A Mighty Fine Road: A History of the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company

by H. Roger Grant

Overview

“Grant has once again hit a home run . . . a detailed but readable history of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, a major Midwestern railroad.” —Carlos A. Schwantes, St. Louis Mercantile Library Professor Emeritus

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad’s history is one of big booms and bigger busts. When it became the first railroad to reach and then cross the Mississippi River in 1856, it emerged as a leading American railroad company. But after aggressive expansion and a subsequent change in management, the company struggled and eventually declared bankruptcy in 1915. What followed was a cycle of resurrections and bankruptcies; a grueling, ten-year, ultimately unsuccessful battle to merge with the Union Pacific; and the Rock Island’s final liquidation in 1981. But today, long after its glory days and eventual demise, the “Mighty Fine Road” has left behind a living legacy of major and feeder lines throughout the country. In his latest work, railroad historian H. Roger Grant offers an accessible, gorgeously illustrated, and comprehensive history of this iconic American railroad.

“This handsome, well-illustrated book merits the attention of any reader interested in the history of Iowa. And just as important, the book reminds us of the importance of railroads to the history and vitality of American society. All aboard!” —Iowa City Press-Citizen

“A Mighty Fine Road lays out the amazing, yet heartbreaking history of the railroad I loved. The historical opportunities and disappointments of the Rock Island is clearly explained in Grant’s book, with visionaries keeping the dream moving forward, yet damaged and constrained by greed and lack of vision with the next management regime.” —Dan Sabin, President, Iowa Northern Railway Company

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780253052681
Publisher:	Indiana University Press
Publication date:	12/22/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	342
File size:	38 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

H. Roger Grant is author of numerous books, including Visionary Railroader, John W. Barriger III, Railroaders without Borders, and Railroads and the American People. He is Kathryn and Calhoun Lemon Professor of History at Clemson University.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgements

1. Pioneer Railroad
2. Expansion
3. Robber Barons
4. Rough Tracks
5. Farrington Era
6. Saving the Rock
7. Liquidation and Legacy

Index

What People are Saying About This

Thomas G. Hoback

H. Roger Grant's A Mighty Fine Road presents a masterfully researched and written history of one of the nation's most important railroads. From its earliest days crossing Illinois, then the Mississippi River, to its ultimate demise in the 1980s, Grant fills a significant void by producing this authoritative history.

Albert Churella

From its storied birth to its sordid death, H. Roger Grant provides a complete history of the Rock Island, one of America's most famous – and infamous – railroads.

Carlos A. Schwantes

Roger Grant has once again hit a home run with his latest book, a detailed but readable history of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, a major Midwestern railroad. Grant's narrative spans the Rock Island's many significant accomplishments as well as its several sad chapters, including a final one that included bankruptcy and liquidation. It was a time, as Grant vividly phrases it, when "off came the wheels." Well-chosen maps and photographs add to the value of a "mighty fine" book.

Dan Sabin

A Mighty Fine Road lays out the amazing, yet heartbreaking history of the railroad I loved. The historical opportunities and disappointments of the Rock Island is clearly explained in Grant's book, with visionaries keeping the dream moving forward, yet damaged and constrained by greed and lack of vision with the next management regime.

Editorial Reviews

"Roger Grant has once again hit a home run with his latest book, a detailed but readable history of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific, a major Midwestern railroad. Grant's narrative spans the Rock Island's many significant accomplishments as well as its several sad chapters, including a final one that included bankruptcy and liquidation. It was a time, as Grant vividly phrases it, when "off came the wheels." Well-chosen maps and photographs add to the value of a "mighty fine" book."—Carlos A. Schwantes, St. Louis Mercantile Library Professor Emeritus

"H. Roger Grant's A Mighty Fine Road presents a masterfully researched and written history of one of the nation's most important railroads. From its earliest days crossing Illinois, then the Mississippi River, to its ultimate demise in the 1980s, Grant fills a significant void by producing this authoritative history."—Thomas G. Hoback, Founder, President and CEO, Indiana Rail Road (Retired)

"From its storied birth to its sordid death, H. Roger Grant provides a complete history of the Rock Island, one of America's most famous – and infamous – railroads."—Albert Churella, Kennesaw State University, author of The Pennsylvania Railroad, Volume I: Building an Empire, 1846-1917.

"A Mighty Fine Road lays out the amazing, yet heartbreaking history of the railroad I loved. The historical opportunities and disappointments of the Rock Island is clearly explained in Grant's book, with visionaries keeping the dream moving forward, yet damaged and constrained by greed and lack of vision with the next management regime."—Dan Sabin, President, Iowa Northern Railway Company

"Grant's presentation is complete and unbiased with no favoritism shown toward government, management, or labor – each party contributing to its legacy of being the largest Class I railroad to be liquidated in American railroad history."—The Michigan Railfan

"H. Roger Grant's history of one of the nation's most significant Midwestern railroads is a mighty fine book."—David Pfeiffer, Railroad History

"This handsome, well-illustrated book merits the attention of any reader interested in the history of Iowa. And just as important, the book reminds us of the importance of railroads to the history and vitality of American society. All aboard!"—Timothy Walch, IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN

"This book would make a valuable addition to the libraries of railroad enthusiasts, especially those whose interests is in midwestern railroads, as well as professional historians. The notes at the end, on their own, are an invaluable resource that any historian writing on American railroads could spend many days or weeks scouring for sources."—Sean Kammer, Kansas History

From the Publisher

Grant's presentation is complete and unbiased with no favoritism shown toward government, management, or labor – each party contributing to its legacy of being the largest Class I railroad to be liquidated in American railroad history.

The Michigan Railfan

H. Roger Grant's history of one of the nation's most significant Midwestern railroads is a mighty fine book.

Railroad History - David Pfeiffer

This book would make a valuable addition to the libraries of railroad enthusiasts, especially those whose interests is in midwestern railroads, as well as professional historians. The notes at the end, on their own, are an invaluable resource that any historian writing on American railroads could spend many days or weeks scouring for sources.

Kansas History - Sean Kammer

This handsome, well-illustrated book merits the attention of any reader interested in the history of Iowa. And just as important, the book reminds us of the importance of railroads to the history and vitality of American society. All aboard!

IOWA CITY PRESS-CITIZEN - Timothy Walch