RFRIC – The M&M & CRI&P Railroad.

When Iowa joined the Union in 1846, transportation in and around the Hawkeye State was very limited. Riverboats, of course, worked well in connecting the larger communities located on the Mississippi River, but for the good people of Iowa City, traveling outside of the capital city was limited to horseback, horse-drawn carriage, and stagecoach. Back east, the railroads were becoming quite abundant (see map below), but the closest train station to Iowa City was in Chicago.

Over a period of 120 years of Iowa City history (1850-1970) there have been five railway systems (see map below) that have attempted to bring passenger rail service into our community. One of those railroads was very short-lived, while others were here nearly that entire time.

This map – courtesy of historian Tom Schulien – shows the five passenger railway systems of Iowa City. **Brown** **– Lyons-Iowa Central RR – The Calico** (1850-1854) **Green** **– M&M / Rock Island RR** (1853-1974) **Blue – Burlington, Cedar Rapids and Northern RR – The Plug** (1873-1924), **Black** – **CRANDIC Interurban Railway** (1904-1953) and **Red** – **Iowa City Electric Railway** (1910-1930).

On this page, in order to take you on a much deeper dive into the second railway system of Iowa City, we are simply going to link you to Our Iowa Heritage resource page for the Mississippi & Missouri (M&M) and the Rock Island (CRI&P) Railroads…

Remains of the M&M/Rock Island Railroad in Iowa City – probably built in 1855, this stone overpass is called “Dead Man’s Cave” and is located near Jackson & Pine Streets in southeast Iowa City.

Riding The Five Rails Of Iowa City – An Introduction
The Lyons-Iowa Central RR – The Calico (1850-1854)
The Mississippi & Missouri (M&M) / Rock Island (CRI&P) RR (1853-1974)
The Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern (BCR&N) RR – The Plug (1873-1924)
The Cedar Rapids & Iowa City (CRANDIC) Interurban Railway (1904-1953).
The CRANDIC Interurban Railway Trolley Picture Page
The Iowa City Electric Railway (1910-1930)

Gone – but never forgotten!

Kudos to the amazing resources below for the many quotes, photographs, etc. used on this page.