Wilderness Train | Adventures in Research (08-14-51)

Summary

Old Time Radio Westerns Podcast Summary

Episode: *Wilderness Train | Adventures in Research (08-14-51)
Host: Andrew Rines
Release Date: May 25, 2025

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Introduction to the Wilderness Train

In this captivating episode of Old Time Radio Westerns, host Andrew Rines presents a meticulously restored radio drama titled "Wilderness Train," narrated by Paul Shannon. The story delves into the transformative impact of the railroad—specifically the Main Line of Mid America—on the untamed Midwest a century ago.

The Birth of the Wilderness Train

Paul Shannon sets the stage by highlighting the significant role railroads played in shaping America. He begins with a dramatized proclamation from Illinois' governor:

Governor of Illinois (01:11): "The Indians have assumed a hostile attitude and invaded this state in violation of the treaty. I call to arms all able-bodied men to repulse this attack."

This declaration underscores the tumultuous environment in which the idea of expanding the railroad took root. The narrative illustrates the challenges faced by early settlers and the fierce determination to conquer the wilderness.

Challenges in Building the Railroad

The construction of the Wilderness Train was fraught with obstacles, both natural and man-made. Through intense dialogues between characters like Ted and Johnny, the podcast portrays the skepticism and logistical nightmares encountered:

Johnny (02:23): "Going up through the state is like walking through a wilderness. No houses, no farms, no nothing."

The absence of infrastructure necessitated a Herculean effort. The United States government’s land grants facilitated the massive undertaking, but the lack of modern machinery meant that men, horses, and oxen were the primary workforce. Paul Shannon narrates:

"Tracks 705 miles long, twice the distance of the Erie Canal. Its cost twice that of the national road."

Human Element and Hardships

The story doesn't shy away from the human cost of progress. Colonel Mason, the leader of the construction effort, faces multiple crises:

• Shipwreck: The essential shipment of iron rails—the Lady of the West—was lost in a gale, leading to panic over the delayed supplies (07:15).

• Riots and Disease: Tensions escalate when two workmen are killed by natives, raising fears of riots. Simultaneously, a cholera outbreak decimates the workforce, with Bloomington alone reporting 200 deaths (09:45).

Amid these tribulations, the resolve to continue construction remains unshaken:

Colonel Mason (11:30): "We need those men. This job must go on."

Community Impact and Celebrations

As the railroad progresses, its arrival in each town is met with jubilant celebrations. Paul Shannon vividly describes these moments:

"Gala feasts and holidays were held for the first locomotive to reach the village. Women baked, men butchered for a mammoth. Free dinner to welcome the first locomotive on the fresh tracks."

These festivities symbolize the railroad’s pivotal role in transforming wilderness into thriving communities. West Urbana exemplifies this transformation:

Narrator (14:50): "It used to be just a depot, but in a year it had 500 people, 300 buildings going up... Now it's got 1500 people."

Triumph Over Adversity

The climax of the story sees Colonel Mason ensuring the safety and reliability of the railroad infrastructure amidst local resistance. A dramatic standoff at a dubious bridge tests the community’s faith in the project:

Local Resident (12:10): "I'll shoot the first engineer who tries it."

Colonel Mason (12:45): "The engine got through safely and the reward was paid."

This pivotal moment underscores the triumph of human ingenuity and perseverance over fear and doubt.

Legacy of the Wilderness Train

Paul Shannon concludes by reflecting on the enduring legacy of the Wilderness Train:

"From the courage, strength, and initiative of the Midwest pioneers, a state was carved. ... the road to the Wilderness Train became the main line of Mid America."

The railroad not only bridged vast distances but also fostered economic growth, community development, and national unity, cementing its place as a cornerstone of American progress.

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Conclusion

"Wilderness Train" serves as a powerful homage to the relentless spirit of those who forged the railroads through America’s frontier. By blending historical narratives with engaging dramatizations, the Old Time Radio Westerns podcast brings to life the monumental efforts that transformed the Midwest from a wilderness into the bustling heartland of Mid America.

For enthusiasts and newcomers alike, this episode offers a rich tapestry of storytelling that honors the legacy of iconic Western radio dramas while illuminating a pivotal chapter in American history.

Transcript

[Expedia Voice]

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[Andrew Rines]

Welcome to the Old Time Radio Westerns. I'm your host, Andrew Rines and I'm excited to bring you another episode absolutely free. This is one of over 80 episodes released monthly for your enjoyment. Now let's get into this episode.

[Paul Shannon]

Adventures in Research. A hundred years ago, something new and great happened in this country. A man made monster rumbled over the horizon, frightened children, terrified horses and converted a wilderness into green pastures and bustling cities. That something was a railroad that opened the Midwest and helped make America the colossus of the world. This is the story of the Wilderness Train, a railroad that came to be known as the Main Line of Mid America. This is Paul Shannon bringing you another transcribed story of science produced as a public service in cooperation with the Westinghouse Research Laboratories and today telling you the story of the Wilderness Train.

[Expedia Voice]

Packages by Expedia. You were made to be rechargeable. We were made to package flights, hotels and hammocks for less. Expedia Made to travel.

[Paul Shannon]

The story begins with a name and a jungle, both of them terrifying. The jungle is the unexplored, untamed territory that is now Illinois. Through this swamp and mire move Indians in war paint. Illinois seethed with excitement and one name is heard everywhere. Blackhawk. Blackhawk. As governor of the state of Illinois, I proclaim that the Indians have assumed a hostile attitude and invaded this state in violation of the treaty. I consider the settlers in imminent danger. No citizen should remain inactive when his country is invaded. I call to arms all able bodied men to repulse this attack. It's high time. Come on, Ted, let's join up. We can drive that Blackhawk clip back to his tepee. I don't know, Johnny. Talk's cheap. Plenty cheap. Listen, any day that we can. Now don't start picking no quarrel with me. I don't want homes burned and the settlers killed any more than you. I just say talk's cheap. How are we going to get to this Black Hawk to give him golly nets? Get to him what you mean, Ted? Well now, he and the Sewicks are way up the north part of Illinois and here you are way down here in the south part, champing at the bit and already sighting your rifle. You got a powerful way to walk for you. Can even get a bead on Blackhawk. Just take me to him, that's all. Ain't nobody going to take you there either, Johnny boy. You're going to have to walk, and it won't be pleasant. Going up through the state is like walking through a wilderness. No houses, no farms, no nothing. Oh, go on with you. There must be people. Sure, Illinois's got people, 160,000 of them. They're all like us. They all built near the rivers, through the north country there. There ain't no rivers yet. There is. They don't have no bridges nor ferries. Well, doggone it, they got them steam engines in the East. Why don't they get one out here to get us to where Blackhawk is? Steam engine? Are you loco, Johnny? You think Blackhawk's gonna wait on a steam engine? Well, neither am I. Come on, let's sign up. The men started marching. They waited breasty for hours, pushing the keel boats against the current, then lifting them out of the rapid, then through the swabs where the baggage wagons mired down through sinkholes, through grass higher than their heads. Seeing only mosquitoes and rattlesnakes, the men marched, cursing Black Hawk and dreaming of a steam engine. Black Hawk was defeated and after a while, forgotten. But the dream of a train through the wilderness was not. Not by the men who marched through the rough interior of Illinois. Wherever men congregated, they talk. Oh, wait a minute. No, wait. Look at it this way. There are only three settlements in the north of any importance whatsoever. There's Fort Dearborn in Chicago, which ain't much account. And that dinky trading post on the river. Peoria and Galena. All right, Galena. They got lead mines there. With a railroad, we could get the lead shipped south without having to worry about the river freezing over. Now, look, what's northern Illinois got beside those lead lines? Well, it. It could have if we had a railroad. I tell you, it's a sham and a mockery. Now, you fellas, listen to me. What's ailing you? Railroads. From no place to no place. What's the sense in going from Cairo to Chicago? Freight. Freight? What cargo? Hoop poles and bullfrogs. You see, it's plain foolishness, and I, for one, ain't going to. Hold on a minute. George, you too. Don't tell me you're for this fool railroad, too. No other improvement reason would justify us in hope. And for can equal the railroad source of communication that won't fail, won't be interrupted. High water, low water, freezing weather from everything that makes water communication precarious and uncertainty. Think it over, gentlemen. Think it over. Who was he to come button his nose at? Ah, it's just a politician running for the state legislature. What's his name? And Lincoln. Abe Lincoln. Here in America, a country barely 80 years old, men like Abe Lincoln were thinking of a railroad that would put trouble tracks through the wilderness. And as they dreamed, steps were taken to bring that dream to reality. The United States government gave a land grant for the road. And a stupendous undertaking it was for the day. Tracks 705 miles long, twice the distance of the Erie Canal. Its cost twice that of the national road. A railroad to be built not with bulldozers, cranes and pneumatic hammers, but with brawn, sweat and stamina with horses, oxen and men. Wanted 3000 track laborers. Wages a dollar and a quarter a day fare from New York only 4, 75. Good board can be obtained at $2 a week. This is a rare chance for persons to go west, being sure of permanent employment in a healthy climate where land can be bought cheap and for fertility is not surpassed in any part of the union. Men with families prefer. For further information, crews of lumberjacks were sent into the forests of Michigan, Wisconsin and southern Illinois to produce cross ties and bridge timbers. Ties and pine were cut in Kentucky and Tennessee and brought to the railroad in river barges. Quarries were opened to provide stone for bridges and building foundations. Thousands of ox teams and horse teams were transporting rail ties, lumber, stone and provisions over long stretches of miserable roads and across the open prairie desert. The man in charge of this gigantic building operation was Colonel Mason, into whose office came all the troubles and turmoil of a stupendous undertaking. Let me know as soon as you hear about our ship, the lady of the West. Travis. Yes, colonel. Yes. She ought to be nearing New Orleans now with her iron rails and a crew of laborers. We need them. Need them bad. Ship's overdue, colonel. Oh, yes, what is it, colonel? Two workmen been shot by the natives. Looks like it might develop into a riot. One of our camps is getting ready to retaliate. Call the governor. See if he can give us any state troops to put it down. Yes, you'll have to work fast, Colonel Mason. Oh, now what? More trouble through the middle of the state. Men are sick and beginning to come down with a cholera. Bloomington has reported 200 deaths already, and it's getting worse. Hell, of that. How about our workers? They haven't lost any etsy, the natives. But the deaths are frightened of men, and they're leaving like sheep. See what we can do. Take crews off the job. Have them help bury the dead. Do what you can. Yes, sir. Colonel. Yes. Oh, Jarvis. News of the ship messenger just came in, sir. The lady of the west went down in a gale. We've lost 729 tons of iron. Well, forget the iron. What about the crew of laborers? All safe and sound, Colonel. That's the important thing. We need those men. This job must go on. And it did, despite shipwreck, riots, cholera. Somehow, bare hands built embankments, cleared forests, leveled hills, filled ravines, bridged rivers and streams, and laid mile upon mile of railroad tracks for the iron horse to ride through the wilderness. As the tracks progressed from town to town, gala feasts and holidays were held for the first locomotive to reach the village. Women baked, men butchered for a mammoth. Free dinner to welcome the first locomotive on the fresh tracks. But occasionally, there were other welcomes. I tell you, they ain't gonna make Galena the end of the line. Oh, sir, they're gonna run the road clear as far as Dubuque. Dubuque? That'll take all our business away from me. If and they do it. Ifen they do it. What do you mean, Abner? Who'll stop them? Why you looking so queer? Let him try it, that's all. I see. Let him just try to run a railroad over that bridge they're building. I heard some folks say the bridge ain't strong enough to hold no railway engine. It'll smash to smithereens, they say. Yeah? Maybe they won't be around to see it. I got me a gun. I have. That's who's gonna stop them. Just try to run a train over the bridge. I'll shoot the first engineer who tries it. You're the engineer who's going to make the first run. That's me, Colonel. Now, I don't have to tell you that the townspeople are somewhat upset. Some of them making threats about what can happen. So I've heard, Colonel. You're willing to take the chance if you say the bridge is strong enough. Now, I've heard that, too. The bridge is strong enough. And I promise you $100 if you take that engine across. Well, and how much will you give my widow if I don't? A thousand. All right, let's go. Good luck. Thank you, colonel. The engine got through safely and the reward was paid. And finally, through the toil and sweat of the workers, the plans and hopes of the leader. The Wilderness Train was completed, and as the rails cut through the wilderness, farms were opened, homes sprang up, schools and churches were established, mines were open, mills and shops, hotels and stores appeared in villages and towns. Communities doubled, treble, quadrupled. Say, wait till you see West Urbana. It used to be just a depot, but in a year it had 500 people, 300 buildings going up, two hotels, six stores and a furniture warehouse. Now it's got 1500 people. 1500 people. Land of Goshen. All this from out of the Wildern? Yes, all this came about when the Iron Horse forged a path through what had once been a wilderness. And from the courage, strength and initiative of the Midwest pioneers, a state was carved. For when the Iron Horse came chugging through the wasteland. When the Wilderness Train passed by, it left. In its wake cities, industries, farms and towns and the road to the Wilderness Train became the main line of Mid America. And that's today's Adventure in Research. Produced in cooperation with the Westinghouse Research Laboratories, these programs are broadcast to Armed Forces personnel overseas through the facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Join us again next week for another transcribed story of Science on Adventures in Research.

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[Andrew Rines]

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[Paul Shannon]

Sam.