Ramsey County History – Spring 1995: “The Great Railway Excursion of 1854—‘The Most Notable Event of the Year'”

The Great Railway Excursion of 1854—‘The Most Notable Event of the Year

Author: Virginia Brainard Kunz

The completion, in 1854, of the first railroad line to the Mississippi to Rock Island, Ill., provoked an excursion of more than 1,200 people upriver to the head of navigation, St. Paul. It was a party all the way, until reaching St. Paul, where the locals were surprised by its arrival one day early. An entertaining tale skillfully told by the magazine’s founding editor.

PDF of Kunz article