Nickel Plate Railroad
Posted by: 
DnRseekers
N 41° 04.939 W 085° 08.233
16T E 656472 N 4549567
Located fittingly enough--almost directly under the railroad tracks it describes.
Waymark Code: WMF8VZ
Location: Indiana, United States
Date Posted: 09/11/2012
Views: 4
The full text of the sign reads as follows:
In 1880, the New York, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, known commonly as the Nickel Plat Road”, purchased from the Wabash & Erie Canal the right-of-way through central Fort Wayne. The construction of the railroad on the site of the old canal took place from 1881 to 1882, when William H. Vanderbilt purchased the system.
While the Nickel Plate put Fort Wayne on another major east-west trunk line, the railroad also divided the city, discouraging growth on the north side. The call to “Elevate the Nickel Plate” became a community issue throughout the first half of the twentieth century. In 1947, Mayor Harry Baals signed an agreement with the railroad to elevate the track, but it was not until 1953 that ground was broken for the project. Temporary tracks were laid and construction of the elevation itself began on August 27, 1954; the project was completed on July 29, 1956, inaugurating an era of expansion to the north of the city.
Presented by the Journal Gazette Foundation
Group that erected the marker: The Journal Gazette Foundation
Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary:
Barr Street (South of Superior)
Fort Wayne, IN USA
URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed
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