Rails to the North Star A Minnesota Railroad Atlas Richard S. Prosser Foreword by Don L. Hofsommer Table of Contents		$29.95 paper ISBN: 978-0-8166-5267-9 ISBN-10: 0-8166-5267-8
The sought-after standard reference on Minnesota railroad history In the 1960s, Richard S. Prosser prepared Rails to the North Star, the first book that traced the routes of Minnesota’s railways. From the first land grants for the construction of railroads in Minnesota in 1857, to the height of the street railways of the 1920s, to the consolidation of railroad companies in the 1960s, the volume captures all facets of Minnesota’s railroad development. Much has changed since then, but rail lines still traverse Minnesota’s landscape. Featuring a section of redrafted full-color maps, Rails to the North Star is a primary resource on the history of railroads in Minnesota. “Railroads were the country’s first big business providing the nation’s vital cardiovascular system, setting the tempo of life everywhere. All of it was reflected locally. Rails to the North Star is a masterful catalog of data, a treasure-house of useful information, offering ‘one-stop shopping’ in a field central to Minnesota’s history. All aboard!” —Don L. Hofsommer, from the foreword Richard S. Prosser (1930–2005) was a railroad enthusiast who grew up near the Milwaukee Road in south Minneapolis. Don L. Hofsommer is professor of history at St. Cloud State University. He is the author of several books, including Minneapolis and the Age of Railways, The Tootin’ Louie, The Hook & Eye, and The Great Northern Railway. 296 pages | 31 b&w photos | 8 1/2 x 11 | 2007 Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book Series TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword by Don L. Hofsommer                                                                                    Introduction and Acknowledgments                                                                        Chapter I. Before a Rail Was Laid: The Pre-Building Period                                    Chapter II. Symbol of the Future: The First Train—June 28, 1862                        Chapter III. First Fruits: The Early Lines, 1865–70                                                Chapter IV. The Iron Horse Needs Harnessing: The 1870’s                                    Chapter V. Men of Iron, and Steely Laws: The 1880’s                                                Chapter VI. Etchings in the North: The 1890’s                                                            Chapter VII. More Rules, and a New Transcontinental: The 1900’s                        Chapter VIII. World Conflict and a New Operator: The 1910’s                        Chapter IX. The Peak and the Crash: The 1920’s                                                Chapter X. A Race for Business: The 1930’s                                                            Chapter XI. Tarnished Prosperity: The 1940’s                                                            Chapter XII. A New Look, A New Philosophy: The 1950’s                                    Chapter XIII. Crusade for Freedom: The 1960’s, and a Look Ahead                        Chapter XIV. Born Yesterday, Gone Tomorrow: The Logging Railroads            Chapter XV. Urban, Suburban, and Interurban: The Electric Lines                        Chapter XVI. 20/20 Hindsight: The First Hundred Years Are the Hardest       Summary of Railroad Companies Which Built in Minnesota                                    Railroad Companies Incorporated in the State of Minnesota Which Did Not Build                                                                                       Corporations Which Built Street and Electric Railways in Minnesota                        Other Street and Electric Railroad Companies Incorporated in Minnesota   Maps:                                                                                                                                  Entire State Railroad Network by Decades, 1870–1960 Individual Companies Logging Railroads Transit and Interurban Lines Individual Electric Companies Map Legends                                                                                                 Cases of the Railroad and Warehouse Commission, Illustrating Typical Problems of the Day                                                                                    Early Timetable, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad                                                            Logging Railroading, Personal History by W. J. O’Neil                                    Brief History of Wahpeton-Breckenridge Street Railway, by E. H. Elwin            Picture Section                                                                                                            List of Statutes Governing Railroads in Minnesota                                                 Bibliography                                                                                                                        Index