Digital Commons Network^™

Minnesota And The Age Of Railroads, Jay Timmerman

Culminating Projects in History

In this thesis project I have attempted to explore the subject of railroad dominance in Minnesota between 1880 and 1920, and how it compared with the national experience. In the decades prior to this period, particularly from 1880 to 1900, railroad development and construction proceeded at a brisk pace, interrupted mostly by economic downturns. By the time of the First World War, railroad construction and development slowed considerably. The conditions that existed from 1910 onwards were significantly different than the conditions of earlier times. The economy and the nation had industrialized, and railroads were no longer welcomed into each community …