Railroad "Tiling" in Jewell Junction, Iowa, Anders Olson

Recently in some family interviews, I discovered a story /information that I had never heard before.   (Just goes to show how important it is to keep asking those questions!)  The first bit of information I was given was in regards to Anders Olson working for the railroad in Jewell, Iowa.  Jewell, Iowa was actually called Jewell Junction at the time Anders lived there.  I looked at some old maps and there was two different tracks that crossed at "Jewell Junction".  I mentioned this story to my dad and he told me that Anders worked for the railroad as a "tiler" and that he used the money he made to buy the property/farm just a couple miles west of Jewell.   I then got curious about what a "tiler" actually did.  So I began researching it, but didn't have much luck finding the information I wanted.  I decided to write a railroad museum in Oklahoma City to see what they knew about tiling.  Luckily,  they had a gentleman that was from the Midwest and knew about tiling in Iowa.  They told me it is used there because the water table in the upper Midwest is close to the surface so farmers, and apparently also the railroads, put in tiling to direct water away from fields and the track.  He explained that it is similar to french drains they use to put around houses.   Here is a bit more information about tiling from Wikipedia: 

 

 "In agriculture, tile drainage is a type of drainage system that removes excess water from soil below its surface. Whereas irrigation is the practice of providing additional water to soil when it is naturally too dry, drainage reduces the moisture in soil and thereby increases the amount of air in its pores so as to augment conditions for optimal growth of crops. While surface water can be drained by pumping, open ditches, or both, tile drainage is often the most prudent practice for draining subsurface water.

The phrase "tile drainage" derives from its original composition from tiles of fired clay, i. e., ceramic, which were similar to terracotta pipes yet not always shaped as are pipes. In the 19th century a "C" shaped channel tile commonly was placed like an arch atop a flat tile, denominated the "mug" and "sole", respectively. Today, tile drainage is any variation of this original system that functions in the same mode. Commonly HDPE and PVC tubing denominated "tile line" is used, although precast concrete and ceramic tiles are still used" Wikipedia.

 

  Once I understood what the job of a tiler was, I started looking for pictures.  Here are some that I found on the internet to help tell the story. 







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Railroad stations at various times in Jewell Junction, Iowa.  Pics from Jewelljunctionhistory.org


 

If you want to learn more about the history of the railroad in Jewell Junction, check out this website: http://jewelljunctionhistory.org/Railroad.htm

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