Re: [CBQ] Montgomery Sheepyard question

["jpslhedgpeth via Groups.Io" <jpslhedgpeth=aol.com@groups.io>]

Good Job with the history Bill...I"m not an "animal person" but what you have written confirms and explains how the livestock "bidness" was done on the railroad " back in the day"..ie  The RR as I knew and experienced it.  There were so many "ancillary" services and requirements to handling livestock, poultry and "fresh meat" all of these services required lots of "outside" people and facilities, that I often..even now wonder if the railroads actually made anything close to a profit handling this stuff.  Fresh meat and livestock trains required extra engines, crews and..most important...SPEED.  Opposing and slower same direction trains were put aside and delayed to get that "stock train" over the road and it was "all hands on deck" when said "stock train was expected to get some kind of delay.  

Read some of the old "Fiction"...but most of it was based on "real life" experiences writtten by some of the old time "fiction" writers in Railroad Magazine  ie  Harry BEdwell, E.S Dellinger, John Johns,  Those old "Tales of the Rails" were...to a high degree based on "special moves"...passenger extras...stock extras etc.  

Good reading for those of us who know something of the railroad back in those exciting days   However todays computer driven cost analysis methods would probably have put the "kabosh" on the solicitation and handling of fresh meat, stock, and to, perhaps a greater degree "Perishable, fresh fruit and vegetable traffic. 

 This is written 50 years post "Night Trainmaster at Blue Island Yard on the Rock Island where every night was a joyous experience in "Getting the PIGS (TOFC) out and the Perishable connections made.   Woe be unto anyone" who contributed..or could be "BLAMED FOR" any interruption of this traffic. 

Also...I almost forgot that there was the VERY SIGNIFICANT MATTER of DELAY CLAIMS, OFF CONDITON CLAIMS and MISSED CONNECTION CLAIMS....I throw my credentials out in support of this outwardly unknown matter as being obtained by 7 years as Manager FReight Claims" for the RI.  We "shoveled out" some big dollars every year for the above mentioned situations...Of course..as the guy who "Signed the checks" was blamed for the Horrendous claim Bill.  As one of my predecessors once famously said..."Don't blame me"..I"m JUST THE UNDERTAKER"...I didn't kill the deceased"   

Pete

-----Original Message-----
From: cbqbill1x <kybillhusb@gmail.com>
To: CBQ <CBQ@groups.io>
Sent: Mon, Mar 11, 2019 10:04 am
Subject: Re: [CBQ] Montgomery Sheepyard question

All-thanks for all of the information regarding the Montgomery Sheepyards. I grew up in Oswego, and graduated from Oswego High School in 1958. Several of my parent's friends worked at the Montgomery Yards.

Here's a little more information about the Montgomery yards:

In 1960, the Montgomery Stockyards were the largest sheep barns in the world. The Montgomery stockyards were constructed by the CB&Q in 1880. The yards became an important source of employment for people in this area. The stockyard facility included the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy's 20 track yard for loading, unloading, cleaning, and holding sheep for ultimate transfer to the Chicago Stockyards. A hotel was provided for the sheepherders and other in transit workers, Several farms located adjacent to the stockyards were owned by the Burlington Railroad, and were used for resting, grazing, and feeding in transit sheep. Sheepherders and other workers travelled with the train, and may have occupied a bunk* in the stockcar, or rode in a Drover's caboose (a "Cowboy Pullman") or similar "basic accommodation" car. [2]

The Montgomery stockyards were close to the final destination for sheep: the Chicago Stockyards, where the sheep would be slaughtered. In some cases, the shipper would want to have the sheep turned out to pasture for a few days to "fatten the sheep up" before being weighed at the Chicago stockyards. During transit, cattle and sheep lose weight because of lack of water and exercise; since the shipper was paid by weight at the Chicago stockyards, shippers would take every opportunity to feed, and water the animals before they arrived at the Chicago stockyards.

 

The "The 28-hour law of 1873" provided that cattle, sheep, etc., must not be confined in railroad cars for a longer period than 28 consecutive hours (or upon written request of the owner 36 consecutive hours) without unloading the same in a humane manner into properly equipped pens for rest, water, and feeding for a period of at least 5 consecutive hours. Animals can also be kept confined for longer than 28 hours if unloading the animals is not possible because of "accidental or unavoidable causes."

 

* My grandfather, Albert Frey, operated a poultry business in Earlville. At various times they shipped via the Burlington, live and dressed poultry to Chicago. Earlville is "only" 77 miles from Chicago, but in the early 1900's, when my grandfather was starting his business, there were no improved roads between Earlville and Chicago. Route 34/Ogden Avenue would have been the preferred truck route in later years. Route 34 was not completed until 1926. My uncle, who worked in the business said that it was common for a worker to travel "in the poultry car" between Earlville and Chicago. Most of the poultry probably was sold on South Water Street Market, which at the time was Chicago's largest wholesale market. The market had a rail terminal associated with it. 

You can find a photo of a typical poultry car of the era at https://ia802706.us.archive.org/0/items/carbuildersdict00forngoog/carbuildersdict00forngoog.pdf (pp 166)

The above reference provides a number of good photos of various freight and passenger cars of the era, including a photo of a Burlington Furniture car.

Adapted from [2]

Location of sheepyards:

 

north of Webster Street, on both sides of Route 31, and the yards were located between Aucutt and Jericho roads, west from Route 31 to Blackberry Creek. [2]

References:

 

1. http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/840.html

2. "When Montgomery Counted (On) Sheep" Pat Torrance https://patch.com/illinois/montgomery/when-montgomery-counted-on-sheep

_._,_._,_

---

Groups.io Links:

You receive all messages sent to this group.

View/Reply Online (#56896) | Reply To Group | Mute This Topic | New Topic

Your Subscription | Contact Group Owner | Unsubscribe [archives@nauer.org]

_._,_._,_