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<p>Between 1899 and 1900, the Gowrie & Northwestern Railway (G&NW) constructed a 109-mile railroad line, extending from Gowrie, Iowa to Sibley, Iowa. The project was funded by the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway (Rock Island), and was acquired by the Rock Island at the end of 1900. The purpose of this line was to connect existing Rock Island lines in central Iowa to the Burlington, Cedar Rapids & Northern Railway (BCR&N) system at Sibley, Iowa. At Gowrie, the line connected to an existing Minneapolis & St. Louis Railway (M&StL) line, which was used to connect to the Rock Island system at Des Moines, Iowa. The line mainly formed a diagonal route, serving small agricultural towns along its length. By the early 20th Century, the Rock Island had acquired and constructed a large railroad network throughout the central United States. In June 1903, the BCR&N system was acquired by the Rock Island, and this line provided a connection between the northwest corner of the Rock Island system and the major terminals at Des Moines. This line primarily served as a connection and feeder line for the Rock Island, also serving several agricultural industries.</p><p>The Rock Island struggled financially throughout much of its history, experiencing repeated bankruptcies and chronic instability. After World War II, the Rock Island struggled to survive, proposing mergers and deferring maintenance on their routes. The railroad reorganized as the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad in 1948. By the mid-1970s, the railroad was in serious decline. The railroad secured loans to eliminate slow orders, acquired new equipment, and attempted to restore profitability. This line was deemed excess by the mid-1970s, and the sections between Gowrie and Palmer, Iowa and between Hartley, Iowa and Sibley were abandoned in 1976. In 1978, the railroad came close to profit, but creditors were lobbying for a complete shutdown of the Rock Island. The segment between Royal, Iowa and Hartley was abandoned that year. During the fall of 1979, a strike crippled the railroad, and by January of 1980, the entire system was ordered to be shut down and liquidated. Many of the lines and equipment were scrapped. Profitable sections of railroad were prepared for sale. In 1981, the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) purchased the profitable section of this line between Palmer and Royal, which connected to the existing C&NW system at Laurens, Iowa. A portion of the line between Palmer and Laurens was abandoned in 1991. In 1995, the C&NW was purchased by Union Pacific Railroad (UP). The remainder of the line between Laurens and Royal was abandoned in 2001. Today, almost all of the line has reverted to private owners and has been converted to farmland. </p>
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