Though early settlement in Iowa followed the rivers, it was the advent of the railroads, starting in the late 1850s, which opened up the remainder of the state for development – bringing goods to residents and sending their crops and products out to the world. Railroads formed the backbone of middle America, with dozens of trains – freight and passenger – reaching out to nearly every small town in the region. This collection of photographs from the 1800s to the present day celebrates the railroads and railroaders of southeast Iowa.