Reisemåte Quebec - Iowa i 1873

[Leif Erik Otterå]

Eg prøver å finne ut litt om korleis emigrantane reiste etter at dei kom fram til Quebec. Første etappe er grei: Tog vestover til Montreal. Så var det vel togtransport vidare til Chicago/Milwaukee? Dei måtte vel skifte tog på grensa pga ulik sporvidde. Men korleis reiste dei vidare frå Chicago til Iowa? Var det jernbane der på den tida, eller var det hesteskyss?

[Anton Hagelee]

2 hours ago, Leif Erik Otterå said:

Eg prøver å finne ut litt om korleis emigrantane reiste etter at dei kom fram til Quebec. Første etappe er grei: Tog vestover til Montreal. Så var det vel togtransport vidare til Chicago/Milwaukee? Dei måtte vel skifte tog på grensa pga ulik sporvidde. Men korleis reiste dei vidare frå Chicago til Iowa? Var det jernbane der på den tida, eller var det hesteskyss?

 

En god artikkel, men på engelsk.

 

FROM QUEBEC TO SARNIA AND FARTHER WEST

From Quebec or St. Levi to Sarnia in Ontario there is a distance by rail of 673 miles. If the emigrant is to continue the trip westward by rail, he will be ferried across the St. Clair River at Sarnia to Port Huron in the state of Michigan. From there to Chicago the distance is 347 miles. Thus we find that the distance between Quebec and Chicago totals 1,020 miles. For those emigrants who plan to go by way of Milwaukee, it will be most convenient to change trains in Detroit, Michigan, and go to Grand Haven in the same state - a distance of 189 miles. From there they can go by steamer across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a distance of merely 85 miles. Those who wish to settle in Wisconsin, Minnesota, or northern Iowa usually choose the Milwaukee route as the most convenient. For emigrants who wish to settle in the eastern states, it may possibly be of interest to know that a railroad runs south from Montreal to New York (404 miles) while another line connects Montreal with Boston, Massachusetts (330 miles).

 

TWO ROUTES FROM SARNIA TO THE WEST

Sometimes it happens that instead of going by rail from Sarnia westward emigrants are transported by steamboat through lakes Huron and Michigan. But this makes the trip a day and a half to two days longer than going directly by train from Sarnia (Port Huron) to Detroit and points west. If the passengers have a choice, they usually prefer the latter means of transportation. But they are not always able to have their wishes fulfilled in this respect, and then they must accept the decision of the railroad company. Below are listed the distances covered by the steamship route:

   From Sarnia (Port Huron) across Lake Huron 
   the Straits of Mackinac 250 miles
   Through the Straits of Mackinac 40 miles
   Thence to Milwaukee 250 miles
   From Milwaukee to Chicago 75 miles
This makes a total of 615 miles.

 

FROM QUEBEC TO MILWAUKEE OR CHICAGO

Transportation by rail from Quebec to Chicago costs about ten American dollars. Tickets are bought in Quebec, and the captains usually assist the passengers in this matter; most of them also accompany the emigrants at least partway into the country. Arrangements are now being made by Norwegian shipping companies whereby they will be able to provide the emigrants with tickets from Quebec through either Milwaukee or Chicago directly to the station - in any northern state - which lies closest to their destination. Travelers who take the regular trains from Quebec to the western states must pay almost twice the sum demanded from emigrants - but then they travel in greater comfort and reach their destination sooner.

Complaints are heard from emigrants about inconsiderate treatment on the part of railway employees. It is also claimed that the railway cars are overcrowded, and that emigrants - to the detriment of their health - are stowed together aboard the steamships without any regard to comfort or sanitary requirements. Also their belongings may be somewhat damaged if boxes fall apart during transportation; or it happens at times that their baggage is forgotten at some station or sent to the wrong place. As regards the last two points, it should be mentioned that mishaps of this type generally could be prevented if the belongings were packed in strong boxes well provided with a clear address, bearing the owner’s name and place of destination.

Emigrants undoubtedly have cause for complaints concerning overcrowding. But the railway company should also be given its due when one considers that transportation for an emigrant is so extremely cheap that he can not justly expect the comforts provided other travelers who pay the regular price of twenty-three dollars in gold. Most emigrants bring along so much baggage that if they should pay full freight for this alone it would considerably exceed what they now pay for both themselves and their belongings.

 

https://naha.stolaf.edu/pubs/nas/volume33/vol33_07.htm

 

 

 

[Anton Hagelee]

Også på Norway Heritage på engelsk.

 

The Voyage	Main Page >>
The story of a journey from Norway to Quebec in 1861, on the ship Maple Leaf

 

 

http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/voyages.asp?articleid=65&zoneid=6

 

The Voyage	Main Page >>
AN IMMIGRATION JOURNEY TO AMERICA IN 1854

 

 

http://www.norwayheritage.com/articles/templates/voyages.asp?articleid=53&zoneid=6

 

http://www.norwayheritage.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6596

 

About the route, here is a letter from an 1854 Norwegian emigrant:
Dear brother in law
(...)
After we arrived at Quebec, we went by steam boat to Montreal, and from there
with steam wagon and such alternately until we rached Buffalo, which is a very large city with approx. 60 churches and all sorts of delights.
From there we went by steam wagon to Pontiac.
The journey from Quebec to Pontiac costed me 5 dollars, and all I had left was 5 dollars. I was the family breadwinner, unfamilar with the language, and now I was in a foreign country and among foreign people.


1849 steam wagon

 

http://www.norwayheritage.com/snitz/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=6683&SearchTerms=route

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Endret Desember 21, 2020 av Anton Hagelee

[Leif Erik Otterå]

Takk, det var ein interessant artikkel du viste til. 🙂

Eg forstår det slik at artikkelen blei skrive i 1869, og då måtte dei reisande krysse St. Lawrence i Quebec by til Levis for å ta tog derifrå. I 1872 blei det opna jernbanestasjon i Quebec by på nord-sida av St. Lawrence (Gare du Palais), og då var det mogleg (slik eg forstår) å reise til Montreal på eit spor "North Shore Railway". Eg reknar med at denne stasjonen blei brukt i 1873. For å komme vidare til Chicago eller Milwaukee ser det ut til å vere nokre strekningar med dampskip?

[Anton Hagelee]

1 hour ago, Leif Erik Otterå said:

Eg reknar med at denne stasjonen blei brukt i 1873. For å komme vidare til Chicago eller Milwaukee ser det ut til å vere nokre strekningar med dampskip?

 

 

Great Lakes passenger steamers

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Lakes_passenger_steamers