Offered in this lot is the First Edition of, "The Milwaukee Road: Its First Hundred Years" by August Derleth 1948, Creative Age Press, illustrated. It is an account of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, which was founded in 1847 as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Rail Road, and was known as the "Milwaukee Road". From its incorporation in 1847 in Wisconsin Territory to its first run in 1851—twenty miles between Milwaukee and Waukesha—to its later position of far-flung power, the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company had a vivid history. By 1948, the Milwaukee Road had more than 40,000 employees and maintained more than 10,000 miles of line in twelve states from Indiana to Washington. August Derleth's popular and well-crafted corporate history celebrates the strength and status of this mighty carrier. On February 19, 1985, the railroad became a subsidiary of Soo Line Corporation and its identity vanished overnight. Nonetheless, it remains a romantic memory, and Derleth's book remains the only complete history of this innovative and dynamic railroad. Since publication Derleth's quotable prose and access to company records guaranteed the book a place in Milwaukee Road scholarship, and most works dealing with the railroad reference it. An annotated bibliography of Wisconsin history published in 1999 included the book and described it as "presented with a novelist's touch. Tom Murray's 2005 "The Milwaukee Road" quotes extensively from Derleth. Joseph P. Schwieterman's "When the Railroad Leaves Town: American Communities in the Age of Rail Line Abandonment" used Derleth as a principal reference for the entry on Harlowton, Montana, a former stop on the Milwaukee Road Pacific Extension. Craig Sanders incorporated it in his "Limiteds, Locals, and Expresses in Indiana", 1838–1971. This was a library copy from the Three Forks Public Library, Three Forks, Montana. This grey cloth bound hardcover book is in good overall condition, very slight scuffing noted to cover edges. Intact pages exhibit age tanning, no other obvious marring noted. Measures 5.5"W x 8.25"L x 1.25"D