ICES adjunct scientist Mike Conlon appointed ICES North site director. ICES North is in development in Sudbury at Health Sciences North Research Institute and will be launched in late 2017.
Although Illinois could not boast having the first steam-powered railroad in the United States or the Midwest (Maryland in 1828 and Ohio in 1836 claimed those honors), residents could brag of being the home state for some of the earliest American carriers.
Talk of a transcontinental railroad started in 1830 as the use of railroads in the U.S. increased. At this time, settlers from the East began moving into California which was controlled by Mexico. The idea of a railroad to connect the East coast to California was popular. However, much of the early debate was on what route it should follow.