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| Lincoln's Adversary Honored for Support of Railroad |
The other half of the famous Lincoln-Douglas presidential debates has been honored as someone who was described as being a champion of the railroad.
Stephen Douglas was one of three new inductees Saturday into the National Railroad Hall of Fame -- the first induction ceremony actually held in Galesburg. Prior to now, Hall of Fame Executive Director Julie King says the induction was brought to wherever the inductees were.
King says Douglas is being inducted in the "Birth and Development Era" section, and that in many ways, there might not have been a railroad system -- or at least one as strong -- had it not been for Douglas being an Illinois Senator. "The great age of the railroad marked a turning point in American history," King said. "Land previously unreachable or unsettled became accessible for settlement, growth, and activity because of the railroad. Without the help of a U. S. Senator from Illinois, the railroad might never have reached its height or success in this state, or even the nation."
King says Douglas lobbied for a bill that would allow for railroad construction in the state, got another passed that allowed for the construction of the Illinois Central Railroad, and helped with legislation that ended up creating the first trans-continental railroad, even though it didn't pass until eight years after his death.
CLICK HERE to download the entire National Railroad Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT AT SATURDAY'S NATIONAL RAILROAD HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY:
State Representative Don Moffitt
Galesburg Mayor Sal Garza
George Buss, President of the Stephen A. Douglas Association
Phillip Lowden Miller, great-grandson of George Pullman
Terry Coats, President, NC&StL Preservation Society
State Senator Dale Risinger
(WGIL News Story and Photo by Will Stevenson) |
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| 06 28 09 by Newsroom |
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