La Verne is correct. Don Hofsommer is doing a history of the M&StL, not
the Iowa Central. La Verne, thanks for catching my error. I have a copy
of Don's MA Thesis on the Iowa Central and was using it as reference for
my posts regarding Albia and the IaC/Wab.
I also have Donovan's book on the M&StL, but understand Hofsommer is
perhaps more accurate with the facts. Donovan usually wrote for the
money, whether the M&StL history or the Palimpsest for the Iowa
Historical Society. He was a railfan, story teller, and self taught
researcher, not a academic trained historian/researcher like Hofsommer.
I understand Hofsommer's new book is quite thorough and can't wait to
get copy.
For those interested in Iowa Railroad history, the UofI Press
www.uiowa.edu/~uipress recently published (2000) all of Donovan's RR
history essays originally written for the Palimpsest, in a new book
edited by H. Roger Grant. Title is "Iowa Railroads: The Essays of Frank
P. Donovan, Jr." Some wonderful reading
Doug Harding
Iowa Central Railroad
www.cal-net.net/~dharding/ <http://www.cal-net.net/~dharding/>
|