Rice Lake, Dallas and Menomonie Railway
The Rice Lake, Dallas and Menomonie Railway (RLD&M) was a railroad company based in Wisconsin, United States. It was known locally as "the Blueberry Line" due to the abundance of blueberry vines along its route.[1]
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Rice Lake, Wisconsin |
| Locale | Wisconsin, United States |
| Dates of operation | 1893–1900 |
| Successor | Soo Line |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The RLD&M was chartered on February 9, 1893, and built a 7.52-mile long (12.10 km)[2] connection from Rice Lake to Cameron; construction began on October 16,[3] and the line began operations on February 22, 1894.[4] In the Summer of 1899, surveyors began work to extend the line from Cameron to Menomonie, with the first surveys taking place on August 23.[5] Construction continued through Barron in 1900[6] such that by the end of the year, a second line connecting Barron and Ridgeland was completed.[7] Ridgeland was as far south as the RLD&M was to reach before its absorption.[8] The RLD&M was purchased by the Soo Line in 1900,[9] then was fully absorbed by 1901.[10]
The railroad's president was George Fuller, vice president was George Morehouse Huss[11] and secretary and treasurer was J.E. Horsman.[12]
References
- "Rice Lake Tower – Historical Railroad Geography Series". Travis Dewitz. December 22, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- Wisconsin. Railroad Commissioners' Department (1897). Biennial Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Wisconsin. p. 45. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Google Books.
- "New Railroad in Wisconsin". The Weekly Wisconsin. October 21, 1893. p. 2. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Poor's Manual of Railroads. Vol. 33. H.V. & H. W. Poor. 1901. p. 338. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Google Books.
- "Work on New Road: Rice Lake, Dallas and Menomonie Line Construction to Begin at Once". The Weekly Wisconsin. August 26, 1899. p. 7. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Railroad Rumblings". The Saint Paul Globe. July 22, 1900. p. 13. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Gordon, Newton S., ed. (1922). History of Barron County, Wisconsin. Vol. 1. H.C. Cooper, Jr., & Company. p. 5. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Google Books.
- "Wisconsin". The Minneapolis Journal. Minneapolis, MN. October 23, 1901. p. 9. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- "A 100-year Timeline History of The Soo Line Railroad and it's [sic] Predecessors". August 28, 1999. Retrieved March 30, 2016. (sourced to "A Brief History of the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad . . . The 'Soo Line'", by Jim Lydon, as it appeared in Suprey, Leslie V. (1962). Steam Trains of the Soo.)
- "More Taxes from Railroads". The Inter Ocean. Chicago, Illinois. March 2, 1902. p. 12. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- Biographic Directory: The Railway Officials of America. Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corporation. 1901. p. 272. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Google Books.
- Wisconsin. Railroad Commissioners' Dept (1900). Biennial Report of the Railroad Commissioner of the State of Wisconsin. publisher not identified. p. 233. Retrieved March 30, 2016 – via Internet Archive.
Rice Lake, Dallas and Menomonie Railroad.