Railroad

Though Lafayette was first a hub for river traffic, it later became a stop for rail traffic. But getting the railroad to Potosi was a huge bureaucratic undertaking as the following excerpt from Butterfield's History of Grant County 1881 describes.

In 1843-44 the subject of a road from Grant county to the lake was warmly agitated, the object being to afford the means of transit for the vast quantities of lead then being mined in this section. Galena, however, was opposed to the road thinking it would interfere with her jobbing trade. Potosi was anxious for the road. A committee was appointed of which Maj. G. M. Price of Cassville was chairman, to report to the house of representatives the practicability and expediency of constructing of a road from Potosi to Lake Michigan. The road was projected on two routes, one to run up the hollow at Potosi and pass near Lancaster and Fennimore.

The other route went near Platteville. In 1845 a continuous line of road from Maine to the Mississippi was talked of and in that connection a road from Chicago to Galena was proposed of which Potosi was to have a branch. The outcome of this effort was the "Galena and Chicago" railroad but it did not enter Grant county.

The same year a project was formed for an immense system of railroads to be concentrated at Pensacola, Florida, of which the Illinois Central (as now built) was to be a part, and it was to be extended north through Potosi. The Milwaukee and Waukesha company was authorized in 1848 to extend its road to the Mississippi in Grant county. In 1850 its name was changed to the Milwaukee and Mississippi and enthusiasm ran high. It was to run through Dodgeville and under that expectation the "Potosi and Dodgeville" road was chartered intending to form a connection with the road at Dodgeville. The Grant County Herald of March 27, 1851, announced that books of subscription to the capital stock of the Potosi and Dodgeville railroad would be opened at Potosi, Platteville and Lancaster, April 24. The Potosi Republican stated that 400 shares had been taken in Potosi and other places up to that time.

Many meetings were held at Potosi and other places to awaken popular interest and nearly 1,000 shares of stock in this road were taken. The road, however, never proceeded further than this owing to a change of route of the Milwaukee and Mississippi railroad by which it terminated at Prairie du Chien instead of in Grant county, as called for in the charter. Potosi was again a long distance from the pathway of the iron horse.

In 1870 the Dubuque, Platteville & Milwaukee company was authorized to extend its road to the mouth of Platte river, thence to Cassville, via Potosi to connect with the military ridge road. October 20, 1871, an election was held in Potosi on the question of voting aid to the Dubuque, Platteville & Milwaukee railroad, the vote standing 61 majority in favor of aid to the extent of $40,000. This road never materialized and Potosi was again left in the cold for a road.

It was not until 1883 when the Chicago, Burlington & Northern Co. began the construction of a road on the east side of the river that Potosi finally got a railroad within its boundaries. This road is now known as the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy. It is on a direct line to Chicago and has an enormous freight and passenger traffic.

The first track was completed 1884, the second, a double track in 1912. Section men worked 9 hour days for 10 cents an hour, 6 days a week. Later the wage went up to 171/2 cents an hour and 5 days a week. The "rails" in the early days carried mostly split cord wood, cattle and hogs. Cord wood was loaded by the 100 cords at $1.25 a cord. A Stock Yard and Depot were situated near the Railroad tracks. Both were torn down in 1976.

CBQ Depot

Potosi was known for its good railroad connections, The first depot was destroyed by fire on Dec. 9, 1906. It was rebuilt right away. While the new one was being built 2 box cars served as the busy Railway Depot. Mr. Peter Roser was depot agent for years. He was followed by Otto Groff. Raymond Howard came next. Then Lynn Johnson. The last agent was Allen Caya. During the 1920's there were 3 agents employed at the depot.

Passenger service was offered from Lafayette via the "Dinky" which ran on the CBQ to East Dubuque up through the 1940's. From E. Dubuque people could take other transportation into Dubuque for shopping, the opera or other appointments.

According to an article in the Saturday Evening Post of June 1948, the “fastest ride on rails” was from East Dubuque, Illinois to Prairie Du Chien, Wisconsin. The dome-topped Zephyr ran this route at speeds up the 100 miles an hour. Although these fast trains did not stop here, Potosi once could boast the fact that the strip of road, passing through here, was the fastest piece of track in the world! Many people enjoyed coming to the depot and watching the trains go by.

Thus with the decline in the rail industry, it was inevitable that Lafayette would lose its icon of rail nostalgia, its depot. By the 1960s the well at the depot was condemned as were the "outdoor facilities." The depot was finally torn down in 1976. Today the rails that run past Lafayette carry only freight. The bygone days of trips to East Dubuque and the speeding Zephyrs are all but memories.