The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was a railroad company in the United States. It was incorporated in 1870 to build a line from

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is the List of municipalities in Wisconsin by population, second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 269,840 at the 2020 Uni ...

, to

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

, as part of a new through route between Madison and

Winona, Minnesota Winona ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Winona County, Minnesota, United States. Located in bluff country on the Mississippi River, its most noticeable physical landmark is Sugar Loaf (Winona, Minnesota), Sugar Loaf. The population was 2 ...

. The company was consolidated with the

Chicago and North Western Railway The Chicago and North Western was a Railroad classes#Class I, Class I railroad in the Midwestern United States. It was also known as the "North Western". The railroad operated more than of track at the turn of the 20th century, and over of t ...

(C&NW) in 1871, prior to the completion of the line. After abandonment by the C&NW, part of the Baraboo Air Line route became the first rail trail, the

Elroy-Sparta State Trail The Elroy-Sparta State Trail is a Wisconsin State rail trail between Elroy and Sparta, Wisconsin. Considered to be the first rail trail when it opened in 1967, it was designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian and light motorized traffic. Designa ...

. Currently, the line from Madison to Reedsburg is operated by the

Wisconsin and Southern Railroad The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is a Class II regional railroad in Southern Wisconsin and Northeastern Illinois currently operated by Watco. It operates former Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road) and ...

. The portion from Reedsburg to Elroy is now the

400 State Trail The 400 State Trail is a rail trail between Reedsburg and Elroy, Wisconsin. It is designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian, snowmobile traffic. It is designated as a multi-use trail, offering recreational access to the routes, and is open to the ...

. The portion from Sparta through Medary is now the

La Crosse River Trail The La Crosse River State Trail is a rail trail between Sparta and Onalaska, Wisconsin. It is designed for foot, bicycle, equestrian or light motorized traffic. It is designated as a multiuse trail, offering recreational access to the routes, and ...

History

The Madison, Lodi and Baraboo Railroad was incorporated on March 29, 1864. The company graded a line between

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...

and

Baraboo Baraboo ( ) is the county seat of Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States, located along the Baraboo River. The population was 12,556 at the 2020 census. The most populous city in the county, Baraboo is the principal city of the Baraboo micropol ...

via Merrimac but did not lay any track. The Baraboo Air Line Railroad was incorporated on March 8, 1870, to build north from the Beloit and Madison Railroad in

, to the La Cross, Trempealeau and Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction, near

. This would connect a though line of the Chicago and North Western Railway with its subsidiary, the Winona and St. Peter Railroad. On March 10, 1871, it was consolidated with the North Western. Under the North Western construction continued. By 1872, twenty miles were finished to

Lodi, Wisconsin Lodi ( ) is a city in Columbia County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 3,189 at the 2020 census. Lodi is part of the Madison metropolitan area. History The scenic Town of Lodi area had long been a home of Native Americans before ...

. The ridges between Elroy and Sparta were tunneled at great expense and with much difficulty. The Baraboo Air-Line Rail Road connected to the LaCrosse, Trempealeau & Prescott Railroad at Winona Junction and opened for traffic in September 1873, through to Winona, Minnesota. In 1874, the C&NW reported an expenditure for its three tunnels of $476,743.32 and for the construction of 129 miles of railroad between Madison and Winona Junction of $5,342,169.96.

Line

As completed by the Chicago and North Western Railway, the line ran from Madison to Winona Junction. Most of it has since been abandoned and converted to

rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...

s. The North Western abandoned the line between Sparta and Elroy in 1964; it is now the

, the first rail trail in the United States. The line west of Sparta was abandoned in 1977 in favor of trackage rights over the

Milwaukee Road The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), better known as the Milwaukee Road , was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwestern United States, Midwest and Pacific Northwest, Northwest of the United States from 1847 ...

's parallel

Tomah Subdivision The Tomah Subdivision or Tomah Sub is a railway line that runs about from La Crosse, WI in the west to Portage, WI in the east. The line is operated by Canadian Pacific Kansas City through its subsidiary, the Soo Line Railroad. The line crosse ...

. It is now the

. The line between Reedsburg and Elroy was abandoned in 1986 and is now the

. The line between Reedsburg and Madison is now known as the

Reedsburg Subdivision The Reedsburg Subdivision is a railway line in the state of Wisconsin. It runs from Reedsburg, Wisconsin, to Evansville, Wisconsin, via Madison, Wisconsin. The line was built by predecessors of the Chicago and North Western Railway between 1854 ...

and is leased by the

Notes

References

* * * {{Cite web , author=Interstate Commerce Commission , author-link=Interstate Commerce Commission, date=1928, title=Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Decisions of the Interstate Commerce Commission of the United States. Valuation reports , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CxOAs2GEGH0C , publisher=U.S. Government Printing Office , language=en , ref={{harvid, ICC, 1928

History

Line

Notes

References

See also