Waupaca County

  1.)Big Falls Railway Company.

  This line was owned by the Wall-Spaulding Lumber Company of Big Falls.  In June
of 1889 C&NW predecessor Milwaukee Lake Shore & Western constructed a spur south 
from its main at Hunting (a siding on the C&NW Ashland Main located on the 
Waupaca-Shawano County line) 3 miles to a granite quarry located near Big Falls.  
The line was extended south to the village in Octoboer of 1891.  Wall-Spaulding 
incorporated the Big Falls Railway on August 23, 1895.  Big Falls leased the 
Hunting-Big Falls line from the C&NW and constructed a line running northwest from 
Big Falls to a post office called Comet in far soutwestern Shawano County.  In 
1898 a branch was built off the main westerly to a village called Norske near the 
Waupaca-Portage County line.  Interests from Rosholt pressed to have the line 
extended to their village, but the construction of the C&NW branch to Rosholt in 
1903 quickly killed all such talk.  Eventually 21 miles of track were laid.  All 
this track material was leased from the C&NW.  The Big Falls provided passenger and 
mail service on the Hunting-Big Falls portion of its line.  The Norske Branch was 
taken up about 1911 after about 5 years of inactivity.  In 1913 the Hunting-Big 
Falls line reverted to C&NW operation and the original main was cut back about 5 
miles from Comet leaving Big Falls with a six mile line running northwest from its 
namesake village.  Tom Wall founder of Wall-Spaulding Lumber died in 1920 and in 
short order the lumber company was liquidated including the railroad.  The C&NW spur 
from Hunting to Big Falls linered on in service until 1950.