The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad chartered in

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

to join

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

Winona, Minnesota Winona is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, Winona County, in the U.S. state, state of Minnesota. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota ...

in 1870.Stennett, William H.. Yesterday and Today: A History of the Chicago and North Western Railway System. United States: Winship Company, Printers, 1910. It became part of the

Chicago and North Western Railroad The Chicago and North Western was a Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of track in seven states befor ...

route from Chicago to Winona, Minnesota. After abandonment by the C&NW, part of the Baraboo Air Line route became the first rail trail, the

Elroy-Sparta State Trail The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a Wisconsin State rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. Considered to be the first rail trail when it opened in 1967, it was designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian and light motorized traffic. Designat ...

. Currently, the line from Madison to Reedsburg is operated by the

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and Chicago ...

. The portion from Reedsburg to Elroy is now the 400 State Trail. The portion from Sparta through Medary is now the La Crosse River Trail.

History

The railroad had its beginnings in a meeting in March 1865 to charter the "Madison, Lodi & Baraboo Valley Railroad Company." The line was charted on June 1, 1870, to join the Beloit & Madison Railroad in Madison, Wisoconsin to the La Crosse, Trempealeau & Presscott Railroad at Medary, also known as Winona Junction, near La Crosse. This would connect a though line of the Chicago and North Western Railroad with its subsidiary, the Winona and St. Peter Railroad. On March 10, 1871, it was consolidated with the C&NW. By 1872, twenty miles were finished to

Lodi, Wisconsin Lodi ( ) is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,189 at the 2020 census. Lodi is part of the Madison Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Isaac Palmer founded the village of Lodi in 1846 in what was then ...

. The ridges between Elroy and Sparta were tunneled at great expense and with much difficulty. The Baraboo Air-Line Rail Road connected to the LaCrosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction and opened for traffic in September 1873, through to Winona, Minnesota. In 1874, the C&NW reported an expenditure for its three tunnels of $476,743.32 and for the construction of 129 miles of railroad between Madison and Winona Junction of $5,342,169.96.

References

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History

References

See also