11/22/2009:
The Northern Pacific opened rail lines between Edgeley and Streeter, North Dakota, on this day in 1905. The Northern Pacific already extended between Minneapolis and Seattle, but several branches of the line continued to be built into the rural areas of the state into the 1970s. Chartered by Congress in 1864, the company had undergone bankruptcy, several ownership changes, and even an anti-trust dissolution. Just the previous year, the company, which had merged with the Great Northern and Chicago Railroad companies, had been considered in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act and had been forced to become an independent entity once again. Allowing for the quick transfer of goods and people into rural areas, the railroad's role in the settlement of the state at the turn of the century was pivotal. After mergers in the 1970s and 1990s, the company continues to operate as the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.
Dakota Datebook written by Jayme L. Job
Sources:
http://www.answers.com/topic/northern-pacific-railway
http://edgeley.com/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B67C99C26-90F8-4544-A77A-13586D0B9AB3%7D