TRANSPORTATION HISTORY IN

AMESAPWA Iowa Chapter Fall Conference

Ames, Iowa

September 11, 2014

AMES EARLY HISTORY In 1863, John Blair (Cedar Rapids and Missouri RR) selected the marshy area between the Squaw Creek and Skunk River for a depot as they looked to expand their railroad from Cedar Rapids to Council Bluffs

Site selected to serve the State College and Model Farm that had been located a couple miles west

Land was cheap because the Federal government found it to be “unusable swamp land”

December 17, 1864, Cynthia Duff deeded land to the railroad Named after Oakes Ames, a Massachusetts Congressman

AMES EARLY HISTORY The train depot was the first building in Ames, completed in 1865 Other area settlements included Bloomington and Ontario (New Philadelphia)

Ames was incorporated in 1870 with 844 residents

AMES AREA, CIRCA 1870

IOWA STATE COLLEGE EARLY HISTORY

March 22, 1858, a State College and Model Farm was established by the General Assembly, but no location was designated

June 21, 1859, Story County was chosen over Johnson, Kossuth, Marshall, and Polk Counties

Story County pledged over $21,000 in land and gifts 648 acres purchased from 5 landowners for about $8.30/acre A home was constructed for Pres. Welch “due to the isolation of the college”

College area annexed to Ames in 1893 33 years after it was founded

EARLY IOWA STATE COLLEGE

IOWA STATE COLLEGE EARLY HISTORY

March 17, 1869, the first class of 173 students began (136 men, 37 women)

First graduating class in 1872 had 24 men and 2 women Name changed to Iowa State University of Science and Technology in 1959

AMES TRANSPORTATION HISTORY

Significant Influences: Railroad Squaw Creek Mother Nature

AMES TRANSPORTATION HISTORY - RAILROADS

In June of 1865, the first scheduled passenger train arrives in Ames Cedar Rapids and Missouri became the Chicago Northwestern (1884) and now the Union Pacific (1995)

Double main line tracks carry an average of 70 trains per day through the city

Most trains are 100 -125 cars Ames and College Railway – known as the Dinkey Fort Dodge, Des Moines and Southern Interurban Railroad

Electric street cars

AMES AND COLLEGE RAILWAY – DINKEY, 1891-1907

IOWA STATE DINKEY STATION, 1892

NICE SIGN!

DINKEY ROLLING STOCK

DINKEY PASSING MORRILL HALL

INTERURBAN RAIL CAR, 1914 (1907-1929)

ELECTRIC STREET CAR

Crossing Squaw Creek, headed for campus

SIZE OF THE RAIL

30 lbs vs. 136 lbs

ROADWAYS BETWEEN AMES AND IOWA STATE

Mother Nature had a major influence on the ability to get from the college to the community

Squaw Creek was a major barrier Floods in 1918, 1944, 1947, 1954, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1975, 1984, 1993, 1998, 2005, 2008, 2010

Some thought Ontario should be the focus of community growth since it was on the railroad, no river to cross, and not much farther away from campus than Ames

An attempt was made to incorporate “West Ames” in the 1890’s as a means of getting urban services in the area south of campus where a large number of college staff had built homes.

LINCOLN WAY BRIDGE OVER SQUAW CREEK, 1890’S

LINCOLN WAY BRIDGE OVER SQUAW CREEK, 1908

WEST ON LINCOLN WAY AT LYNN AVE, 1909

BOONE ST (LINCOLN WAY) ON SQUAW CREEK FLATS

LINCOLN WAY WEST OF BEACH AT IOWA STATE, 1914

SQUAW CREEK LINCOLN WAY BRIDGE COLLAPSE, 1918

NEW LINCOLN WAY BRIDGE, 1921

AMES/IOWA STATE ROAD CONNECTION CONTROVERSY

Boone Street (Lincoln Way) was the only direct connection as the community and college started

In 1914, the State Board of Control appropriated $2,000 to the College to work with Ames to open and improve 6th Street through the railroad underpass that was created for flood protection

Money was spent elsewhere by the College but no one admitted where

Controversy over where the money went and who had the right to regulate buses between Ames and the College put the street connection project on hold

1914

AMES/IOWA STATE ROAD CONNECTION CONTROVERSY

In 1922, the College dedicated land to extend 9th Street to the campus, but the City didn’t like it because houses would need to be purchased for the remainder of the right-of-way

In 1923, a committee was formed, including the Governor, to determine the best location for a new street

To reconcile with the college, the city council (many of whom were on staff at the college) passed a resolution on November 5, 1923 accepting the 9th street connection

On November 19th, Mayor T.L. Rice vetoed it He chastised the college administrators for “being small men in large positions” and creating “fact decoys” by arguing that 9th Street or even 13th Street was better than 6th Street

He also criticized the Council for being afraid to stand up to the college administrators for the good of the city

1926

1930

AMES/IOWA STATE ROAD CONNECTION CONTROVERSY

The Governor’s committee reported in 1924 that 6th Street was the best location due to the ability to use the flood control underpass

At the same time, Mayor Tice had a survey done and 59% of the respondents also wanted 6th Street to be the connection because 13th Street was too far north and 9th Street would disrupt the neighborhood

A committee was formed to develop a design for 6th Street In 1947, 23 years later, the Highway Commission completed the design and it was approved by the City Council

Ben Cole & Son was awarded a $87,861 contract and the work was completed in 1950 – 36 years and about $85,000 later!!

1961

1970

MOTHER NATURE RECLAIMED THEM ALL!

Floods of 1975; 1984; 1993; 1998; 2005; 2008; and 2010

FLOOD OF 2010

OTHER MAJOR STREET IMPROVEMENTS

Grand Avenue Underpass, 1938 Widening Lincoln Way, 1963

GRAND AVENUE RAILROAD CROSSING, 1936

GRAND AVE UNDERPASS/HWY COMMISSION, 1936

NEW UNDERPASS LOOKING SOUTH TO DOT, 1938

LINCOLN WAY FROM STANTON AVE, 1963

LOOKING WEST FROM WELCH AVE

AMES PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT

Engineering and Street Departments joined in late 1950’s Bill Whitman was the first Public Works Director Bill moved out to become Facilities Director at ISU and Arnold Chantland was named Director in 1966

Arnie served until 1988 when I was appointed I served until 2005 when John Joiner was appointed to his current position

OVER 50 YEARS OF SERVICE!

HEIGHT REQUIREMENT?

THANK YOU!AND…GO CYCLONES!!!