MANY people and
many events have shaped the destiny of The Milwaukee Road and its first hundred
years of service. This version of the life and times of a family might well have
been
chosen from among anyone of many families which have been closely
associated with our Railroad through the century.
The history of our Railroad is the history of
brave, forward looking pioneers, their children and the new country they
settled. The Milwaukee Road was born and grew of these elements, through a
golden century of development.
In 1850, when our first train was operated over
the new Company's first five miles of track, there were but 23,000,000 people in
the entire United States. Now, one hundred years later, there are more than
36,000,000 people in the twelve Midwestern and Northwestern states which The
Milwaukee Road serves. Since its beginning, our Railroad has been expanded to
nearly 11,000 route miles to provide for the increasing transportation needs of
this growing population.
"Four Generations On the Line" is a brief story
of the beginning and development of The Milwaukee Road during its first 100
years of service. This short story presents its author's conception of many of
the human incidents surrounding the growth of a railroad during its formative
years up to the threshold of its second century of service. It is a living drama
of a typical American enterprise through a century.
During the next century, we will continue to move
forward with the people with whom our lot has been cast. Our part of the country
is young and vigorous and great days lie ahead. We will strive to contribute to
this future by maintaining the finest rail service available anywhere, and it
shall be the aim and purpose of our family of more than 35,000 employees always
to merit the friendship and patronage of the people served by our railroad. |