History of Springfield, Illinois, its attractions as a home and advantages for business, manufacturing, etc. Pub. under the auspices of the Springfield board of trade, by J. C. Power.

32 SPRINGFIELD) ILLINOIS, AND
FIRST LOCOMOTIVE IN ILLINOIS. tise for proposals to do the work. He' was, by the same law, directed to take
Among the first lines upon which work was, by the sme law, directed to take
charge of all the work between Springwas commenced under the internal im- charge of all the work between Springfield and the Illinois River.
provement system, was the Northern
Cross Railroad. The first ground was FIRST LOCOMOTIVE IN SPRINGFIELD.
broken between Jacksonville and Mere- Before the road was completcd to
dosia, on what was called Wolf Run. It Springfield, another locomotive was
was about six miles east of the Illinois brought on, from the works of 3M. W.
River. This was early in the spring of Baldwin, of Philadelphia. It was called
1837. James Dunlap, now of Jackson- the "Illinois." The trackwas so farcomville, and T. T. January, of St. Louis, pleted that on the 15th of February, 1842,
were the contractors. In the spring of it entered Springfield, being the first one
1838 the first locomotive engine ever to arrive in the city. I had considerable
brought to the State came up the Illinois difficulty to settle this point, but my auRiver on a steamboat, and was landed at thority is Mr. George Gregory, now a
Meredosia. It was used for running con- wealthy farmer, living about five miles
struction trains from that time forward. west of the city, and Ir. T1'. lM. Averitt
This engine was built by Rogers, Ketchum whose home is on Jefferson street, near
and Grosvenor, of Patterson, New Jersey, Eleventh. Mr. Gregory was the engineer,
and was called the "Superior." The road and Mr. Averitt the fireman. After conwas so far advanced that the locomotive ferring with each other they agree that it
run into Jacksonville in the latter part was in February, 1842-but Mr. Gregory is
of 1838 or early in 1839. not sure of the exact day; Mr. Averitt reThe work on the Northern Cross Rail- members distinctly that it was the 15th.
road struggled along, after the internal The track was laid along Tenth street to
improvement system had ceased in nearly the crossing of Adams. The last half or
every other part of the State. After it three-fourths of a mile of the track was
was put in running order from Meredosia only the wooden stringers, the iron not
to Jacksonville, some work was done be- yet having been spiked on. The newstween the latter place and Springfield, papers were not very enterprising, with
but for a year or two it moved slowly. reference to the latest news, especially
In some way the canal fund became in- when we consider how wild they were
debted to the internal improvement fund. on the subject of railroads only two or
On the 26th day of February, 1841, an three years before.
act of the General Assembly was approv- Ten days after the event, February 25,
ed, providing for the completion of the I find in the Sangamo Journal: "The railNorthern Cross Railroad from Springfield road is so far finished that the locomotive
to Jacksonville. To liquidate the indebt- occasionally runs upon it, and has drawn
edness of the canal fund to the internal at least one heavy load of produce to the
improvement fund, $100,000 of canal river. Under the circumstances of the
bonds were appropriated to defray the times, the contractors, Messrs. Duff, Calexpense of completing that part of the houn & Co., have done well to complete
road. The Fund Commissioner was au- it thus early. We anticipate that much
thorized and instructed to enter into con- business will be done on this road in the
tracts for the work, to be paid for with spring."
the canal bonds, and to be completed in Again, from the Journal of March 11:
one year. On the day following-Feb- "NORTHERN CROSS RAILROAD. - We
ruary 27, 1841-a law was enacted re- have neglected to notice that the railroad
quiring the Fund Commissioner to adver- from this place, tq leredosia, on the Illi.