This is a long chapter so I will divide the emails up for the list. The entire book is online with the exception of the last 3 chapters on the Scott County Site. I am starting to work on those now. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa 1910 CHAPTER XXXIV THE RAILROADS STRENUOUS EFFORTS TO BUILD RAILROADS IN SCOTT COUNTY'S EARLY YEARS - AGITATION TO THE EASTWARD AND WESTWARD - THE FIRST RAILROAD WEST OF THE GREAT RIVER - A. C. FULTON, A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIMES - HIRAM PRICE AS PROMOTER - THE M. & M., C. & R. I., D. & ST. L., C. R. I. & P., C. B. & Q., C. M. & ST. P., ALSO THE I. & &. - FIFTY YEARS AN ENGINEER In 1842 A. C. Fulton urged the building of a railroad from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean and bridging of the Mississippi between Rock Island and Davenport. He had made soundings and a measurement of the river at Davenport with this idea in view. In 1845 the building of the Rock Island & LaSalle railroad was agitated and the Gazette in its issue of December 18, 1845, valiantly encouraged those promoting the scheme and argued its importance and the feasibility of connecting the Illinois and Iowa shores by a bridge over the Mississippi. Mr. Fulton and Editor Sanders were far ahead of their times but each lived to see their hopes in this regard fully realized. In 1902 Mr. Fulton published a pamphlet in which he, in his own inimitable way, relates his experiences as a railroad promoter. He says, quoting from a paper read before the Old Settlers association: "In the '30s of the past century two lines of steam railroad were running out of New Orleans; one between the Mississippi river and Lake Pontchartrain, running through the city on Esplanade street. The steam horse of that primitive road was the first to drink the waters of the great Mississippi river. The second line ran between New Orleans and Carrollton, in the parish of Jefferson. And having known those railroads from their incipiency and gained knowledge, I, after passing over the expansive prairies of the west, considered the west to be well adapted for railroads and that they would build up and extend commerce, upon which I resolved to enter into the undertaking of creating a line of railroad between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, and I felt confident that, if the undertaking was entered on with resolve, it could be accomplished. "In the last days of 1842, and the first day of 1843, after publicly speaking of the feasibility of the work, and as a link, I procured instruments and took soundings for the first bridge erected on the Mississippi river, and published my report in a Philadelphia journal, which report I now have and which gives the nature of the banks and bottom; the width of the main channel and of the depth of the water, and the nature of the route through Illinois to Chicago, and west to the Cedar river; both of which I examined. I wrote and talked river bridge and Pacific railroad; one meeting in 1845 I will name: It was in the frame schoolhouse that stood where the north end of the city hall now stands. I there told the assembly, some of whom pronounced me visionary, that there were persons present that would live to see a railroad connecting the two oceans. 'I see here the veteran Jacob Eldridge, who was at that meeting, I will ask him if I correctly speak.' (Mr. Eldridge replied: 'I was present at that schoolhouse and you correctly speak.') "Without a doubt I am the first person to ever write or speak the word Atlantic and Pacific railroad. At that time, now fifty-nine years past, there was not one foot of railroad west of the Alleghany mountains, save those of New Orleans. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Debbie Clough Gerischer Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ IAGENWEB: Special History Project: http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm Gerischer Family Web Site: http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/

I believe the is the A.C. Fulton that the present town of Stockton was named. The bridge over the creek into town is name the Fulton bridge. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, August 31, 2004 2:26 PM Subject: [IASCOTT] History of Davenport, Cpt 34, Railroads > This is a long chapter so I will divide the emails up for the list. The > entire book is online with the exception of the last 3 chapters on the Scott > County Site. I am starting to work on those now. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa 1910 > > CHAPTER XXXIV > > THE RAILROADS > > STRENUOUS EFFORTS TO BUILD RAILROADS IN SCOTT COUNTY'S EARLY YEARS - > AGITATION TO THE EASTWARD AND WESTWARD - THE FIRST RAILROAD WEST OF THE GREAT RIVER - > A. C. FULTON, A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIMES - HIRAM PRICE AS PROMOTER - THE M. & > M., C. & R. I., D. & ST. L., C. R. I. & P., C. B. & Q., C. M. & ST. P., ALSO > THE I. & &. - FIFTY YEARS AN ENGINEER > > In 1842 A. C. Fulton urged the building of a railroad from the Atlantic to > the Pacific ocean and bridging of the Mississippi between Rock Island and > Davenport. He had made soundings and a measurement of the river at Davenport with > this idea in view. In 1845 the building of the Rock Island & LaSalle railroad > was agitated and the Gazette in its issue of December 18, 1845, valiantly > encouraged those promoting the scheme and argued its importance and the > feasibility of connecting the Illinois and Iowa shores by a bridge over the Mississippi. > Mr. Fulton and Editor Sanders were far ahead of their times but each lived > to see their hopes in this regard fully realized. In 1902 Mr. Fulton published > a pamphlet in which he, in his own inimitable way, relates his experiences as > a railroad promoter. He says, quoting from a paper read before the Old > Settlers association: > > "In the '30s of the past century two lines of steam railroad were running out > of New Orleans; one between the Mississippi river and Lake Pontchartrain, > running through the city on Esplanade street. The steam horse of that primitive > road was the first to drink the waters of the great Mississippi river. The > second line ran between New Orleans and Carrollton, in the parish of Jefferson. > And having known those railroads from their incipiency and gained knowledge, > I, after passing over the expansive prairies of the west, considered the west > to be well adapted for railroads and that they would build up and extend > commerce, upon which I resolved to enter into the undertaking of creating a line of > railroad between the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans, and I felt confident > that, if the undertaking was entered on with resolve, it could be accomplished. > > "In the last days of 1842, and the first day of 1843, after publicly speaking > of the feasibility of the work, and as a link, I procured instruments and > took soundings for the first bridge erected on the Mississippi river, and > published my report in a Philadelphia journal, which report I now have and which > gives the nature of the banks and bottom; the width of the main channel and of the > depth of the water, and the nature of the route through Illinois to Chicago, > and west to the Cedar river; both of which I examined. I wrote and talked > river bridge and Pacific railroad; one meeting in 1845 I will name: It was in > the frame schoolhouse that stood where the north end of the city hall now > stands. I there told the assembly, some of whom pronounced me visionary, that there > were persons present that would live to see a railroad connecting the two > oceans. 'I see here the veteran Jacob Eldridge, who was at that meeting, I will > ask him if I correctly speak.' (Mr. Eldridge replied: 'I was present at that > schoolhouse and you correctly speak.') > > "Without a doubt I am the first person to ever write or speak the word > Atlantic and Pacific railroad. At that time, now fifty-nine years past, there was > not one foot of railroad west of the Alleghany mountains, save those of New > Orleans. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > Debbie Clough Gerischer > Iowa Gen Web, Assistant CC, Scott County > http://www.celticcousins.net/scott/ > IAGENWEB: Special History Project: > http://iagenweb.org/history/index.htm > Gerischer Family Web Site: > http://gerischer.rootsweb.com/ > > > ==== IASCOTT Mailing List ==== > Reminder! Please remove as much of the original message as possible > when replying to a post. Include only that part of the original > message important to your reply. > > ============================== > Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration > Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. > http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237 >