Unique Collection of Illinois Central Railroad Company Correspondence Relating to the Surveys and Plans to Construct a Railroad Line from Dyersburg, Tennessee, to the Obion River in the Upper Embankment of the Mississippi River Floodplain, Dated 1897-1900.

Chicago: Illinois Central Railroad Company, 1897. Handwritten. Very Good. No Binding. 4to - over 9¾ - 12" tall. 87 pages (22 manuscript, 61 typed, and 4 telegrams). Almost all individual correspondences signed. This collection of correspondence documents the late-nineteenth-century planning and negotiation necessary in constructing an Illinois Central Railroad Company (ICRR) branch line connecting Dyersburg, Tennessee to the Stevens Lumber Company track at the Obion River. This project, envisioned during a period of rapid railroad expansion, displays the economic importance of regional development via railroads at the turn of the twentieth century. The planning of this line would ultimately contribute to the formation of the Chicago, Memphis & Gulf Railroad Company in the early 20th century. This collection, likely assembled and retained by David Sloan, acting Chief Engineer of the ICRR, includes engineering reports, drafts of contracts, cost estimates, invoices, telegrams, and letters exchanged amongst railroad officials predominantly regarding the Dyersburg to Obion River switch. Main themes include route selection, flood risk, right-of-way acquisition, grading costs, and the financial feasibility of constructing thirteen miles of track through flood-prone terrain described here as being "overflowed every year." They also note the need for a wide right of way and extensive elevation measurements due to seasonal flooding along the Mississippi floodplain. The correspondence also illustrates the web of permissions, agreements, and financial commitments required to advance a railroad project, even when constructing just thirteen miles of track. Because Stevens Lumber Company and the citizens of Dyersburg were primary financial backers, their interests also heavily influenced decisions. There were also discussions about a line connecting a southern alignment along the Chester tract to the Stevens Lumber Co. track, a line from Dyersburg to the "Joe Stinger place on the old channel of the Mississippi River," and a line from the Obion River to Carruthersville and Tiptonville. This project eventually evolved into a line extending from Dyersburg to Tiptonville, first independently organized as the Dyersburg Northern Railroad Company and later renamed the Chicago, Memphis & Gulf Railroad Company. Notable correspondents: David Sloan (Chief Engineer, ICRR), J. P. Wallace (Assistant Second Vice President), A. T. Sabin (Assistant Engineer), T. J. Hudson (Traffic Manager), A. W. Sullivan (General Superintendent), M. Gilleas (Assistant General Superintendent), C. A. Wilson (Chief Engineer, Chicago, Dyersburg & Northern Railroad), and the Obion Business League. Overall condition Very Good, all sheets legible. .