Janesville was connected with Chicago by rail; the Northern Division was finished to Minnesota Junction; railroads superseded the stage-coach mails.

The evidence

• “During the first year of the new management, the road in Illinois was completed to the State line, and in 1856, Janesville was connected with Chicago. The Northern Division of the road was also finished to Minnesota Junction, where its connection with the La Crosse & Milwaukee road was established.”

  1879-history-of-rock-county/10-rock-county-ch04-early-maps-courts-railroads.md, PDF p. 378 / book p. 382

  Butterfield, C. W., et al. The History of Rock County, Wisconsin: its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc. Chicago: Western Historical Company, 1879. Cornell University Library via the Internet Archive, archive.org/details/cu31924028871585.

  Grade A: Found on a page of one of our sources