Does the Soo Line meet the characterization of a "Granger Road"? Articles I have read often refer to the Chicago & North Western, Milwaukee Road, Rock Island, Chicago Great Western, and the Burlington Route as the Granger Roads. The Soo Line historically covered a lot of the same terrritory as the aforementioned roads, but I haven't seen it referred to as a Granger Road. I know not everything always fits into a definite classification, but has anyone seen the Soo Line referred to as a Granger Road? If the answer is no, why not?
Hi CR, From what I can remember, the SOO was not considered a "granger" road, although they hauled a lot of grain (wheat). I believe the RRs you mentioned qualify by virtue of the fact that they were mostly responsible for the beginning of the National Grange movement. This was caused, so it's said, to overcome the high rates the RRs in Iowa were charging for grain traffic. It was believed that collectively, the shippers would have more clout with the RRs. I hope this answers your question. If anyone has more info, jump in and share it. BILL ------------------ ship SOO!
