1860s:
Boom of Railroad Construction
In 1834, Illinois Governor Duncan explains the need for a transportation system now:
Our state is comparatively in its infancy, and if roads, trackways, railroads, and canals are now laid out, they can be made straight between most of the important Points, with very little expense and difficulty, compared with what will result, if their location is postponed until lands increase in value, and settlements are formed on the roads which are now in use or daily making (ESLARP 1999).
As a result, the Illinois legislature passes the Internal Improvements Act of 1837 that provides $10,000,000 for rail and river improvements projects. Unfortunately, the depression that soon follows results in little progress in building rail lines. The only line built is from Springfield to Meredosia on the Illinois River, and it fails in 1844.
Railroad construction begins anew in the 1850s, and by the close of the Civil War, everyone wants to live close to a railroad. Towns compete for rail lines. A Quincy Whig editorial states, “We want all the railroads we can get.” The Chicago Times is quoted as saying the wealth from the railroads
By 1870, there are six railroad bridges on the Illinois River - at La Salle, Peoria, Pekin, Beardstown, Meredosia, and Naples. As the depression of 1873 halts construction, 73% of the land in the state is within five miles of a railroad, and only 1.5% lies more than 15 miles from a railroad (NCSA 1988).
All this construction has adverse effects on the Illinois River, although none is scientifically documented. Railroad construction requires vast amounts of lumber for ties, which puts further pressure on forests within Illinois and in surrounding states. More importantly, the expansion of the railroads brings in tens of thousands of workers and provides the means to entice even more settlers in from the east.
