Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Canal and Railroad Company

The original plan was to dig a canal from the Apalachicola River to St. Joseph to allow steamboats to connect directly with ocean-going ships.

An 8-mile (13 km) long rail line to Columbus Bayou (renamed Depot Creek) on Lake Wimico was completed in March, 1836.

Besides the railroad terminal and a couple of warehouses, Iola had a steam sawmill, a gristmill, a post office, and a hotel.

[2][3][4] The railroad was constructed with a 5 ft (1,524 mm) track gauge, using wood rails with strap iron on top.

[6] In 1910, the Apalachicola Northern Railroad used part of the old Lake Wimico and St. Joseph roadbed for a branch line to Port St.Joe.

Map of the southern part of Calhoun County, Florida in 1842. This part of Calhoun County later became Gulf County. The map shows the towns of Apalachicola (in Franklin County) and St. Joseph (in Calhoun County), and the rail lines of the Lake Wimico and St. Joseph Railroad, running from St. Joseph to Lake Wimico (which is unlabeled) and from St. Joseph to the Apalachicola River at Iola,