Mark J. Camp
Chartered as early as 1832, Northwestern Ohio railroads were among the first in the Midwest. Toledo, a rapidly developing lake port at the mouth of the Maumee River, was the destination point for many lines; others were just passing through on their way to Chicago and points west. By 1907, 20 lines served the northwestern counties. All had a series of stations along their lines, often with depots or other railroad structures. Although many have
...Springfield was the original destination of the two oldest railroad companies to lay rails in Ohio, the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad and the Little Miami Railroad. This would form the first rail link between Lake Erie and the Ohio River. Other routes became more important as rails eventually spread like spokes of a wheel from Cincinnati, and connections were made to Akron, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Indianapolis, Lexington, Louisville,
...By the mid-1850s, the railroad craze had hit central Ohio. Pioneer railroads that were to evolve into portions of the Baltimore and Ohio, New York Central, and Pennsylvania Railroads connected the state capital, Columbus, with the canals, Lake Erie, and the Ohio River. The region was crisscrossed by numerous other lines by 1880; Columbus became the main hub while other railroad centers included Circleville, Delaware, Mansfield, Mount Vernon, Newark,
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