Recalling pleasant things and taking the time to dwell on them.
A M&M Railroad Timetable.
The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad was Iowa’s first railway system. With its headquarters in Davenport, the M&M had lofty goals of building three lines in Iowa – the first running east/west from Davenport to Council Bluffs via Iowa City and Des Moines, the second running south from Muscatine to the Missouri border via Oskaloosa, and the third running north from Muscatine toward Minnesota via Marion/Cedar Rapids.
The hope was that the M&M would team with other larger railroads like the Chicago & Rock Island (C&RI) to form part of America’s first transcontinental railroad. While first incorporated in 1847, the first M&M rails weren’t laid until 1855, and under financial duress for most of its existence, M&M struggled to complete its business plan from day one. By 1866, M&M was bought out by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, yet its short history in Iowa did establish the beginnings of a successful railway system that became a vital part of Our Iowa Heritage well into the second half of the 20th century.The idea of building a railway system across Iowa goes back to our earliest days when we were still only a U.S. Territory. Below is a timetable that begins with John Plumb’s visionary meeting in Dubuque in March 1838 and ends with the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad and the Rock Island Railroad’s arrival in Council Bluffs in May 1869.
