History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa (1913) (14762141934)

Identifier: historyoffortdod01prat (find matches)
Title: History of Fort Dodge and Webster County, Iowa
Year: 1913 (1910s)
Authors: Pratt, Harlow Munson, 1876- Pioneer Publishing Company (Chicago)
Subjects: Webster County (Iowa) -- History Fort Dodge (Iowa) -- History Webster County (Iowa) -- Biography
Publisher: Chicago, The Pioneer Publishing Company
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN



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in the spring of 1878 work was started.In the east part of Fort Dodge on a vacant lot is still to be seen a relic of thefirst grading done for the Fort Dodge & Fort Ridgley road. The summer wasa wet season and the work of grading and haulingH:Iie rails by team was greatlyretarded. Several bad sloughs caused much trouble in getting a grade over.George R. Pearsons, who had personal charge of the work, was a giant in strengthand he threw his whole reserve force of energy and power into the work witha determination born of desperation. It was told of him that he used to startwith a rail in each hand on the run up the grade, so anxious was he to reach thecounty line of Humboldt and have the road completed before the expiration ofthe time limit for doing the work. The wet weather and other drawbacks experi-enced, which necessitated great exposure, soon told on this man of herculeanstrength, and in time brought him home to a sick bed. The members of the > GOO o CH e c c c C CO 00 -.1
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HISTORY OF WEBSTER COUNTY 223 directory felt that their project had been dealt a hard blow by this bit of bad news,but there were others who rallied to the rescue. A red-headed Irishman, whohad charge of the men during Mr. Pearsons absence, proved an unknown hero.Billy OBrien showed them he knew a few things about railroad building, andas fall came on and the \veather continued bad, with the sloughs open and roadsheavy, he threw his great strength into the work of reaching the goal, which wasthe Humboldt county line. Small freight cars were run by horse or mule powerfrom the supply yard at Fort Dodge to the point where the graders were at work.It was the custom of the directors to lend a hand in loading these cars when theyarrived, and otherwise making themselves useful in the work. The near approachof the first of the year and the continued bad weather served to bring out all ofthe combined energy of the force engaged in constructing the road, and it wasseen that something must be do