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Story Name
Railroad
Current Railroad
Valuation Section(s)
Subdivision(s)
RCPE Black Hills Subdivision
State
South/West Terminal
North/East Terminal
Description
CNW route from Chadron, Nebraska to Colony, Wyoming
Text
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<p>In 1885, the Fremont, Elkhorn & Missouri Valley Rail Road Company (FE&MV) began construction on a 240 mile railroad line, extending from Valentine, Nebraska to Rapid City, South Dakota. Work would be completed in 1886. The following year, an additional 30 miles would be constructed from Rapid City, to Whitewood, South Dakota. An additional 21 miles would be constructed to Belle Fourche, South Dakota in 1890. The FE&MV would be reorganized in 1891, and sold to the Chicago & North Western Railway (C&NW) in 1903. The C&NW had constructed and acquired a large number of railroad lines throughout the Midwest, and this line was one of the westernmost lines.</p><p>With the discovery of high quality bentonite nearby, the line would be extended 18 miles to Colony, Wyoming in 1948. This line served as a secondary route for the C&NW, connecting numerous industrial and agricultural branches in western South Dakota. In 1995, the line between Chadron and Colony would be sold to the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad (DM&E). The DM&E would be purchased by Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) in 2008. In 2014, the DM&E entered into an agreement with the Genesee & Wyoming owned Rapid City, Pierre and Eastern Railroad (RCP&E) to sell 670 miles of track. Today, RCP&E operates the segment between Chadron and Colony as the Black Hills Subdivision.</p>
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