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Transportation in Iowa A Historical Summary H. Thompson

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Transportation in Iowa: A Historical SummaryA Historical Summary Willi~m H. Thompson
Transportation in Iowa: A Historical Summary traces the development of transportation in Iowa from the territorial days to the mid-1980s, with special attention given to the economic and social influence transportation had on the state. Writte n by Dr. Will iam H. 1 hompson, Professor Emeri tu~ of Iowa State UniYersit), this book is the product of fi\e years of research. It includes maps. p1ctures. tables and other graphic e xplanations of transportation's growth and 10nuence to support the text.
Beginning w11h a historical sketch of the ,ettlement of Iowa, the boo!-.. discusses earl} roads ' ' hich came \\ ith the settlement of Iowa. The role of steamboats ts also examined.
MoYing to more "modern" forms of transportation, the boo!.. focuses on railroad 1n Chapter 3. including federal and state legislat1\e actions taken to curb abuses carried out by the early railroad companies.
The demand for improved roads. and the resulting development of the state's massive road system are traced, again wlth an emphasis on federal and state leg1slauon a1med at boosting this gro\ving mode of transportation.
Chronicling the early 20th century. the book uses a decade-by-decade approach to highlight important developments in transportatton and their effects on the state. tracing problems and programs through both prosperity and depression. Focusing on changes in the post-World War 11 period, the book stresses the emergence of the four-lane highway system, technological improvements in aviation. revival of river transportation-all of which played a significant role 1n the political and economtc arenas.
The final chapters discuss the transi tion of transportation from a regu la ted commercia l industry to the so-cal led "free marKet" era. and the d ras tic changes this transition brought.
Transportation in Iowa
A Historical Summary
William H. Thompson
~'tl!i. Iowa Department .....,..., of Transportation
Copy1 igh t (C) 19H9 hy the Iowa De partme nt o l l r : l n~p<llta li on
All 1 1 ght~ rc~c rvcd . No pa rt of thi~ book may be re r roduced 111 a n) fo rm with out the wn ttcn pe1 m1~\1o n lll the lo\\ a Der anmenl of Tram porta llon
P nntcd and hound 111 the Unned ~Late~ ol \ mcnca
l ibr:tr) of Congress Cataloging-in- Publica tion Data
I homp,on. \\ llllam H .. 1909- 1 r.tlbportallon in l o>A a. a h1~1oncal ~ummar) \\ llham H
I homp~on r em.
Include\ 1ndcx. l ran~ po rta llon Iowa Hi'> LOr).
111 21J. IXI48 19R9 JHR'.09777 dc20 ISS 0-9623 167-0-9
I. l'i tlc .
Dedtcatton
This book is dedicated to the memory of Evelyn C. Thompso n,
devoted wife and research associa tc of the author
and to
and members of the Iowa Transportation Commission
who rescued the author from a dull and boring retire ment.
v
Acknowledgement vii
We w1~h to ex pre~~ our appreciatiOn for the man~ hour~ of effort numcrou~ 1ndl\ 1dual-. ha\e contributed to make th" h1~tory of Iowa tran!.portatiOn possible. Without these people. the orig~nal manuscript could not have become the book you no'' have 1n your hands. Those people include:
!·1~11 nc 1\ llc n Ockc Barrett Butch Bower' '\ ola M orten.,on Bro\\ n Wilham Carl Burn' Mary Clark Ralph Cook
Jerry Dickinson Joyce Emery Gregor) Fay Patricia Hutchimon Sam Koehler Diane Lange Diane McCaulc)
Richard Michaelis Skip elson M 1chacl Sl) by Jul1e Taylor Ruth Vander Schaaf R1chard Vincent Robert Whitman
\.\ e would also like to thank others'' ho. '' hile not named. ha\c abo played a role 1n the completion of this prOJeCt
Acknowledgements IX
1 he contribu tio n~ o f the fo llo wing to the publicati o n o f the boo k are gra te full y ackno wledged .
As5ociatio n o f A merican Ra ilroad s ...... . ...... . .................. .. ....... . .. Washington, D.C
Cedar Rap ids & Iowa City Rai lway C o .. . .. ..... . ......... . ............ . .. . .... Ced a r Ra p1ds. Iowa Ce ntral Electnc Rail fa ns Associatio n ............ . ............... . .. . ........ . . Chicago, lll in ois
Des Moines Interna tio na l Ai rpo rt ....... . .......................... . ........ .. Des M o ines. Io wa Do me P ipeli ne Corpora ti o n .. . .......... . ...... . ........ .. ....... .. ....... . . . Io wa C it y, Jowa Dubuque C ha m ber of Co mme rce . ....... . .......... . ..... . ............ . ..... . Dubuq ue. Iowa
H ydrocarbo n T ra nsporta ti o n Co . ..... .. ................ . .......... . .... . ..... Oma ha, Nebraska
Edward D. Meyers Co llection ... .. ............... . ... ..... .................. . Boone, Iowa
In land Waterways J o urnal . ...................... . . .......... . ............... St. Louis, Misso un l o ne Allema n S ieben Collectio n .......... .. . .. .. . ...... . .. . ....... . . ........ . Ames, Iowa Iowa- Ill inois G as & E lectric Co . ....... ... ................ . ............. ..... Davenport, Iowa Iowa S ta te Ae ro na utics Comm issio n ................ . ..... . ..... . ............. Des Moi nes, Iowa Io wa S ta te Co mmerce Commission ................................. . .... . .... Des Moi nes, Iowa Iowa Sta te De pa rtme nt o f Eco no mic Develo pment ............ . ...... . ........ . . D es Moi nes, Iowa Iowa Department of Transportation ......... . ...... . . . ..... . ........ . ........ . Ames, Iowa Iowa S tate Highway Pa tro l ..... . ................... . ...... . ....... . ...... ... Des Moi nes, Iowa Iowa State H is to rical Society ......................... . ............. . ....... . . Des Moi nes, Iowa Iowa S ta te Historical Society ........... . .......................... . ........ .. Iowa C ity, Iowa Iowa S ta te Ra il road Commissio n .................... . ............. . .. . .... . .. Des M oi ne~. Iowa Iowa Sta te U niversity Press . ... . ............................. . ..... . .... . .... A mes, Iowa l owa State Uni versity S pecial Co llections ........................... . . . ... . .... A mes. Iowa
R.E.G. Davies Collectio n. Natio na l Air & Space Museum ..................... .. . Was hington . D.C. R uth J ackson Co llectio n .......................... . ........... . . ... .. . .. ... . . A mes, Iowa
Sa nta Fe Pipel ines Syste m ........... . ....... . . ........ . ... . ....... . ... . ..... T ulsa. O klahoma Sio ux City Pu blic Museum .. . ........ . .. .. ...... . .. .. ............ . . .. ... . . . . S io ux C it y, Iowa
U.S. A rmy Corps of Enginee rs .......... . ..... . ............. . ...... .. ........ Rock Island . Illino is U.S . A rmy Corps o f Engineers .................... . .. . ...... . . ............... O ma ha. Neb ras ka Universi ty of Cali fo rnia Press ........... . ................... . ................ Berkely, Califo rn ia University of C hicago Press . . .. .. . . ..... . ................................. ... C hicago. Ill inois U niver:si ty of Nebraska Library ............. . .. .. ..... . ...... . ......... . . . .. . . Lincol n. Ne braska University of P ennsylvania Press ... . ..... . .............. . ... . .. . . . . . ........ .. Phila delphia, Pen nsylvania
Will ia ms Pi peline Com pa ny . ... ........ . ..................... . ...... . ... . .... Tulsa, Okla homa Wood River Pipeli ne Compa ny .... . ................................... . ..... . Wichita, Ka nsas
Contents
Prologue
Chapters
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
l arl~ I ran-.portatton in l o\~a Before Ra1lroad., ............................................. .
Railroad (on \I rucuon and Influence m I O\\ a ......................•........................
Ra1lroad' and Pubhc Opm10n ........................................................... .
I he Movement for Good R oad~ ......................................................... .
l he I ran., punation S tructure of Iowa: 1900- 1920 ..... •. ........ •.... , ........ . ..•..........•
St1cct Railway~ and Electric Interurban~ to 1920 .... . . .... ..... ..... . ...................... .
I ran,portatlon Policy and Operational Change~ 1n the 1920., ........•..................• . .....
I he 1930., Dcprc~~10n a nd Its Aftermath ............... .....................•....... ......
\\nrld ~ar II and Post-War Years. 1940-1960 ............................................. .
I he 1 r<ln,ponatton Industry 10 Tran~1110n I he 1960-. ................•......................
Change. Confu.,ion and Cnm The 1970s and 1980, ...................•............ . ........
Dcrcgulallon and l ran~portauon Pohc~ b\UC\ . . . . .................•.............•..•....••
XI
Page
1
18
Prologue
Regardless of the accuracy of Santayana's statement that "those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat tl." there probabl) is acceptance that the past offers tnsight into problems of the present and partial guidelines to the future. Sidney Harris. columnist. has sa1d: ''The ancient ages rematned tmmature bccau:,e thev looked backward toward a mythtcal golden age and refu~ed to face the future. The modern age remains tmmature because it looks forward and refuses to benefit from learning only what the sad lessons of history can teach us." Perhaps htstory cannot precisely fon:cast the future, but it is doubtful that the present can be understood or the future anticipated without some knowledge of the past.
In ~orne respects, the history of tran:.portation in Iowa rcnects the history of the state. In his Principles of Economics. published in 1920. Alfred Marshall noted: "Probab ly more than three-quarters of the whole benefit (England) denved from the progress of manufacturing during the 19th century has been brought about through the indirect innuencc of lowering the cost of transportation of men and goods, of water, light and electricity and news: lor the dominant fact of our age is the development not of manufacturing but of the transportation mdustries. It is they that have done the most tOward increasing England's wealth."
By anmhtlating distance, transportation made possible a more efficient distribution of goods in a h1ghly mobih: and producti\e society. created new markets. expanded old one~. transformed the organization and location of tndustry, encouraged settlement, created great cities, unned the nation politically and strengthened nat1onal defense. Without its development. there would have been little progress in agriculture, manufactunng, or the ltfestylcs of the people. Its causal and residua l forces in the march of civi lization make the indu~try a complex, fascinating, yet sometime~ frustrating ~ubject for study as it mirror5 the ever-changing tides nnd currents of economic, social and polttical trends in our history.
This book trace~ the development of transportation in Iowa from territorial day~ to the 19ROs. It shows the evolution of the transportation system~: how they origtnated, progressed and functioned: their structural organizations: effectiveness in overcoming obstacles. under the guidance of state and federal legislatton, and their 1mpact upon the development of the state. With some exceptions where the contlnuity of the discus5ion would be Interrupted, the worl... has been organited on a decade-to-decade approach - to my knowledge, the first such experiment undertaken by any state in the nation.
ro keep the length within reasonable bounds. it was necessary at many points to limit the presentation, with full reali7ation that anyone who writes history wi ll be criticized for what has been included a~ well a~ for what has been omitted. However, as the title suggests, this is a historical summary and nothtng more. written to bring together in one volume the widely scattered works of many authors. The research covered hundreds of book!>, JOUrnal articles, government and university research reports. annual reports of state and federal regulatOry commtssions and departments of transportation, masters' theses and Ph.D. dissertntion~. Conferences and personalmterviews were scheduled wherever appropriate to the research effort. From the seemingly inexhaustible li!>t of materials available. only those examined have been included in the notes and references at the end of each chapter. by which the reader may be compensated for ombsions of details on particular subject~.
The project was endorsed by Iowa Department of Transportation Directors Raymond L. Kassel and Warren B. Dunham and recommended by ian MacGillivray, Director of the Planning and Research Division. to the IO\~a Transportation Commission for approva l and funding. Research was conducted in four libraries in Wa>hington, D.C., at the three state universi ties. the State Department of Transportation, state hi~torical faciliues in Des Mo1nes and Iowa City and at the Ames Public Library.
Gutdance in the collection of source materials and suggestions for their use came from many individuab whoo.;c mterest and assistance is gratefully acknow ledged. ln particular, l wish to expre~~ apprec1ation to Robert J. Anderson, Director of the Office of Economic Analysi~. Department of Transportation, \\ho acted as coordmator of the project. The following persons reviewed all or parts of the manuscript: From the TransportatiOn Department. Harvey Sims, Railroad and River Division: Conrad Amend, retired, Transportation Regulatory Authority; George Norris, Information Services; Donald McClean and Robert Given, retired former Directors of the Highway Division: and G. W. Anderson, De puty Director, Highway Division. Lester PafL former General Counsel, assisted in clarifying court decisions and in terpretation of Iowa laws. Alice Bear typed the l'irst draft.
XIV Transportation in Iowa
1!)\\;J "tate l 111\t'l~lt\ pel'onncltn\ohed 111 the rC\tew~ \\TIC Kctth J! untte". l>l\ltngui~hcd l'rolc'~'H ~meritus of l ngil,h. I'Hlk"o" lknt.tmtn .1 \ lien and R D \'oo1hees. I ranspnttatton and I ogistic' Department; Prok"o'' Rohett I (,,,,ten' and Stanlc) Rtng. Deptutmcnt ol ' lt amportauon l·ngtneering
Stnglcd out lot 'IK't' t;llrt·eogntlton .11e 1hc effor ts of Jmeph II / alctcl It . at the Department of I ran ponation, for h1' a"r"<lllt'e tnoht.llnlng re,earch matenals and hts tntcrcq 111 the ptnjcct Also to Ann ll oltgn:n Pcllcgrcno. kad111g autlwrll\ on l(l\\.t <1\ tatt on 111,101), Ill) sincere appreciation fo r her contllhllt lons to tht scctron'> on a1r tran,po r tat ton
\)
Chapter One
Early Transportation in Iowa Before Railroads
Introduction 10\~a. lnrmcd .ts .1 ~tate in 1846, cncompas:.ed an area ol mer 55.000 squart: mdc' and had a population or 100.000, tonccntratcd 1n thc ea~tern counties. Cheap l<.~nd and lc1111e ~oil attracted many settlers who followed agncultura l pursui t ~. wherea~ o thers were engagcd 111 rettu ling, lumber and lead mini ng. P1onec1' tended to )',t:llh: a long the rivers. which altered tht· bc~l anulahlt: mean~ ol transportation. Over crude road~ or tracks 1nto the imerior. 'lagecmu.:hc:~ carncd mad and hard} travelers. Stcamboah ran the m:.qor fl\er:, and tnbutaries. offcnng a somn\ h~tt regular 'en tee for pa:,:-engers and lrcight. and pla~ed an 1mponant role in the dt'\ dopment of fl\ er tn\\ ns and c1ttes The Des. Motnc' Rl\el lmprl•\cment ProJect \\as a serious but umucce"ful attempt to mal,.c an 1ntenor nver a mean1ngful ;11ter} for trade and commerce
Development, Geography, and Land Iowa off1c1all~ became the 29th ... tate 111 the Lnion on December 26. 1846. \\hen Pre~1dent Polk s1gned the en<.~bl1ng h1ll pa'>5ed b) the Congre!> .... Previously, 11 had been a "D1stnct" olthe I crritory of Wisconsin. t·,tablt!>hcll on Apnl 20. J8J6. rhe terri torial census ~howcd 6,257 rt:, ldcnh of "Desmoine~ County" and 4.273 sctt lcn, in Dubuque County. Popu lation was concentrated in the Rlac!,. ll awk Purchase wi th in a ~tnp of 40 to 50 mile:> bordering the Mississippi R1ver In 1!08 thc Terrttory ol Iowa was created to Include the 01\tflll of low<.~, ull or future (O\\a, mmt ol tuturc \1tnnc,ota and parts of the Dakotas. Dunng thc ne;.,t c1ght }ear,, pohucal debate~ ~ettled the final boundanes between the C\trcme-, of approximate!) 40 . 22' to 43° . 30' '\orth, and 90° . 08' to 96°. 90' \\est. em:ompao;s1ng an area of 55.475 ~quare mtlcs.
Geograph1c.tll). the state v.a'> dt:!.Cnbed b) Wall a~ clo,ely resembling tht..· phy\lcaf form of the nation. " If dra" n to a ,calc of I to 10. Iowa. lil,.e the Untted State~. I'> three unit~ ca!.t-\\C~t to two units nonh­ '>Outh and is hordered on both cast and \.ve~t by water. In Lee County, proJecting below Mtssouri. Iowa e\en has its own ~honer and more pomted Flondian pcn1nsula ."' I he geographiC loca tion proved to be both an a'hantagc nnd disadvantage in tra nsporta tion econom 1 c~.
f he land lOnSI\Led Ol Umbel and prame gra~!>C,. -.I0\\1\ n-.1 ng 111 gent k '"ell' I rom 1 hc [O\\ est ele\ at 1011 at Keoku!,. (4!l0 feet ahO\t.. ~t..a le\d) to the h1ghcst cle\ atton 111 Osceola Cou111) ( 1.6 75 teet). except 111 area' \\here therc arc blulf., along the rl\er' The land v.a., l1rst opencd lor -.ettlemcnt 1n ll\33. and ..:en-.u~ figun.·' from lb16 to IX46 -.hovvcd an tncreaw from I 0.5.11 to 96.0!-;g 1n popu l<ttt(Jn. R~ 1850 almost 200,000 pt:oplt: had :.l'lllcd 111 the o,tatc.
Many had migratt:d to Iowa allrac ted by cheap land and th ~.; rich a nd ferti le ~nil,, which consisted o l hlacJ.. \t:gc tnhk mould m1xcd wi th a !>and) loam. clay and gravel, a\eraging IX to 24 1nche~ in depth on tho.: urlanll" to 30 to 4H 1nche, on thc bottom lands. 1 he soil \\a" -.ufftclently compacted to reta1n \\atrr. and good \Httcr wa" luund 20 to 30 feet beiO\\ the 'ullace It ha~ often been \latcd that 25 perecnt of the pnme agricultural land ol the nauon Ia} 111 IO\\a.~ In addttton to agm.:ultural pur ... uit:.. -.euler<> \\ere engaged tn lumber c\tr.tCtiOn and milling. retail bus1ne~"e" .1nd employed 111 the lead mtne" 1n the \ICtnlt~ of Dubuque
Settlement B) IX40. the date of the l1rst tcdcral ccn~us. 43.000 people 1c-.1ded 1n the '>late. St\ of the organilCd counties Ia} north of parallcl42 north latitude, and ol the ten norwl population, l (l pncent were in the nonh half o f Dubuquc Count; l\onhern Iowa dre\\ ha lf ol lb populat iOn from the southern area~ as people moved up1>trcam, and the proportion did not changcbe twccn 1840and lg50. l n IX49the popu lation rt:acht:d 192,214, diy1dcd 1nto roughlj the :-.a me pt:rcentage north and ~outh of the 42nd rarallel 1n IX ol the 33 countlc\ estahli!-hed b) 11:!46. The pcuplt: tcndcllto 3\0id the praine ... bccau~e ot the abwncc of umbc1 and fuel unrtl the ... e \\ere brought b\ the ratlroaJ ... Dunng the nc\t decade. the p~)pUiallOn Of thc northern seCtiOn of the -.tate 1ncrea~cd h} O\er 30 pcn:ent.
• .l••wrh 1 \\,dl /rnw l Bl<tlllt·11mal Htl/t~n . 'e" \ork \\ w 'orwn & Co. 1117K p 45
1 nr J <.Jc,~npuon nl 'l'lh. gculng~ and ~grtcultural area,. ,cc .John H. 'n' hall. •I (,/1111{1"' <~/IrMa 111 18·16, ''"'a Cil j State II i'llltiCal :-.o~1cl), 1957
2 Transportation 1n Iowa
1 he tendency to set tle neat l"l\'t'l~ and strenm~ is wd l documl'lllt:d Ill the history nf the stute. In 1~40 the population of thl' ~ou1heastc r n quartet wu~ coneen tr~tted a long the Des Mo rnes Rr ve r Only a ,hort distance aWU) were the Skunk and Maquoketa "h1ch, although relatJvely sma ll , drained fcrttlc dt~tricts. Combined wrth the Iowa and Red Ceda r Rtwrs. the land h~1d a mngnctie appeal to the p1onccrs. Abo\c parallel 42 Not th. the streams were small and shallo\1. the Wapstpmtcon and f urkey bctng t\1 0 \\htch showed ~ettkmcn t pr ogre~s. It would be another…