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67:. The original plan was to dig a canal from the Apalachicola River to St. Joseph to allow steamboats to connect directly with ocean-going ships. Before excavation on the canal began, the company decided to instead build a railroad. Construction of the roadbed began in October, 1835, before the company's charter was modified to allow it to build a railroad. An 8-mile (13 km) long rail line to Columbus Bayou (renamed Depot Creek) on
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Map of the southern part of
Calhoun County, Florida in 1842. This part of Calhoun County later became Gulf County. The map shows the towns of Apalachicola (in Franklin County) and St. Joseph (in Calhoun County), and the rail lines of the Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Railroad, running from St. Joseph to
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Lake Wimico was connected to the
Apalachicola River by the Jackson River. The success of the railroad was limited by difficulties steamboats faced in reaching the docks at Depot Creek. The Jackson River had many hazards to navigation, and Lake Wimico was often too shallow when water levels were low.
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was founded at the terminus of the railroad. Besides the railroad terminal and a couple of warehouses, Iola had a steam sawmill, a gristmill, a post office, and a hotel. A yellow fever epidemic devastated St.Joseph in 1841, drastically reducing the population and commerce of the city. A hurricane
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later that year destroyed the railroad's 1,500-foot (460 m) wharf at St. Joseph. The railroad went bankrupt and its movable equipment was auctioned off in 1842. Both St. Joseph and Iola were abandoned.
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was completed in March, 1836. Horses and mules hauled the first trains, but two steam locomotives were delivered later in the year, and became the first steam power used on a railroad in
Florida.
105:. The rail line extended onto a 1,500-foot (460 m) wharf in St.Joseph Bay, and onto docks at Depot Creek and Iola, to permit direct transfer of cargo between rail cars and shipping.
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The West
Florida and Alabama Railroad, incorporated in 1883, attempted to revive the roadbed, but it failed. In the 1920s the portion of the roadbed between
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in 1835, and was renamed in 1836 to the Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and
Railroad Company. Disputed land ownership had caused many residents of
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To provide a better connection for the steamboats, a new rail line was built from St. Joseph to a point on the
Apalachicola River near present-day
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79:, 28 miles (45 km) from St. Joseph. Construction on the new line began in 1837, and was completed in October, 1839. The town of
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Lake Wimico (which is unlabeled) and from St. Joseph to the
Apalachicola River at Iola,
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used part of the old Lake Wimico and St. Joseph roadbed for a branch line to
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169:"The Lost Town of Iola and Remnants of Florida's Pioneering Railroads"
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The Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal
Company was chartered by
287:. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida.
230:"Beeline Highway helped open Panhandle for tourists"
268:. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 13.
112:and White City in Gulf County became part of the
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49:Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
30:Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad
342:American companies disestablished in 1842
195:"Death's Angel: The 'Great Tide' of 1844"
337:1835 establishments in Florida Territory
327:5 ft gauge railways in the United States
322:Railway companies disestablished in 1842
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285:A Journey into Florida Railroad History
332:American companies established in 1835
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317:Railway companies established in 1835
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266:A Short History of Florida Railroads
87:The railroad was constructed with a
193:Jones, Herman (September 8, 2016).
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228:Womack, Marlene (March 16, 1997).
167:Hurst, Robert (January 15, 2017).
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103:wood rails with strap iron on top
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126:Apalachicola Northern Railroad
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312:Defunct Florida railroads
283:Turner, Gregg M. (2008).
16:Early railroad in Florida
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199:The (Port St. Joe) Star
264:Turner, Gregg (2003).
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42:the first in the U.S.
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240:on October 19, 2004.
118:national auto trail
173:Panama City Living
120:, and now part of
57:Apalachicola River
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294:978-0-8130-4149-0
275:978-0-7385-2421-4
157:Gregg 2008: 40–42
148:Gregg 2008: 38–40
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34:steam railroad
32:was the first
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202:. Retrieved
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53:Apalachicola
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204:October 12,
178:October 13,
130:Port St.Joe
110:Wewahitchka
99:track gauge
77:Wewahitchka
69:Lake Wimico
40:and one of
306:Categories
258:References
61:St. Joseph
90:5 ft
101:, using
38:Florida
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136:Notes
289:ISBN
270:ISBN
206:2018
180:2018
116:, a
81:Iola
28:The
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
