of Illinois, an act, approved February 12th, 1851, incorporating the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad Company, with powers under the said act, and the several acts amendatory thereof, to construct and operate a railroad from the city of Chicago to the north line of the State of Illinois, and to unite and consolidate with any railroad company then incorporated, or which might be thereafter incorporated in the State of Wisconsin; and the work of construction upon this line of road, from Chicago northwest to the State line of Wisconsin, was commenced.

By a subsequent act of the State of Wisconsin, approved March 10th, 1855, the Illinois and Wisconsin Railroad Company and the Rock River Valley Union Railroad Company were authorized to consolidate the stock property and franchises of the two corporations, and to take such corporate name as the Board of Directors of the consolidated corporation might select, and all the powers, franchises and immunities possessed by either of said corporations were granted to the consolidated corporation.

On the 30th March, 1855, the consolidation of these two roads was perfected, and all the powers, property and franchises of the two corporations thereupon became vested in the consolidated corporation thereby created and called the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad Company.

The object and desire of the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad Company from the beginning was the extension of their line of road from Janesville northwest, via Madison and La Crosse, to St. Paul, and from Janesville north along the valley of Rock River

to Fond du Lac, and to the great iron and copper regions of Lake Superior.

Application was made to Congress for a grant of lands in aid of both these lines of road, which grant, chiefly through the efforts of the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, was obtained in June, 1856, at which time Congress granted six sections (three thousand eight hundred and forty acres) per mile to the State of Wisconsin, to be used in aid of the construction of those lines of road.

An extra session of the legislature of the State of Wisconsin was called in September or October, 1856, at which a contest arose between different railroad companies seeking to have these lands conferred upon them by the State.

The result was, that the lands upon the northwestern line were given by the State to the La Crosse and Mi'waukee Railroad Company, and the lands upon the northern line, from Fond du Lac to the north line of the State, in the direction of Lake Superior, were granted by the State to the Wisconsin and Superior Railroad Company, a corporation created at that session of the legislature of the State of Wisconsin, by an act approved October 11th, 1856, thus depriving the Chicago, St. Paul, and Fond du Lac Railroad Company of the grant of lands mainly if not wholly obtained by their efforts, and granted in aid of the lines adopted and then in process of construction by said Company.

The charter of the Wisconsin and Superior Railroad Company, which contained very broad general, detailed and extraordinary powers, and which authorized the

construction of a railroad from the city of Fond du Lac to the north line of the State of Wisconsin, and a branch from the main line to some point on the Michigan State line, also authorized the consolidation of the rights and franchises of the Wisconsin and Superior Railroad Company with any railroad company in the State of Michigan; and by the general railroad law of the State of Michigan, any railroad company of that State was authorized to consolidate its stock and franchises with any other railroad company in or out of said State, forming together a continuous line.

By virtue of an act of the legislature of Wisconsin, approved February 12, and amended February 28, 1857, the Wisconsin and Superior Railroad Company and the consolidated corporation called the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company were authorized to consolidate their rights, property, land and franchises, under the name of the corporation last mentioned, with all the powers and franchises possessed by either of said corporations; and on the 5th day of March, 1857, the said corporations were so consolidated, retaining the name of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, and all the lands granted by Congress to the State of Wisconsin, and by the State of Wisconsin to the Wisconsin and Superior Railroad Company, were by this consolidation secured to the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company.

In June, 1856, Congress also granted lands to the State of Michigan in aid of a road from Marquette, on Lake Superior, southerly to the State line of Wiscon sin, and also from Ontonagon, on Lake Superior, to the

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said State line of Wisconsin, in contemplation of the connection of these roads at the State line with the northern line of road of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company.

Subsequently railroad companies were organized from Marquette to the State line, and from Ontonagon to the State line of Wisconsin, with a view to a union and consolidation with the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company; and the grants of public land to the State of Michigan to aid in the construction of these roads were conferred upon them, and they were consolidated with the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, forming with it a complete line of road from Chicago to Marquette and the great Iron Mountain regions of Lake Superior, and to Ontonagon, on Lake Superior, and the extensive copper regions in its vicinity.

The great financial revulsion of 1857, which prostrated so many railroads in the country in process of construction, carried down with it and suspended for a time all further progress of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company.

In consequence of the financial misfortunes of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company in 1857, the consolidation of the Marquette and Ontonagon Railroads with it were defeated, and the public lands conferred upon those companies reverted to the State of Michigan.

CHAPTER XXVIII.

CHICAGO AND NORTHWESTERN RAILROAD: CONTINUED.

IN February, 1859, at a meeting held in New York of the bond-holders, stock-holders, and creditors of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, a plan for the organization, extension, and ultimate completion of that Company's road was agreed upon; which plan provided for a sale of the road, under both its outstanding mortgage deeds of trust; for the purchase of the same by the duly appointed agents of the Company, provided they could make a satisfactory purchase of the road. Legislation was applied for in order to carry into effect this proposed plan of reorganization, and by an act of the legislature of the State of Illinois, approved February 19th, 1859, and by an act of the legislature of the State of Wisconsin, approved March 14th, 1859, and by a general law of the State of Wisconsin, approved October 10th, 1856, such persons as might become the purchasers of the road and property of the Chicago, St. Paul and Fond du Lac Railroad Company, were authorized to organize a corporation, under such name as they might elect, with all the powers, rights, and franchises before possessed by that corporation, by virtue of all existing laws and charters of both Illinois and Wisconsin.

On the 2d of June, 1859, in pursuance of these laws