In April 2024, we replaced this single page with three updated pages:

The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad – Volume I – 1845-1855. With its headquarters in Davenport, the M&M Railroad 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. Over the first ten years, much of the work entails casting vision, partnering with eastern-based railroads, and raising funds.

The Locomotives Of M&M Railroad. Here’s an overview of twenty-two of the earliest steam locomotives of The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad – the engines that pulled passenger & freight cars around the State of Iowa over M&M’s first decade of service (1855-1865).

The Mississippi & Missouri Railroad – Volume II – 1856-1866. As the year 1855 came to a close, the M&M management team was under the gun. Originally, the plan was to have the east/west line into Iowa City completed by December 1, but construction had fallen far behind schedule. Spurred on by a $50,000 prize if M&M could bring an engine into Iowa’s capital city by January 1, 1856, we now come to the most dramatic part of the M&M Railroad story.