Fairmount and Veblen Railway
The Fairmount and Veblen Railway (F&V) was a short line railroad that operated in Richland County, North Dakota; and in Roberts and Marshall counties, South Dakota.
| Fairmount and Veblen Railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Type | Short-line railroad |
| Status | Some in use, some abandoned |
| Termini | Fairmount, North Dakota, North Dakota Grenville, South Dakota |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 12 November 1913 |
| Closed | 1971 |
| Owner | Fairmount and Veblen Railway (1913-1915) Soo Line (1915-2000) Sunflour Railroad (2000-current, north of Rosholt) Canadian Pacific Railway (2000-current, south of Rosholt) |
The railroad was incorporated in December 1912 by C.A. Paulson of Minneapolis MN, Julius Roshall, L.R. Roshall, George Anderson, and P.S. Hanson.[1] Was put into operation December 1, 1914. C.A. Paulson, was one of the 24 businesses located in Minneapolis Railroad district in the early 1900s. He owned a building on the north edge called the Twin City Separator Company.
The photo of this building shows a large, deep trench that was created in 1912–1916 as a grade separation for the Chicago, Milwaukee and Saint Paul Railroad. Twin City Separator Company Building Early Minneapolis Business Firms_Twin City Separator.[2] Only the wall of the Twin City Separator building remains, and listed on the historical society to identify how rail/transportation was used in the early 1900s. The photos demonstrate the importance of manufactures position alongside railroad lines.
In 1913, the constructed trackage from Fairmount, North Dakota southward into South Dakota to Rosholt, then westward to Claire City and Veblen. The line was extended southward the following year, from Veblen to Roslyn, and then eastward to Grenville. A steam locomotive acquired from the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railway ("Soo Line") was used on the railroad.
The first meeting to discuss the possibility of such a line was held February 4, 1913 at Winans Hall in Harmon Township. Construction began in April, 1913, and on November 12, 1913, the first train came through Rosholt. "(Rosholt) proposed that farmers along the right-of-way for the distance of roughly eight to ten miles on each side contribute $200 for each quarter section of land, either owned or farmed. The money was to be in the form of a loan, with the notes secured by a mortgage in the new railroad. By this means, Mr. Rosholt hoped to raise one-half the cost of building the railroad, with himself to furnish the balance." (Orlando Bjork, 1988 Rosholt-Victor History Book)
The town of Rosholt was named for Julius Rosholt, builder of the F&V, in appreciation for his fair dealings.
In 1915 the F&V was acquired by the Soo Line, and its trackage operated as a branch line by that railroad. The portion of the line between Veblen and Grenville was abandoned in 1971, and in 2000 the trackage between Rosholt and Veblen was sold to the newly formed Sunflour Railroad. Trackage north of Rosholt remained in use in 2006, operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway, the Soo Line's corporate successor.
References
- "Construction News - Recent Incorporations". Electric Railway Journal. Vol. XLI no. 1. New York: McGraw Publishing Co. January 4, 1913. p. 51 – via Google Books.
- "Early Minneapolis Business Firms Photograph Album 2, Minneapolis, Minnesota". Minnesota Reflections.
- Gjevre, John A. (1990), Saga of the Soo: West from Shoreham (2nd ed.), Moorhead, MN: Gjevre Books, pp. 120–124, LOC 90-90283
- Hufstetler, Mark; Bedeau, Michael (1998). South Dakota's Railroads: An Historic Context. Pierre, South Dakota: South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office.