The Wisconsin Central: A Centennial View
Compiled and Edited by William R. Durrwachter	Published by: George Banta Co., Inc. Menasha, Wisconsin 1971
This small, little book was put together and presumably given to those attending a banquet that honored the 100^th Anniversary of the Wisconsin Central Railroad. I know this because at the back of the book is a page that credits all those involved on the various committees that organized the banquet. I acquired this book as a gift from my brother-in-law last Christmas. He had found it at a swap meet and thought of me. Thanks Ray! What we have here is a celebration describing the roots and origins of the Wisconsin Central. It outlines how after the conclusion of the Civil War there were fears that the British might consider aggressive action through Canada. (Did you know that the British were sympathetic towards the Confederacy?) So it was deemed necessary to firm up our borders to the north. Settlement and development were deemed to be appropriate methods to get people to the undeveloped northern hinterland. And so was born the concept of building a railroad from Chicago and Milwaukee north to Ashland, Wisconsin. Oh, yes, money was a great motivator too as land grants for vast tracts of timber rich country were to be had by those that constructed railroads to the area. The book identifies the primary investors and the early officers for the new railroad and describes the early construction, starting in Menasha, Wisconsin and heading northward. They reached Waupaca, Wisconsin in the first season of construction, Stevens Point in the second. There are a few words about how city fathers stipulated that Stevens Point would remain a Division point forever, but that somehow was omitted from the contracts. Hmmm… There are various agreements reached, deals struck and additional construction that fulfilled the North-South dream of this railroad in connecting Ashland, on the shore of Lake Superior, and Chicago. They also connected East-West at Manitowoc, Wisconsin with access to Lake Michigan Carferry service to Minneapolis, Minnesota. The book ends with the Soo Line achieving control of all property and operations on April 1, 1909. There are a number of nice pictures, all black and white, and a bibliography that is a must have list of books for anybody interested in the early history of the Wisconsin Central Railroad. jrk .