Recalling pleasant things and taking the time to dwell on them.
The Survivors: Eleven Locomotives Of The M&M Railroad.
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, 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.
On another page, we offer you an overview of 50 – of what was believed to be a total of 75 – steam locomotives, built in the 1850’s and early 1860’s for the Mississippi & Missouri (M&M) Railroad. These were the engines that pulled M&M’s many passenger & freight cars around the State of Iowa over its eleven years of service (1855-1866). You can read more here.
RISP = Listed in Rock Island Steam Power by F. Wesley Krambeck (2002), pp 7-9*
*According to historian F. Wesley Krambeck, when the CRI&P Railroad took possession of the M&M locomotives, they were given numbers – #1 to #63, and #77 to #89.
This numbering system would have included all 50 of the M&M locomotives above (1855-1859), plus another 25 engines which must have been added to the M&M fleet (below) between 1857-1866.
Records indicate that most, if not all, of these 75 locomotives (listed above) made the transition when, in 1866, M&M was bought out by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (CRI&P) Railroad. Sadly, none of these 75 locomotives have survived to today, but the good news is that eleven of those M&M classics were photographed before their demise.
We have found vintage photographs of 11 (10 pictured above) of the 75 M&M Locomotives that made the transition into the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (CRI&P) Railroad system in 1866.
On this page, we share those existing photographs – and we’ve spiced things up a bit by colorizing them for you, as well. Note: under each photograph we give you as much information as we presently have. As more data is uncovered, we will, of course, share that with you here. Enjoy the ride!
The Antoine Le Claire (#1) was the first locomotive to cross the Mississippi River! Built by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor, Paterson, NJ, the Le Claire arrived by rail in Rock Island, Illinois on July 10, 1855 and was transported to Davenport, Iowa via flatboat on July 19, 1855. A 25-ton engine, the Le Claire cost $12,000 and was highly decorated with red wheels, and a bronze bust of Le Claire in base relief on the sand box with the name ‘Le Claire’ inscribed in gold letters. You can read more details here and here.This one photograph remaining of The Antoine Le Claire was taken after the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific (CRI&P) Railroad bought out the M&M line in 1866.The Iowa (#2) was built by Norris Locomotive Company, Philadelphia, PA, and purchased by The Galena & Chicago Union (G&CU) Railroad in 1852. It’s surmised that The Iowa was sold or leased to M&M in 1855 as a part of a liquidation by the financially-troubled G&CU. The second engine in M&M’s growing inventory, The Iowa arrived in Rock Island in mid-August and was ferried over the Mississippi on August 21, 1855.The Iowa was one of the two locomotives used on August 25, 1855 (along with The Antione Le Claire) to help pull the excursion train from Davenport to Walcott (12 miles) – the first such train adventure in Iowa. You can read more details here and here. This photograph of The Iowa was taken after she ended up in Linn County, Iowa, being rebuilt (1864) & owned by the C&NW.The John A. Dix (#7) was built by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor, Paterson, NJ – the same makers of M&M’s first locomotive – The Antoine Le Claire. According to a newspaper report from November 29, 1855, the 28-ton John A. Dix was ready for shipment to Rock Island by early December 1855. Records aren’t clear when she arrived in Rock Island, but The Dix arrived – with much fanfare – in Davenport, Iowa by crossing over Mississippi River ice on February 16, 1856. Named for the New York politician who was the first president of M&M Railroad, records indicate that The Dix was the 7th M&M locomotive to cross over into Iowa – and the uniqueness of its crossing was the big story – since it all happened over a frozen Mississippi River.You can read more details here and here. Records indicate that The John A. Dix – which would have looked very similar to its earlier wood-burning prototype, The Antione Le Claire – had a severe accident in 1857, and as a result, had a major overhaul that transformed the engine from wood-burning to coal. Thus, the pictures we have of The John A. Dix were obviously taken long after that transition occurred. We believe the number #222 – as pictured here – was assigned to The Dix after it was sold to another railroad in the 1870’s or 80’s.CRI&P #5 – This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive that’s strikingly similar in design to The John A. Dix (#7) – pictured earlier. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. It’s very possible that this engine pictured above – CRI&P #5 – is, indeed, The John A. Dix, since CRI&P records from 1857 lists The Dix as the fifth M&M locomotive – even though, in fact, it was the 7th engine in its actual inventory. You can read more details here.On the other hand, CRI&P #5 might also be one of the other earlier M&M locomotives made by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor of Paterson, NJ – such as The A.C. Flagg (#6) or The Mahaska (#11).CRI&P #9 – This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive pulling a single Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific passenger car. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. It’s very possible that this engine pictured above – CRI&P #9 – is The Mahaska (#11), since CRI&P records from 1857 lists it as the ninth M&M locomotive in its inventory. According to that same 1857 list, The Mahaska was built by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor of Paterson, NJ. You can read more details here.It’s also possible that CRI&P #9 might be one of the other earlier M&M locomotives made by Rogers, Ketchum and Grosvenor – such as The A.C. Flagg (#6) or The John A. Dix (#7).CRI&P #16- This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive pulling a single Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific passenger car. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. It’s very possible that this engine pictured above – CRI&P #16 – is The T.C. Duran (#10), since CRI&P records from 1857 lists it as the sixteenth M&M locomotive in its inventory. According to that same 1857 list, The T.C. Duran was made by Breese & Kneeland in Rome, NY. You can read more details here.CRI&P #24- This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features Rock Island’s #24 in a very precarious situation.According to 1857 records, this engine could either be The James I. Sheffield or The C.W. Durant, both of which were made by the Lawrence Machine Shop and put into service in the fall of 1856. You can read more details here.CRI&P #46- This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive pulling two Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific passenger cars. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. It’s very possible that this engine pictured above – CRI&P #46 – is The Col. Davis (#10), since CRI&P records from 1857 lists it as the forty-sixth M&M locomotive in its inventory. According to that same 1857 list, The Col. Davis was made by the Lawrence Machine Shop in Lawrence, Massachusetts.You can read more details here.CRI&P #54- This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive pulling a number of Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific freight cars. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. Being number #54, this locomotive was, most likely, purchased by M&M sometime after 1859. You can read more details here.CRI&P #55- This photograph – taken after the 1866 buy-out of M&M by the CRI&P Railroad – features a locomotive sitting in one of the railroad’s switching yards. When the M&M was purchased, all 75 engines were assigned to the CRI&P inventory and numbers were assigned to the M&M engines ranging from 1-62, and 77-89. Being number #55, this locomotive was, most likely, purchased by M&M sometime after 1859. You can read more details here.We finally come to our eleventh M&M Locomotive photograph (below) – a photo that was featured in the October 4, 1955 edition of The Davenport Democrat (above) – which incorrectly identified the engine as the Antoine Le Claire. As you can see from the photo, there is no engine number seen on the locomotive, nor on the tender, but if you look closely enough at that tender, you’ll see “C. R. I. P. R. R.” on the side. Since we know the CRI&P name (Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific) wasn’t used until after the 1866 merger with M&M, this photograph was definitely not taken prior to 1866. That fact is important, because there are several historical resources out there that have dated and attached this photograph to the infamous ‘first run’ of the C&RI Rocket from Chicago to Joliet on October 10, 1852. Interestingly, the Boecklen Brothers of Chicago – in recent years – took this original photograph (as shown above), reversed it, and then, sketched in some C&RI passenger cars – making a beautiful piece of Rock Island artwork (see below).The beautiful artwork shown above is our colorized version of a pencil rendering created by the Boecklen Bros. of Chicago. The photograph used of the art print is used by permission from the collection of Jay T. Thomson; Kaufmann and Fabry Co. Photo.
In truth, the only sketchy evidence some might use to claim that this pictured locomotive is the original Rock Island Rocket which ran from Chicago to Joliet, Illinois in 1852, might come from this photograph (below), which was printed in a railroad history book published in 1900…
As you can see from the text (above), the author, in 1900, confirms our point that the photograph was taken “in the late sixties”, yet the only indications that this engine might be the original Rock Island Rocket come from these words: 1) “a photograph taken in the Joliet yards”, and 2) “It was then used as a switch engine, having become worn out for passenger service”. In other words, did the original 1852 Rock Island Rocket, in its old age, end up in Joliet, working as a switch engine?
Until we find more solid evidence that confirms this theory, we have to also pay attention to the other fact revealed in this 1900 text. Note that the author calls this locomotive “Engine No. 17”. According to Rock Island records, Engine #17 was one of two possible locomotives (see list below), both put into service in May 1857. So, from our perspective, we’re looking at Rock Island’s Engine #17 – a well-used 10-year old locomotive located in Joliet around 1867, not the original Rock Island Rocket that some claim this photograph to be.
So, there you have it friends. Until more old photographs are discovered, we hope you’ve enjoyed this tour of the Eleven Old-Time Survivors of the M&M and Rock Island Railroad.
October 4, 1955 – The Davenport Democrat features a bountiful collection of M&M Railroad stories, but, like so many other publications before it, the newspaper incorrectly identifies one popular M&M locomotive from the late 1850’s.
Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.
A special thanks to Gary Mohr of Ames, Iowa – history researcher par excellence who contributed so much to this page!
