Building of The Southern Minnesota Railroad
                            H. E. ROGERS

     Col. T. B. Stoddard came to La Crosse in 1851 and was so im-
pressed with the place, its location and natural advantages that he de-
cided to cast his fortunes and future work with the people of the small
village.
     He formed a connection or partnership with Harvey E. Hubbard
and engaged in the practice of law.
     On November 8, 1851, Mr. Stoddard, John M. Levy and Bernard
W. Brisbois filed the plat of an addition to the village of La Crosse.
This addition was bounded on the north by Division street, on the east
by the alley between Fifth and Sixth streets to Mississippi street, then
west to the Mississippi river. This tract is now known as Stoddard and
Levy's addition.
     Col. Stoddard was called by many a visionary man as he outlined
what he proposed to do. By others he was called a builder. I like the
term "builder" much the best, for a visionary man is not always a build-
er, but a builder is always visionary. He must see with his mind's eye
the finished structure of what he is building.
     Col. Stoddard's early vision was an inter-state bridge across the
Mississippi river into Minnesota and a railroad running west through
the southern tier of counties, which would go on to the Rocky Mount-
ains and the Pacific ocean, thereby making La Crosse the eastern term-
inus of this great railroad.
     The eastern end of this bridge was to be located a short distance
south of Green Bay street. The bridge would run southwest, crossing
the southern end of Isle la Plume, thence to the west bank of the Mis-
sissippi river. It would then cross the marsh for a distance of more
than two miles to the dry land.
     As early as 1852 Col. Stoddard began to secure land for railroad
use along the east side of the river. By 1855 we find that he owned Isle
la Plume and all the lots from Division street south for nearly two
miles, embracing nearly 300 acres, according to the government survey,
but it could be increased to nearly 600 acres by making a "fill" to the
edge of the river current.
     March 2, 1855, a company was formed at Hokah, Minnesota, to
build and construct the Root River Valley and Southern Minnesota
railroad, and was granted a charter by the then territory of Minnesota.
The charter expressly stated that Hokah should be the eastern ter-
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