Welcome to the Chicago & North Western Historical Society!

"Sam Campbell: The life of the man behind the C&NW travelogues and tours."

Read about the man who personified the C&NW at presentations around the Chicago area for many years and was nicknamed "The Philosopher of the Forest." Sam filmed scenes in the North Woods and other tourist areas and presented them to audiences in the winter. He and his wife led C&NW tour groups to places like the Black Hills and Alaska.

Click here to read his story...

In the First 2008 Issue of North Western Lines...

Editor's Notes:
Table of Contents
10 The Peoria Gateway by Dennis Holmes & Gene Green
16 The Corn Belt Route by Dick Wilson
22 The Omaha Road in Eau Claire and Altoona by Joe Follmar
Editor's Desk

With this issue the C&NWHS is launching a new companion publication to North Western Lines. The Newsliner will contain many of the columns and editorial material that once was found on the early pages in NWL. Only a few of the columns remain, and those are ones that are more directly related to NWL or are an obvious place where color photography is included, such as North Western News.
One only has to go as far as this issue to realize the main reason for this change — we’re in desperate need of more space for articles. Joe Follmar’s piece in this issue begins on page 22 and fills the issue — so much so that the second part of the “Last of Steam” Photo Section was cut at the last minute to make room for Joe’s comprehensive look at the Omaha Road’s influence in Eau Claire. We’ll look at part 2 of both features in the next issue.
Essentially all of the advertising was moved from the pages of NWL to the Newsliner, which will be the avenue in the future for members to see what is being produced by the C&NWHS. Yet another place is the society’s website: cnwhs.org.
The CGW and M&StL columns will continue to fill pages of NWL, and as can be seen in this issue, often these will be expanded for feature-length columns. Dick Wilson’s CGW coverage of the west end of the railroad demonstrates that there is plenty of room for content on the predecessors.
While there is a large backlog of articles, don’t let that deter you from writing articles on the C&NW and its predecessor roads. We’re especially in need of short 2–4 page articles to help fill in pages when a large feature is used.
The convention package should be mailed just about the same time as this issue, so take time to make your travel plans early and attend the Annual Meet in Eau Claire in May. The Annual Meet is the best place to learn more about the North Western while meeting fellow enthusiasts or renewing old friendships.
Wherever you are along the line, wishing you… the Best of Everything!
–Kevin EuDaly, Editor
North Western Lines