Western is gone. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha corridor that ran from Bayfield (along Lake Superior) to Hudson (along the Saint Croix River). Chicago & North Western's former Chicago, St.Soo Line's Duluth-Glenwood, Minnesota corridor, built in 1907 and abandoned by Canadian Pacific in 1990.Most were secondary, agricultural branches although a few stand out, such as: These roads dominated the state and scars of their abandoned rights-of-way can be found throughout. All of the notable Midwestern granger lines served Wisconsin but three in particular stand out the Milwaukee Road, Soo Line, and Chicago & North Western. They also began to be pulled up as early as the 1920s, a process that accelerated after the 1960s. With numerous major cities and industrial centers, coupled with thousands of acres of farmland, railroads crisscrossed Wisconsin by the early 20th century. In any event, throughout the article here there are links provided to other pages of the site here which relate to Wisconsin railroads. It was situated within the heart of America's breadbasket while also bordering two great lakes.Īll types of freight traffic either originated or moved through its borders such as iron ore, agriculture, general merchandise, automobiles, and much more.Īlas, with the industry's decline Wisconsin was hit hard by abandonments since 1920, and particularly after the 1970's, the state has lost around 57% of rail infrastructure.
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The state's unique location meant thousands of miles of railroad were built here. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha (C&NW) Soo Line Chicago, Burlington & Quincy and Green Bay & Western. While the Milwaukee was named for the state's largest cities, many other important railroads served there such as the Chicago & North Western Chicago, St. State Rail Mileage Through The Years (Chart)