The
Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (
CRI&P RR) was a
Class I railroadA Class I railroad in the United States and Mexico, or a Class I rail carrier in Canada, is a large freight railroad company, as classified based on operating revenue.Smaller railroads are classified as Class II and Class III...
in the United States. It was also known as the
Rock Island Line, or, in its final years,
The Rock.
History
Incorporation
Its ancestor, the
Rock Island and La Salle Railroad Company, was incorporated in Illinois on February 27, 1847, and an amended charter was approved on February 7, 1851, as the
Chicago and Rock Island Railroad. Construction began October 1, 1851, in Chicago, and the first train was operated on October 10, 1852, between Chicago and
JolietJoliet is a city in Will County and Kendall County in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 106,221. Its estimated population in 2008 was 146,125. It continues to be Illinois'...
. Construction continued on through
La SalleThe city of LaSalle is located in LaSalle County, Illinois, at the intersection of Interstate 80 and Interstate 39. It is part of the Ottawa–Streator Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally platted in 1837 over one square mile, the city has grown to...
, and
Rock IslandRock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,684 at the 2000 census. It is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf...
was reached on February 22, 1854, becoming the first railroad to connect Chicago with the Mississippi River.
In Iowa, the C&RI's incorporators created (on February 5, 1853) the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company, to run from
DavenportDavenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 98,359 and is Iowa's third-largest city. Davenport is one of the Quad Cities, along...
to
Council BluffsCouncil Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River. The population was 58,268 at the 2000 census...
, and on November 20, 1855, the first train to operate in Iowa steamed from Davenport to
MuscatineMuscatine is a city in Muscatine County, Iowa, United States. The population was 22,697 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Muscatine County...
. The Mississippi river bridge between Rock Island and Davenport was completed on April 22, 1856.
In 1857,
Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through its greatest internal crisis, the American Civil War, preserving the Union and ending slavery...
represented the Rock Island in an important lawsuit regarding bridges over navigable rivers. The suit had been brought by the owner of a steamboat which was destroyed by fire after running into the Mississippi river bridge. Lincoln argued that not only was the steamboat at fault in striking the bridge but that bridges across navigable rivers were to the advantage of the country.
The M&M was acquired by the C&RI on July 9, 1866, to form the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Company. The railroad expanded through construction and acquisitions in the following decades.
Territory
The Rock Island stretched across
ArkansasArkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquin name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares a border with six states, with its eastern border largely defined by the Mississippi River. Its diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the...
,
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
,
IllinoisIllinois , the 21st state admitted to the United States of America, is the most populous and demographically diverse Midwestern state and the fifth most populous state in the nation...
,
IowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland." It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of...
,
KansasKansas is a state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa tribe, who inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south wind," although this was...
,
MissouriMissouri is a state in the Midwest region of the United States bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. Missouri is the 18th most populous state with a 2008 estimated population of 5,911,605. It comprises 114 counties and one independent city....
,
NebraskaNebraska is a state located on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha....
,
New MexicoNew Mexico is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Inhabited by Native American populations for many centuries, it has also been part of the Imperial Spanish viceroyalty of New Spain, part of Mexico, and a U.S. territory. Among U.S...
,
OklahomaOklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,617,316 residents in 2007 and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
,
South DakotaSouth Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. South Dakota was carved out of the southern half of the Dakota Territory and admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889...
and
TexasTexas is the second-largest U.S. state in both area and population, and the largest state in the contiguous United States.The name had wide usage among native Americans, meaning "friends" or "allies"...
. The easternmost reach of the system was Chicago, and the system also reached
Memphis, TennesseeMemphis is a city in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. Memphis rises above the Mississippi River on the 4
th Chickasaw Bluff just south of the mouth of the Wolf River....
; west, it reached
Denver, ColoradoThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
, and
Santa Rosa, New MexicoSanta Rosa is a town in and the county seat of Guadalupe County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,744 at the 2000 census. It is a small town between Albuquerque and Tucumcari, situated on the Pecos River at the intersection of Interstate 40, U.S. Route 84, and U.S. Route 54...
. Southernmost reaches were to
Galveston, TexasGalveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of 57,466 within an area of...
, and
Eunice, LouisianaEunice is a city in Acadia and St. Landry parishes in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The population was 11,499 at the 2000 census.The St. Landry Parish portion of Eunice is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Acadia Parish portion is part of the Crowley...
while in a northerly direction the Rock Island got as far as
Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis is the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Hennepin County. The city lies on both banks of the Mississippi River, just north of the river's confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Saint Paul, the state's capital. Known as the Twin Cities,...
.
Major lines included Minneapolis to
Kansas City, MissouriKansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties. It is one of two county seats of Jackson County, the other being Independence, just to the city's east...
, via
Des Moines, IowaDes Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
;
St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. With an estimated population of 354,361 in 2008, it is the principal municipality of Greater St. Louis, population 2,866,517, the largest urban area in Missouri and sixteenth largest in the United States...
Meta, MissouriMeta is a city in Osage County, Missouri, United States. The population was 249 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Meta is located at ....
, to Santa Rosa via Kansas City;
Herington, KansasHerington is a city in Dickinson and Morris counties in the U.S. state of Kansas. The population was 2,563 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Herington is located at ....
, to
Galveston, TexasGalveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, the city had a total population of 57,466 within an area of...
, via
Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth is the seventeenth-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city within the state of Texas. Located in and a cultural gateway into the American West, the city covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, and Denton counties, serving as the county seat for Tarrant...
, and
Dallas, TexasDallas , with a population of 1,279,910, is the third-largest city in Texas and the 8th-largest in the United States. The city is the main economic center of the 12-county Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area that according to the March 2009 U.S. Census Bureau release, had a population of...
; and Santa Rosa to Memphis. The heaviest traffic was on the Chicago-to-Rock Island and Rock Island-to-Muscatine lines.
Passenger train service
The Rock Island jointly operated the
Golden State Limited (Chicago—Kansas City—Tucumcari—El Paso—Los Angeles) with the
Southern Pacific RailroadThe Southern Pacific Transportation Company , earlier Southern Pacific Railroad and Southern Pacific Company , and usually simply called the Southern Pacific, was an American railroad. The railroad was founded as a land holding company in 1865, later acquiring the Central Pacific Railroad by lease...
(SP) from 1902–1968. The name was shortened to the
Golden State after 1948's modernization. Another joint venture with the SP, the
Golden Rocket, was planned to enter service in 1948 but instead became "the train that never was," after SP withdrew from the joint train operating agreement. The
Golden Rockets uniquely-colored livery was placed in Golden State
service instead.
In 1937, the Rock Island introduced Diesel power to its passenger service, with the purchase of six lightweight Rocket
The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad Rockets were lightweight, streamlined Diesel-electric passenger trains built by the Budd Company. These six trains were the first streamlined equipment purchased by the Rock Island, as well as being its first Diesel powered passenger trains...
streamliners.
The railroad operated a number of trains known as Rockets
serving the Midwest, including the Rocky Mountain RocketThe Rocky Mountain Rocket was a streamlined passenger train of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad. Rock Island's train numbers 7 and 8 ran from Chicago's LaSalle Street Station to Denver's Union Station and Colorado Springs, Colorado...
(Chicago—Omaha—Lincoln—Denver—Colorado Springs), the Corn Belt Rocket
(Chicago—Des Moines—Omaha), the Twin Star RocketThe Twin Star Rocket was a passenger train operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad. Introduced on January 14, 1945, it was the only new streamlined train permitted to enter service in World War II by the U.S. Government...
(Minneapolis—St. Paul—Des Moines—Kansas City—Oklahoma City—Fort Worth—Dallas—Houston), the Zephyr Rocket
(Minneapolis—St. Paul—Burlington—St. Louis) and the Choctaw RocketThe Choctaw Rocket was a named passenger train operated by the Rock Island Railroad between Memphis, Tennessee, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, and Amarillo. Initially designated as train No. 51 and train No...
(Memphis—Little Rock—Oklahoma City—Amarillo—Tucumcari).
The Rock Island did not join AmtrakThe National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971 to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a blend of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union Station...
on its formation in 1971, and continued to operate its own passenger trains. After concluding that the cost of joining would be the same as operating the two remaining intercity roundtrips (the Chicago-Peoria Peoria Rocket
and the Chicago-Rock Island Quad Cities Rocket), the railroad decided to "perform a public service for the state of Illinois" and continue intercity passenger operations. Both trains were discontinued on December 31, 1978.
The Rock Island also operated an extensive commuter train service in the Chicago area. The primary route ran from
LaSalle Street StationLaSalle Street Station is a commuter rail terminal at 414 S. LaSalle Street in downtown Chicago, Illinois, serving Metra's Rock Island District. It was a major intercity rail terminal for the New York Central Railroad until 1968 and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad until 1978. The...
to Joliet along the main line, and a spur line, known as the "suburban branch" to Blue Island. These services started to receive financial backing in 1976 from the newly formed
Regional Transportation AuthorityThe Regional Transportation Authority is the financial and oversight body for the three transit agencies in northeastern Illinois--the Chicago Transit Authority, Metra, and Pace--which are called Service Boards in the RTA Act...
. Today these lines are operated as part of
MetraMetra is a regional rail system that serves the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States and surrounding suburbs...
, and are known as the
Rock Island DistrictThe Rock Island District is a commuter rail line operated by Metra from Chicago, Illinois, United States, southwest to Joliet. While Metra does not specifically refer to any of its lines by a particular color, the timetable accents for the Rock Island District line are printed in "Rocket Red"...
.
Rock Island's Demise
In 1964, the Rock Island selected Union Pacific to pursue a merger plan to form one large railroad. In the process, Rock Island fell victim to the most complicated merger in the history of the
Interstate Commerce CommissionThe Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887, which was signed into law by President Grover Cleveland...
. After more than ten years of studies and court hearings, Union Pacific came to an agreement with Rock Island, subject to many other terms and conditions. However, due to Rock Island paying for the studies, and court related orders, track conditions were in disrepair and in bad condition as the railway's funds and money were going to the merger case, rather than maintaining the trackage. After Union Pacific came to the realization of this, they backed out of their merger plans.
On March 17, 1975, Rock Island entered its third and final bankruptcy.
William M. GibbonsWilliam M. Gibbons was a lawyer for 28 years, and would become the receiver and trustee of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad during the Rock Islands third and final bankruptcy...
was selected as receiver and trustee by Judge Frank J. McGarr, whom Gibbons practiced law with in the early 1960s. In August 1979, the Brotherhood of Railway and Airline Clerks (BRAC) walked out on a strike against Rock Island in a dispute over retroactive wages. When no resolution of the strike seemed possible, the ICC ordered the
Kansas City Terminal RailwayThe Kansas City Terminal Railway is a Class III railroad terminal railroad that serves as joint operation of the trunk railroads that serve the Kansas City metropolitan area, the country's second largest rail hub. It is presently operated by the Kaw River Railroad.The Railway was created after a...
to take over all operations in September 1979. Rock Island president
John W. IngramJohn W. Ingram was the President of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad in its final years, from 1974 to 1979.-Early life and the Rock Island:...
resigned, and Gibbons took over as president of the bankrupt railroad.
On January 24, 1980, Judge McGarr was selected to hear the Rock Island bankruptcy case and ruled that the Rock Island could not be successfully reorganized and ordered it to be liquidated and sold; the resulting action made the Rock Island the largest bankruptcy liquidation in U.S. history up until that time.
Kansas City Terminal began the process of embargoing in-bound shipments in late February, and the final train operated March 31. The railroad's locomotives, rail cars, and tracks were sold, or dismantled and sold. Gibbons was able to raise $500 million in the liquidation, paying off all the railroads creditors and debts with interest. Gibbons was released from the Rock Island on June 1, 1984 after all the Rock Island's locomotives, rail cars, tracks, and remaining physical plant was sold, or abandoned. Rock Island's holding company, the
Chicago Pacific CorporationThe Chicago Pacific Corporation was created in 1969 as a diversified holding company for the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.Its purpose was to create profits for the ailing Rock Island, and to finance freight cars and other equipment, which could be purchased by its subsidiary the...
, continued on as its railroad/transportation subsidiary was liquidated. Chicago Pacific was purchased by
MaytagMaytag Corporation was a $4.7 billion home and commercial appliance company, headquartered in Newton, Iowa, from 1893 to 2006.-Company History:...
in 1985.
The former Rock Island mainline from Chicago to Omaha was purchased by the newly formed
Iowa Interstate RailroadThe Iowa Interstate Railroad is a Class II railroad operating in the central United States. The railroad is owned by Railroad Development Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.-History:...
.
Company officers
Presidents of the Rock Island Railroad included:
- James W. Grant
James Grant was an American lawyer, statesman, and business leader in Davenport, Iowa.James was born on his family's plantation near Enfield in Halifax County, North Carolina on December 12, 1812. He attended the State University at Chapel Hill and graduated in 1831, before his eighteenth birthday...
, November 27, 1850 - December 22, 1851.
- John Bloomfield Jervis
John Bloomfield Jervis was an American civil engineer. He was America's leading consulting engineer of the antebellum era . Jervis was a pioneer in the development of canals and railroads for the expanding United States...
, December 22, 1851 - December 1854.
- Henry Farnam
Henry Farnam was an American philanthropist and railroad president. He was born in Scipio, New York, and grew up working on his father's farm. By his teenage years, he had begun studying mathematics on his own and in 1820 he gained employment initially as a camp cook on the Erie Canal...
, December 1854 - June 1863.
- Charles W. Durant, June 1863 - August 1866.
- John F. Tracy, August 1866 - April 14, 1877.
- Hugh Riddle, April 14, 1877 - June 6, 1883.
- Ransom Reed Cable, June 6, 1883 - June 1898.
- Warren G. Purdy, June 1898 - December 31, 1901.
- William Bateman Leeds, December 31, 1901 - March 26, 1904.
- Benjamin L. Winchell, March 26, 1904 - December 1909.
- Henry U. Mudge, December 1909 - April 20, 1915.
- Jacob McGavock Dickinson
Jacob McGavock Dickinson was United States Secretary of War under President William Howard Taft from 1909 to 1911. He was succeeded by Henry L. Stimson.-Biography:...
appointed receiver trustee during bankruptcy, April 20, 1915 - June 21, 1917.
- James E. Gorman, June 22, 1917 - June 7, 1933.
- Joseph B. Fleming, Frank Orren Lowden
Frank Orren Lowden was an American political figure. Born in Sunrise Township, Minnesota, he lived in Iowa from the age of 7 until his graduation from Iowa State University in 1885. He graduated from Chicago, Illinois' Union College of Law in 1887, and was admitted to the bar the same year. His...
(until his death on March 20, 1943) and James E. Gorman (until his death on March 25, 1942) appointed receiver trustees during bankruptcy, June 7, 1933 - December 31, 1947. Aaron Colnon replaced Frank O. Lowden as receiver trustee on April 19, 1943.
- John Dow Farrington, January 1, 1948 - 1955.
- Downing B. Jenks, 1956-1961.
- R. Ellis Johnson, 1961-1964.
- Jervis Langdon, Jr., 1965-1970.
- William J. Dixon, 1970-1974.
- John W. Ingram
John W. Ingram was the President of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad in its final years, from 1974 to 1979.-Early life and the Rock Island:...
, 1974 - March 17, 1975.
- William M. Gibbons
William M. Gibbons was a lawyer for 28 years, and would become the receiver and trustee of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad during the Rock Islands third and final bankruptcy...
appointed receiver trustee during bankruptcy, March 17, 1975 - June 1, 1984.
In popular culture
- An old folk song called "Rock Island Line", made famous by blues legend Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an American folk musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the 12-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
, memorializes the railroad.
- The opening 'railroad train' number in Meredith Willson
Robert Meredith Willson was an American composer, songwriter, conductor and playwright best known for writing the book, music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical The Music Man, which won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 1958...
’s The Music ManThe Music Man is a musical with book, music, and lyrics by Meredith Willson. The show is based on a story by Willson and Franklin Lacey. The plot concerns con man Harold Hill, who poses as a boys' band organizer and leader and sells band instruments and uniforms to naive townsfolk before skipping...
is entitled "Rock Island", and suggests by the title and context that the train is indeed a Rock Island train crossing from Rock Island to Davenport, IowaDavenport is a city located along the Mississippi River in Scott County, Iowa, United States. Davenport is the county seat of and largest city in Scott County. As of the 2000 census, the city had a population of 98,359 and is Iowa's third-largest city. Davenport is one of the Quad Cities, along...
, also known as "River City".
- William Munny
William Munny is a fictional gunfighter of the Old West from the 1992 western film Unforgiven. Despite being used in only the one film, the character helped boost that film to become a classic for western genre film fans...
is reputed to have dynamited the "Rock Island and Pacific" in 1869, killing "women and children" in the film UnforgivenUnforgiven is a 1992 Western film produced and directed by Clint Eastwood with a screenplay written by David Webb Peoples. The film tells the story of William Munny, an aging and retired gunslinger who takes on one more job years after he had hung up his guns and turned to farming...
.
- The movie Rock Island Trail was about the building of the Rock Island Railroad across Illinois, the Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the second longest river in the United States, with a length of from its source in Lake Itasca in Minnesota to its mouth in the Gulf of Mexico....
, and Iowa. Hollywood stars including John WayneMarion Mitchell Morrison , born Marion Robert Morrison, better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and has become an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive voice, walk and height...
, Roy RogersRoy Rogers , was a singer and cowboy actor, as well as the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants chain. He and his second wife Dale Evans, his golden palomino Trigger, and his German Shepherd Dog, Bullet, were featured in over one hundred movies and The Roy Rogers Show...
and Dale EvansDale Evans was the stage name of Lucille Wood Smith , a writer, movie star, and singer-songwriter. She was the second wife of singing cowboy Roy Rogers.- Early life :...
took part in a pre-show parade which extended from Silvis, IllinoisSilvis is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 7,269 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Silvis is located at ....
through Rock Island, IllinoisRock Island is the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 39,684 at the 2000 census. It is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring Moline, East Moline, and the Iowa cities of Davenport and Bettendorf...
.
External links