Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway Co. - 1868 dated Railroad Stock Certificate

A rare variety of this Stock with 25 cents revenue stamp! The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMStP&P), commonly known as the "Milwaukee Road" (reporting mark MILW), was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and Northwest United States from 1847 until 1986.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, the company faced significant financial challenges, including a bankruptcy filing in 1977. It had previously filed for bankruptcy twice, in 1925 and 1935. In 1980, the Milwaukee Road abandoned its Pacific Extension, which covered tracks in Montana, Idaho, and Washington. On January 1, 1986, the remaining rail system was merged into the Soo Line Railroad (reporting mark SOO), a subsidiary of Canadian Pacific Railway (reporting mark CP). Much of its historical trackage is still in use by other railroads. The Milwaukee Road's legacy is preserved in landmarks such as the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis and in preserved locomotives like Milwaukee Road 261, which operates excursion trains.

The railroad that became the Milwaukee Road began as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad in Wisconsin, aimed at connecting the growing port city of Milwaukee on Lake Michigan with the Mississippi River. Incorporated in 1847, the company changed its name to the Milwaukee and Mississippi Railroad in 1850 before construction started. Its first line, five miles long, was inaugurated between Milwaukee and Wauwatosa on November 20, 1850. This line was extended to Waukesha in February 1851, Madison, and ultimately reached the Mississippi River at Prairie du Chien in 1857.