Abaigh's+Exhibit

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Dodge started laying railroad tracks for the Eastern Railroad at the age of 14! Dodge's dream was to build the railroad that transported people to California so they could be a part of the Gold Rush.

When Dodge graduated from the scientific department with his degree in civil and military engineering in 1851, he immediately became heavily involved in railroad construction, which became the work that would take up most of his life. His interest was in railroad engineering and in all aspects of the real estate business.

Westward expansion of the railroad system brought him to Peru, Illinois, where he secured a position with the Illinois Central Railroad. After that, he became associated with the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad, and he undertook survey work from Davenport to Iowa City and from there to Council Bluffs, Iowa, and Omaha, Nebraska. Dodge also supervised the construcion of the Mexican Oriental Railway in Mexico.

After Dodge was married, he moved to Iowa City, then later on he moved further west to Council Bluffs. Since Dodge was famous for being a big part of the Transcontinental Railroad he was asked to be the chief engineer, director, and president of over a dozen U.S. railroad construction projects during the 19th and early 20th century.

When he worked on the railroad, he worked mainly in the West and Southwest. He consulted on the building of the Trans-Siberian railway in Russia duing the late 1870's. Dodge tried to get a hold of any railroad interests in Wahington D.C., because that is where he preferred to work.

In October of 1862, Dodge helped rebuild the railway from Columbus to Corinth.

Dodge and Abraham Lincoln met for the first time in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the 11th day of August. Dodge said that one of the milestones in his life was being interviewed by Lincoln about building the railroads.

Another milestone was when he went to Lincoln's inauguration as a delegate for the Republican party. Dodge was shocked when at 12:00 a.m. one night he received a dispatch from the War Department notifying him that Lincoln had been shot. When Dodge was in St.Louis and he saw Lincoln's train with Lincoln's casket in it, he described the sight like this: "The streetes of St.Louis were deserted for two days,there was nothing but sorrow in both the South and the North." Dodge was into banking for part of his life he for a little while,him and his partner created the Council Bluffs Savings Bank. He worked at it for a while then decided to go into politics. He wanted to be a Rebuplican.