Commonly referred to as the "Milwaukee Road" (or simply "The Road"), the origins of
this railroad began in 1847, when the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad was
incorporated. Three years later its first train operated between Milwaukee and
Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and by 1857, its track reached Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. In
February 1874, the name changed to the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway as
it continued to expand throughout the Midwest. By 1887, it reached into Iowa and
South Dakota, as far west as Kansas City, Missouri, and north into the Upper
Peninsula of Michigan.
In 1905, the Milwaukee Road decided to expand west again, this time to Puget Sound in
Washington. The "Lines West" were built between 1906-1909, from the middle of South
Dakota to Seattle and Tacoma in Washington. Even though the lines were technological
marvels, they were never successful, and were a major contributor to the bankruptcy
in 1925. In 1928 the Road reorganized as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul &
Pacific Railroad, but went bankrupt again in 1935 and 1945. In 1977, in financial
trouble once more, it reorganized and sold off two-thirds of its trackage. It was
acquired by the Soo Line Corp. on February 21, 1985, which operated it as the
Milwaukee Road, Inc. until merging it with their own lines on January 1, 1986.
The Public Relations Department had its beginnings when H.E. Byram became president
of the Milwaukee Road in 1917, and Fred Johnson became his office assistant. In
April 1923, Johnson recommended to Byram that a Public Relations Department be
established. Byram appointed Johnson assistant to the president in charge of public
relations (later public relations officer), a position Johnson held until his
retirement in 1948. During the 1970s, the Department underwent extensive
realignment, becoming the Corporate Communications Department on May 1, 1975. The
press release from that date describes the change as “increasing flexibility and
opportunity in applying professional communication skills to the entire range of the
company’s communication activities.”
