Railroads of Southeast Iowa

Though early settlement in Iowa followed the rivers, it was the advent of the railroads, starting in the late 1850s, which opened up the remainder of the state for development -- bringing goods to residents and sending their crops and products out to the world. Railroads formed the backbone of middle America, with dozens of trains -- freight and passenger -- reaching out to nearly every small town in the region. This collection of photographs from the 1800s to the present day celebrates the railroads and railroaders of southeast Iowa.