James Postema

I welcome your comments, questions, criticism, compliments....

C&NW Rwy [Galena incl] Iowa Div. 1850-1880

Delighted to see your additions to Galena!! I know very little about how Wikip works but I am learning. Just found out about this option. I think you are able to see my edits; let me know if you have any tho'ts re them. I would appreciate that. Also if you are able to see my sandbox re Isaac B. Howe, my ggfather.

My edits re railroading.: Dr. Edward Williams, C&NW, CR&MR, Wm Ogden, George Dunlap, Col James H. Howe [no relation] etc., but I'm unable to link for some reason. I would love to see articles created for Williams co-Supt of the Galena Div. John C. Gault.

I don't know if we are allowed to exchange emails but if so I have transcribed letters you might be interested in from that period. I have donated the originals to the CNW Historical Society. They recently published an IB Howe article which got me started with wikip.MarkWHowe (talk) 21:04, 17 September 2024 (UTC)

Thanks for your message, Mark, and I'm glad you appreciate the images I added to the Galena and Chicago Union page. I actually don't see many of your edits there or on the C&NW pages, but on your "User contributions" page I see some changes that have "/sandbox" after them, which might mean that they never got out of the "sandbox," the drafting or "seeing if I can do this" stage.

Like you, I'm sort of getting started with all this. I teach writing for a living, and expanding the railroad histories is a lot like the research work that I ask my students to do. It's also a diversion for me from grading (which I'm putting off right now by responding to you here!).

While I do plan on expanding what is now the final section of the G&CU page (the section which you did give a better title to), my interest in the G&CU comes mainly because it was so closely related to the Aurora Branch Railroad, which was the earliest company of what eventually became BNSF -- that's the major carrier in Minnesota/North Dakota, so I sort of started focusing on expanding the histories of all the feeder lines. That's may main interest.

But it's cool to see that you have an interesting personal connection to the C&NW through your great-grandfather! Although that's not what I will be working on, it's nice to see that personal link. James Postema (talk) 00:15, 18 September 2024 (UTC)

After seeing what you did I got busy yesterday and added what I have had waiting in the wings for a while. Maybe it wasn't visible to you yet. I am in SoCal; way later than the rest of the country. I added a lot to the final sections. Are you able to see what is in my "sandbox"?

My problem is going to be what is prominently stated by the Wiki Admin editors. Being personally related to the subject matter it is hard for me to stay 'encyclopedic' in form. I'm working on that, but if you can make suggestions that would help me a lot. Sorry, that will sound a lot like what you do for a living, huh.  :-} Maybe assign students to it. High school or college/university? MarkWHowe (talk) 19:41, 18 September 2024 (UTC)

I do now see your edits, Mark, so they're there, and I see that they are definitely extensive! I wouldn't mind working through them, if you don't mind being edited or having me ask questions to clarify points I don't understand. I would check with you about possible edits before I made any changes, to see if you objected to them.

You're right in that it would be sort of like my job, but that's not really an issue. However, I wouldn't be able to get at your additions immediately because of my workload--I teach college-level English, btw, and I'm halfway through a set of first drafts with individual conferences tomorrow and then all day Friday, so that would have to be what I spend time on. But again, I'm happy to work through what you wrote if that's okay with you!

Jim James Postema (talk) 22:40, 18 September 2024 (UTC)

I am SO grateful!!

I come from a science background and being reviewed is the only way to make any sense. Glad you are willing, and I will read up on the Aurora. I see that article is focused very much on the what but not so much on the who. I am wondering if there may have been a number of persons involved in the Aurora that I am familiar with. Maybe. CBQ maybe even more likely.

Thanks again.! MarkWHowe (talk) 23:30, 18 September 2024 (UTC)

Sounds good, Mark -- I am sure that there would be overlap among board members of the G&CU and the Aurora Branch; in fact, John Van Nortwick originally was trying to get a railroad to Batavia, then was brought on as the construction engineer by the G&CU, and one of the sources states that there seems to have been an attempted rerouting of the G&CU to go through Batavia and Aurora. And then Van Nortwick ends up playing a prominent role with the Chicago and Aurora....

I finished my pile of paper drafts and conferences, but I've been looking back at the materials I have on the G&CU, partly to wrap my head around the several different railroads that were involved. I was planning on a "Branching Out" paragraph, intended mainly to name the ways (branches and link-ups) that Ogden and the G&CU board were trying to expand in every direction. That would go before the material that you added, I think.

Once I have a better sense of that background again, I would go through your additions. I'm glad you don't mind the idea of a review -- as an English professor/teacher I often get resentment about grammar, which in fact I spend very little time on in class, but it has been seared into students by past teachers that the pain is still there. I consciously do not use red pens for grading, for that reason.

Anyway, I look forward to getting back to this material -- it provides a nice break from my teaching load. James Postema (talk) 00:24, 23 September 2024 (UTC)

Wrapping one's head around the many rr startups, failures and takeovers is daunting to say the least!! I have limited myself, so far, to Ogden and the CNW 'Phoenix from the flames' of the Jan '59 auction of the Fond du Lac after the 1857 panic. Then the parallel development of the Galena. If I were writing a novel I would have those guys all plotting with each other behind the curtain. As I try to insinuate in my articles I'm sure the Iowa railroads were very cosy with the Galena; some of that is pretty clear in the annual reports of the Galena. And less clear is what I also insinuate, probably more than I should, that they were plotting against John I Blair and his engineer WW Walker. Hence, as I say I am more into the personalities and the players, but not so sure that is what the wikip folks like. Feeling my way.

Last few days; Col. James H Howe [no relation] and his railroad adventures. Previously the article was mostly about his judicial and political contributions but again, I read into it that he wanted to be in with the 'railroad guys'. Having the background of the personal letters they wrote makes a huge difference. Yeah, I should write a book, but almost 82 and running out of time. I added a bit to Luzerne Iowa; talked to the guy that wrote the book on it and he didn't include the founders - Ike and Annie.

Ps; I like red pens  :-} My wife Ann uses them on me. MarkWHowe (talk) 04:10, 23 September 2024 (UTC)