State Historical Society of Iowa

"Railroad Loan" Newspaper Article, June 6, 1857

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"Railroad Loan" Newspaper Article, June 6, 1857
Courtesy of Library of Congress, Dodge, Grenville, "Railroad Loan," The Council Bluffs Nonpareil, pp. 2, 6 June 1857

Description

By 1857, the efforts to build railroads which had started in eastern Iowa almost a decade earlier had reached the western borders of the state. This letter from Grenville M. Dodge explained the benefits to Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County of choosing to help fund the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad. Grenville M. Dodge had lived in Council Bluffs since 1855 and was involved in surveying a route across Iowa for the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Company.

Transcript of "Railroad Loan" Newspaper Article

Printable Excerpt of "Railroad Loan" Newspaper Article

Source-Dependent Questions

  • Grenville Dodge was encouraging the residents of Pottawattamie County to help fund the construction of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad in Pottawattamie County. How did he expect them to fund the money?
  • According to Dodge, what benefits could the people of Pottawattamie County expect? What expenses might the people of Pottawattamie County expect if they chose to help fund the railroad?

Citation Information 

Dodge, Grenville, "Railroad Loan," The Council Bluffs Nonpareil, pp. 2, 6 June 1857. Courtesy of Library of Congress