RAILROADING IN THE  CHIPPEWA VALLEY (1869 - 1975) A short history of how various railroad lines came to the valley, when they were expanded upon and when they were eventually abandoned. The first train arrived in Eau Claire on 1 August 1870 and it was a monumental occasion in the community.  There were an estimated 10,000 people who gathered for the festivities, including Governor Lucius Fairchild and other state and local dignitaries.  This first railroad line was the West Wisconsin, the successor of the Tomah and Saint Croix Railway Co., which surveyed the route in 1864-65.  The line was to run from Warrens, near Tomah, to St. Paul.  Its northwesterly route across Eau Claire County connected the communities of Fairchild, Augusta, Rodell, Fall Creek and Eau Claire.  In 1870, Eau Claire was the westernmost terminal, but when the railroad bridge over the Chippewa River opened in October of that year, this opened up the western portion of Wisconsin to more railroad lines.  In 1883 the new roundhouse and repair facilities were built in Altoona and the Eau Claire buildings were abandoned.  The West Wisconsin line became part of the Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Omaha Railway Co.  The "Omaha" was eventually absorbed by the Chicago and Northwestern. Since that time we have seen a sharp rise and then decline in the railroad industry.  Below is a map showing the various lines in the Chippewa Valley and how some of these lines have been abandoned through the year 1975.   TIMELINES FOR THE THREE MAJOR RAILROADS IN THE CHIPPEWA VALLEY  From their construction through their abandonment MILWAUKEE ROAD Construction / Abandonment Eau Claire Area CONSTRUCTION 1882   Red Wing to Eau Claire -- 46.47 miles (Built by Chippewa Valley and Superior Railway Co.) Red Cedar Junction to Cedar Falls -- 20.67 miles (Built by Chippewa Valley and Superior Railway Co. 1883   Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls -- 14. 30 miles (Built by Chippewa Valley and Superior Railway Co., which was incorporated in June 1881 and sold in June 1882.) ABANDONMENT 1902   Cedar Falls to Menomonie -- 4.35 miles Chippewa Falls to Eau Claire -- 14.30 miles 1975 Menomonie to Red Cedar Junction -- 16.32 miles SOO LINE / WISCONSIN CENTRAL RAILWAY Construction -- Eau Claire Area CONSTRUCTION 1873 Chippewa Falls to Eau Claire -- 10.25 miles (Built by Chippewa Falls and Western Railway Co., Inc. 1873 Sold to Minnesota, St. Croix and WI Railway Co., 31 May 1888) 1880     Abbotsford to Chippewa Falls -- 54.24 miles (Built by Wisconsin and Minnesota Railway Co.  Sold to Wisconsin Central Co., 31 May 1888 and sold again to Wisconsin Central Railway Co., 13 July 1899.  Leased to Soo Line, 1 April 1909) 1884 Chippewa Falls to St. Paul -- 102.66 miles (Built by Minnesota, St. Croix & Wisconsin Railway Co.  Merged with Wisconsin Central Co., 31 May 1888) CNW - OMAHA RAILROAD CO. Construction / Abandonment Eau Claire Area CONSTRUCTION 1869   Black River Falls to Augusta (Built by West Wisconsin Railway Co.) 1870   Augusta to Menomonie Junction (Built by West Wisconsin Railway Co.) 1880   Menomonie Junction into Menomonie -- 3.01 miles (Built by Menominee Railway Co.) West Eau Claire to Shaws Mill -- 2.74 miles (Built by Eau Claire Railway Co.) 1881   Chippewa Falls to Bloomer -- 14.5 miles (Built by Chippewa Falls & Northern Railway Co.) Menomonie Junction to Cedar Falls -- 2. 01 miles (Built by Cedar Falls and Northern Railway Co.) 1882   Eau Claire to Chippewa Falls -- 10.57 miles (Built by Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls Railway Co.) 1887   Fairchild to Osseo -- 14.21 miles (Built by Sault Ste. Marie & Southwestern Railway Co.) 1889   Osseo to Eleva -- 12.89 miles (Built by Sault Ste. Marie & Southwestern Railway Co.) 1890   Eleva to Mondovi -- 9.25 miles (Built by Sault Ste. Marie & Southwestern Railway Co.) 1902   Chippewa Falls to Holcombe -- 27.70 miles (Built by Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls & Northwestern Railway Co.) 1903   Holcombe to Hughey -- 21.58 miles (Built by Eau Claire, Chippewa Falls & Northwestern Railway Co.) ABANDONMENT 1902 Cedar Falls to Menomonie Junction -- 2. 01 miles 1936 Hughey to Hannibal -- 4.19 miles 1942 Hannibal to Cornell -- 20.57 miles 1975 Mondovi to Fairchild -- 36.75 miles You are our 1902nd   visitor since this page was created on 18 November 1999   © Copyright 1999  All Rights Reserved Nance Sampson, Webmaster