The Minnesota and International Railway was a subsidiary of the Northern Pacific Railway , a

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

that operated in the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

along the Canada–United States border. In 1970, the Northern Pacific merged with other lines to form the Burlington Northern Railroad.

History

This road began as a conglomeration of logging lines in north central

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

, along with the Northern Pacific's own nascent Brainerd and Northern, begun circa 1892 to build north to the border with Canada. On July 17, 1900, the Northern Pacific formed the Minnesota and International to control these lines as a through-route between its terminal at

Brainerd, Minnesota Brainerd is a city in Crow Wing County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was 14,395 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crow Wing County. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi River several miles upstream from its confluence with ...

, and the border with

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

at International Falls, Minnesota. The line formed a 200-mile north–south route via

Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making i ...

. An early 20th century train derailment two miles north of Nisswa Minnesota left multiple box cars sunken in the soil which remain buried today at a depth of approximately 15 feet underneath what is now the Paul Bunyan State Trail. The corporate entity was folded into its parent company on October 22, 1941, and was operated as the Eighth Sub-division of the Northern Pacific's Lake Superior Division. Division headquarters were in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...

As the Eighth Sub-division

In 1950, the Northern Pacific published a summary of branch line earnings for the system, Form 7251. For the Lake Superior Division, these totals were: Lake Superior Division $267,684 Ashland $834,643 Cuyuna $3,045,802 Cloquet $82,035 Grantsburg $1,380,797 International Falls $5,610,961 Lake Superior Total

References

* No author. "Branch Line Total Earnings Year 1950 As Shown On Form 7251." St. Paul inn. Office of the Vice-President, Northern Pacific, November 1, 1951, from ''NPTellTale'' YahooGroup Web page, http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/NPTellTale/message/7926, accessed January 17, 2012. * Umhauer, David E., and Haubrich, Kurt P. ''Mike and Ike and Morningtown: The Minnesota & International Railway Story.'' Writers Club Press, 2000. {{Authority control Defunct Minnesota railroads Predecessors of the Northern Pacific Railway 1900 establishments in Minnesota 1941 disestablishments in Minnesota

History

As the Eighth Sub-division

See also

References