Trollies

East Dubuque Local Area History Project

Early Dubuque trolley	by M.S. 4/25/00
	Trolleys were the main form of transportation in Dubuque in the 1800 and early 1900s. Trolleys were long like a bus. The trolleys were set on tracks much like railroad tracks. Dubuque and St. Louis were the only cities west of the Mississippi to have trolleys. The trolleys went through many changes over time.

	In 1867 there was a vote to get the trolleys, and in 1868 the trolley system started. At first trolleys were drawn by horses or mules and could seat up to 20 people. The company that owned these trolleys was the Dubuque Street Railway. There were 20 cars and 15 horses. For the first summer there were no tracks, so basically they were just wagons hauling people around. In 1875 the price of ten cents was brought down to five cents, to encourage more people to ride the trolleys. Because of this, they also lost a lot of money. Within a couple months the, company was leased to Platt Smith and James Hughes with Joseph A. Rhomberg as the president. The line became known as the Rhomberg Line.

Trolley at Eagle Point Park in Dubuque	The first competitors were Hill Street and West Dubuque Steam and Railway Co. Beginning on July 12, 1877, it sent its brand new trolleys out in the street. Hill Street wanted to have a run going up to the top of the bluffs, so the steam engine was tried. The car was called the “Steam Dummy.” The steam trolleys were much different than the electric cars. There was water in part of the trolley and it was heated to create steam. This plan was proven to be futile. Soon Hill Street wanted to use electricity but, since the cars were mechanical and very undependable they were soon banned from the city and the trolleys were left to the horses. This company lasted for seven years.

	In the summer there were wheels on the trolleys, but then in the winter the tracks were covered by snow and ice. The trolley owners would take the wheels off the trolley cars and put runners on them and would pull them as sleighs.

	The first trolleys to use electricity were built in 1889. The power came directly from the Dubuque Electric Light and Power Co. A new streetcar company went into business, the Key City Electric Street Railway Co. One line ran from Jones levee for 30 blocks. The formation of the Key City Electric company started the use of electricity for trolleys. Soon all the trolley companies were using electricity. Over the next few years, all the merged and became one company.

	In 1924 Union Electric took over and started Union Park. Because there was a lot of trolley competition, the trolley company built a amusement park to bring more business. The only way to get to the park was to use the company’s trolleys. The park was at first called Stewart’s Park, but a few years later a merger formed and it was called Union Park. This park also went under some drastic changes.

	One of the runs went up to Eagle Point Park. That is why there is a loop when you enter and exit the park. Two runs went up to Nutwood Park. The admission was one dollar. The company tried to shorten the one hour trip by using a electric battery cars but, since it was very undependable the mission was abandoned.

	As you have read in this article trolleys went under many changes. The early 1900s was the golden age for trolleys. This is when everyone wanted to ride the trolleys. In 1925 feeder busses would pick up people and drop them off at the trolley stops. Busses eventually took over everything. People also did not have to use the trolleys so much because cars were more popular. In 1929 the first trolley shut down, while the others continued operation. July 24th, 1932, busses officially took over. This was the last operation of the trolleys. Trolleys went though changes and then finally shut down.

	Over the last few years, a tourist trolley service opened. Although the trolleys don’t run railroad tracks and aren’t trolleys, they bring back the memories of when people used to ride them. Dubuque has its trolleys once again.

	Bibliography Lyons, Randolph W. Dubuque: The Encyclopedia. Dubuque: Union-Hoermann Press, 1991. Our Spirited Years. Dubuque: Dubuque Telegraph Herald, 1976 Photos Courtesy of Center for Dubuque History. Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa..