?Minnesota Railroads: A Photographic History 1940-2012?

On June 28, 1862, a tiny steam locomotive built in New Jersey named the William Crooks pulled a passenger train from St. Paul to St. Anthony, near what is today Minneapolis St. Anthony Main area. It was the first run of a train in Minnesota, and marked the beginning of the railroad industry in Minnesota. It?s hard to imagine Minnesota without railroads, or for that matter much in the way of transportation at all. When Minnesota territory achieved statehood in 1858, fewer than 200,000 people were living within its borders, and transportation was largely by riverboat, horse, or ox cart. For Minnesota to grow, it needed better transportation, and that meant railroads. From those modest beginnings, Minnesota's railroads grew and prospered. After the Civil War, the state and its railroads grew up together: when one thrived, so did the other. Unless you lived near a river, the railroad was the only practical way for Minnesotans and their products to travel more than a few miles. Minnesota became a center of railroad activity. Great Northern and Northern Pacific were based in St. Paul, while mid-sized lines such as Minneapolis & St. Louis and Soo Line were based in Minneapolis. Duluth was headquarters for the Duluth, Missabe & Iron Range, owned by US Steel. In Hutchinson, the Great Northern built a 44-banch line to service the city from its main line at Wayzata, while the Luce Line built west from Minneapolis to Wesota, passing through Hutchison. The Milwaukee Road built a branch from its western main line from Glencoe to Hutchinson. With the end of the World War II, railroads spent millions to re-equip their passenger trains, thinking the public would not want to drive long distances, especially on substandard roads. To tell this story, author Steve Glischinski has written ?Minnesota Railroads A Photographic History 1940-2012 published by the University of Minnesota Press. The book offers a look at Minnesota railroads from near the end of the era of steam locomotives and luxury passenger lines to the reemergence of railroads as one of the few profitable transportation industries. Glischinski began taking photographs of railroads in 1970, at the age of thirteen. Since then, his photographs of railroads in action have been published in many books and magazines. He is a correspondent for Trains Magazine, organizes railroad photography charter trips, and each year makes several presentations about Minnesota railroads to organizations around the state. He is the author of seven books on railroading and lives in Shoreview. Glischinski will discuss his book, and the history of Minnesota railroads with a special emphasis on McLeod County, during a presentation at the McLeod County Historical Society on July 21 from 2-3 p.m. In addition to discussion, he will show photographs from his book, and from railroads in the McLeod County area. He will also have copies of his book available for sale.