Im in need of infro, when i was a kid many years ago there was a old right of way running through my grand dads land. they moved there in the 30s and it was long gone when they moved there. how would i find infro on this rr? the area is central wisconsin,
i asked when i was a kid about this but they didnt have any answers for me. any infro would .on this would be great thanks
The first thing I would look into is at the county court house under old land titles. If they can’t help you I am sure they can direct you some one at the state level that should be able to help you. Railroad Rights of way had to be filed with the state land office, and I am sure some sort of regulatory hearing had to be held for them to abandon it.
Hope I have been of assistance.
James.
Try this… Without more info on your part (location), it’s hard to narrow down a search.
http://www.google.com/search?q="railroad+in+wisconsin"&hl=en&rlz=1B2GGGL_enUS177&start=20&sa=N
The Library of Congress (http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/rrhome.html) has an extensive collection of railroad maps dating from the early 1800’s until creation of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Find the appropriate map and you can zoom in to the point that it will identify the railroad that owned the right of way, even if it had been abandoned.
Other possible sources are Google Maps or MapQuest web sites. Sometimes even long-abandoned railroad rights-of-way are identified on current maps.
Just a caution about the Library of Congress Railroad maps. When it comes to smaller lines, they might be mis-labled. As an example I looked up a map for SE Pennsylvania. It had the line from Oxford to Peach Bottom PA (the old Lancaster, Oxford and Southern narrow gauge) labled as part of larger standard gauge railroad - one that never had any financial interest in the Little Old and Slow.
-George
I am quite sure that your county has a historical society and probably maintains some sort of museum - it would really be a rare county that didn’t. Contact them and explain what you are trying to find out; if they can’t answer your question directly they can probably put you in touch with: “You need to see ole’ Jim Trotter who owns Trotter Implement. He knows as much about Smith County as anyone!” Believe me, asking Jim Trotter questions about Smith County is the easiest way in the world to stroke his ego.
And land titles are based upon plats and somewhere there should be a plat that will show a railroad easement through your grandpappy’s place and there is an excellent chance that this plat will list the name of that thar long gone road.
As Poteet said, you should have a historical railroad society in your area to find out this info. The NRHS is a national organization that reaches across the 50 states and Canada. They have local chapters everywhere . Chances are you can simply ask them and someone in the chapter will probably know this information. I belong to the South Texas chapter and found information on some railroads here in Texas that i’ve never ever heard of before. They charge about $50.00 - $60.00 a year to join but they send monthly and quarterly publications on just about every railroad that has ever been. Well worth the membership fees… chuck
Where in Central Wisconsin was the land??
I have an idea of the line you are talking about, but need a pretty good location to figuire it out.
Phil
the location is central wisconsin,wood county, i was looking on line at old rr maps one from 1901, it apears on this map, its very hard to read, it looks like a short line of about 20-30 miles long. it starts in Dexterville wi going norty west and ends north of Lynn wi could possibly be part of the C. M.+St.Paul. like i said the map was very small and hard to read. any more info would be great. thanks for all the tips
another check is topographical maps.
Looks like Marshfield has railroads radiating from it. BTW, steam Loco 2442 2-8-0 is prolly in Marshfield on display. Its a Soo line engine. I am showing a Wisconsin Central line also.
Looks like its the Chicago, Milwaukee and St Paul
On my travels I often see old roadbeds and wonder the same thing. Who’s old track was there? My solution is to get on the Internet and do a keyword search using a town name and “train” or “railroad”. This often brings up a history blurb of some sort which will mention the railroad name. “Depot” is a another good keyword. With it, the most common info usually comes in a reference the towns past or present depot and the railroad who owned it.
The miracle of the Internet!
