[Group of Lease Agreements from the Southern Indiana Interurban Railway Company and the Louisville & Jefferson Bridge Company]

Consolidating Midwestern interurban lines in the first 3 decades of the 20th century.

This uncommon collection of lease agreements captures a part of the complicated history of interurban transit in Indiana during the early 20th century. The various documents, seven in all, outline the evolving economic relationship between the Southern Indiana Traction Company (and its different operators) and the Louisville and Jefferson Bridge Company; with the goal of completing a passenger line between Indianapolis and Louisville.

Original dates vary from 1902 – 1909, though text on the covers indicates that the majority were ‘Assigned to Interstate Public Service Company’ as of 1921. This reflects a new managing company (est. 1912) under the authority of transit magnate Samuel Insull.

One of the lease amendments, originally dated 1902, includes a huge folding blueprint plan titled Louisville & Southern Traction Co. Proposed Connection with L. & J. Co’s Bridge at Louisville, KY. Though heavily torn, the complete image provides a detailed overview of the approaches to Louisville’s Big Four Bridge downtown. The bridge was completed in 1895 by the Louisville and Jeffersonville Bridge Company at great cost in blood and treasure. Financial difficulties forced the sale to the Indianapolis-based Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, facilitating the Big Four’s Ohio River crossing into Louisville and the operation of the aforementioned interurban line.