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<p>In 1856, the Keokuk, Mount Pleasant and Muscatine Railroad (KMP&M) began construction on 16 miles of new railroad, extending from Keokuk, Iowa to Viele, Iowa. The railroad would be complete in 1858. The same year, the Iowa Southern Railroad (IS) completed an additional 8 miles from Viele to Fort Madison, Iowa. In 1867, the two railroads were merged into the Keokuk & St. Paul Railway (K&StP). In 1868, the K&StP began construction on an additional 18 miles from Fort Madison to Burlington, Iowa. At the same time, the Mississippi Valley and Western Railway (MV&W) began construction on a 34 mile line, extending from West Quincy, Missouri to Buena Vista, Missouri. Work was completed in 1872, and an additional 13 miles to Hannibal, Missouri were constructed at that time. Work continued south from Hannibal, and the St. Louis, Keokuk & Northwestern Railroad (StLK&NW) completed the line to Louisiana, Missouri in 1875. An additional 54 miles from Louisiana to St. Peters, Missouri were completed in 1879. A bridge across the Des Moines River into Keokuk was completed in 1882. An additional 48 miles from St. Louis to Cuivre Junction were completed in 1894 by the StLK&NW. <br></p><p>Both the K&StP and StLK&NW were affiliated with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad (CB&Q). The two railroads were formally merged into the CB&Q in 1901, as the CB&Q consolidated numerous subsidiary companies. The CB&Q had acquired and constructed a large railroad network throughout the Midwest. This route served as a principal north-south mainline for the CB&Q, connecting the mainlines at Burlington and West Quincy with St. Louis CB&Q merged with Northern Pacific Railway and Great Northern Railway to form Burlington Northern Railroad (BN) in 1970. In 1996, BN merged with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway to form BNSF Railway, the current owner of this line. Today, the line is operated as the Hannibal Subdivision.<br></p>
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