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 Chief Engineer, Division Engineers, etc. were part of the Operating Department
until January of 1913 when a separate engineering department was formed. Two
important early leaders of the department were F.W. Kimball and Charles Lapham (son
of Increase A. Lapham). Lapham was the Division Engineer of the Middle District,
which consisted of the La Crosse, Wisconsin Valley, Prairie du Chien, Mineral Point,
Northern and Superior Divisions. He served in this position for several years.
Kimball was the Construction Manager during the 1880s, and his papers consist of
correspondence with employees such as Chief Engineer Don Whittemore and also
prospective employees.
A major project of the Engineering Department was the creation of the Snoqualmie
Tunnel in Washington. This tunnel was constructed by the Milwaukee Road from 1911
until 1914 as part of the line from Chicago to Seattle and was over two miles long.
J.I. Horrocks was the engineer and superintendent in charge of the tunnel work. He
had 300-400 men working at each end of the tunnel in six hour shifts. According to
the September 1914 issue of Milwaukee Railway
Magazine, the engineers were the first group in the United States to
excavate a tunnel by using the “bottom heading” technique. Today, the tunnel serves
as part of a rail trail in Iron Horse State Park.
