THE ILLINOIS RAILROAD

The Illinois Railroad was a private enterprise. The original partners were Ex-Governor John Reynolds, Sam. B. Chandler, Col, Vital Jarrot, Louis Boismenue, & Geo. E. Walker, all of St. Clair County. Thomas Reynolds, Thomas Toner & Daniel Pierce later purchased an interest in the property,

Col. Jarrot had previously purchased a strip of land running from the Mississippi River to the Bluffs, upon which he had the railroad route surveyed. Reynolds and Chandler owned a tract of coal land on the Bluffs which they desired to connect with the St. Louis Market,

The partners executed a series pf deeds on Mar. 29, 1837 by which they pooled their lands for the purpose of constructing the railroad.

Construction began in April 1837. It was carried on entirely by the proprietors, without any state subsidy and without the formation of a corporation.

The railroad was an outstanding engineering feat. It involved building a 2200 foot trestle over Pittsburg ake. The first car ran on Thursday,, December 7, 1837.

The railroad company owned 5 cars brought from Pittsburg, Penn* These were drawn by horses. The proprietors spent approximately $50,000. on the construction work. They were near bankruptcy.. and were forced to sell out to William C. Anderson of St. Louis.

. Anderson and others incorporated the line as the St. Clair R. R. Company in 1841. The name was changed in 1859 to the Pittsburg Railroad & Coal Company then in 1871 to the Il. & St. Louis R. R.

It-was extended to Belleville about 1870 after further engineering problems had been solved in cutting through the Bluffs. About 1890 it was absorbed into the Louisville, Evansville & St. Louis Railroad., known as the Air Line. The first Louisville train ran June 30, 1890. It was purchased by the Southern R. R. on Nov. 25, 1900 for $4,030,000. The right of way has bee-- changed considerably but there is a clear line of succession in ownership from the Illinois Railroad to the Southern Railroad System.

The Ill. R. R. was the first unit in the development of the St. Louis area as a Railroad center. It has a fair claim to be considered the oldest railroad west of the Alleghenies. There was a line 1.5 miles long near Shelbyville, Indiana., opened in 1834, but it was of no practical value,

The Northern Cross Railroad near Meredocia, Illinois was not opened until 1838. There were, however, some lines in the far South near New Orleans.