March 12, 1853 – Two business men from Iowa City – LeGrand Byington and William Penn Clarke – are sent to the Chicago & Rock Island Railroad board meetings in Chicago, commissioned by our fair city to offer a $50,000 bonus if the M&M Railroad reaches Iowa City by January 1, 1856.
During the early 1850’s, throughout Iowa, there were small corporations forming with the purpose of attracting railroad companies – such as the Chicago & Rock Island & M&M Railroads – to build their line through their community. Over in Iowa City, local businessmen form The Davenport & Iowa City (D&IC) Railroad Company, sending word to the owners of the M&M Railroad in Davenport that the good people of Iowa City plan to cooperate with their efforts to bring the railroad into Iowa, and, by the way, we resolve that Iowa City be assigned your highest priority!
READ MORE ABOUT THIS IOWA STORY HERE.
This Date In History is an Our Iowa Heritage blog series that offers you a little bit of Iowa trivia from a large selection of stories on our website. Subscribe to this FREE blog and you’ll get a new email from us daily.
Join us for Our Iowa Heritage blog posts.
Learn some historical facts about Iowa City, Johnson County, or Eastern Iowa.
Amaze your friends. Click to learn more.
Pingback: March 11, 1910. | Our Iowa Heritage