I 
ANNUAL REPORT— COMMERCE. 87 
“ Great progress lias been made in tlie building of the Southern Minne¬ 
sota Railroad. The link between the eastern and western divisions has 
been finished, and the road extended to Winnebago, 170 miles west of La 
Crosse, its eastern terminus. It is the intention to ultimately extend this 
road to the Missouri river. During the past winter it has been connected 
with the Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway by a temporary bridge across the 
Mississippi at La Crosse. A permanent bridge at this point is in contem¬ 
plation. At Winona a substantial bridge is in process of construction. 
“The connecting link, from Eagle to Elkliorn, between the Prairie du Chien 
and Western Union roads having been completed early in the season, 
trains have since been running daily from Milwaukee to Rock Island, and 
the recent completion of the Rockford, Rock Island and St. Louis Railroad 
has given us the benefit of a new route to St. Louis. Our merchants are 
now daily shipping produce and merchandise over this route to St. Louis 
and other Southern markets. The extension of the Western Union Rail¬ 
road from Savanna, the point where it first touches the Mississippi, across 
the richest and most populous portion of the State of Iowa, has been pro¬ 
vided for, with the assistance of the capitalists interested in the Western 
Union since it became a Milwaukee road, and the construction of the new 
line is vigorously progressing. Twenty miles have recently been completed 
and put in operation. The extension is known as the Sabula, Ackley and 
Decotah Railroad. 
“ Not least important to Milwaukee among the railroad enterprises which 
i 
have marked the past year as an eventful era in the progress of our city and 
state, is the commencement of the Milwaukee and Northern Railroad, run¬ 
ning mid-way between Lake Michigan and Lake Winnebago from Milwau¬ 
kee to the upper Fox river, and thence in a northwesterly direction towards 
Duluth, with a branch line to Green Bay, and eventually to Lake Superior. 
The first twenty miles of this road are now in successful operation, and with 
proper guarantee of the promised aid from this city and other places along 
the line, will be extended to the intersection of the Sheboygan and Fond du 
Lac Railroad during the present season, thus opening more direct communi¬ 
cation between the two last named cities and Milwaukee, and before the 
close of 1871 will be pushed on to the Fox river. It is a noteworthy fact 
that the first twenty miles of this road have been built and put in operation 
without any foreign aid whatever. The company’s first mortgage bonds are 
now for the first time placed on the market, and are offered to a limited 
amount at ninety cents. The line of this road, at least as far as the Fox 
river, is densely populated, extremely fertile, and abounds in valuable water 
powers, and the best of timber. It has been pronounced by competent au¬ 
thority equal to the best railroad route in the state. Its progress should be 
regarded with special satisfaction by Milwaukee as being the only success¬ 
ful effort for many years to recover to our city the long lost trade of north¬ 
ern and eastern Wisconsin, forced over a wide circuit-avwraZ us by the Chi¬ 
cago and Northwestern road. Its completion will greatly shorten the dis- 
