Entre trilhos, cafezais e gabinetes: O processo de expansão da Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina na Zona da Mata Mineira (1870-1879)

Abstract

The “Companhia Estrada de Ferro Leopoldina” was established in 1872, with the objective of connecting Minas Gerais’ Zona da Mata to the branch line of the “Estrada de Ferro Pedro II”, at the border of the provinces of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, in order to make the flow of the coffee produced in the region easier. From the exposed, we propose the analysis of the established relations among the various characters that acted in the expansion of the branches, like members of the company and the political leaderships from the locations covered by the rails, discussing issues about the existing power relations among these agents in the process of the Leopoldina railroad network expansion throughout the territory of Zona da Mata. To this end, we are going to use official documents from the provincial and imperial governments, as well as the ones produced by the agriculture, trading, and public contracts ministry; by the president of the province, minutes and annals of the Minas Gerais Provincial Legislative Chamber and newspapers originating from the provinces of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais. Thus, it was possible to conclude the presence of political disputes in the process of the railroad expansion and also the close link between the enterprise and the coffee production in the region of Zona da Mata during the decade of 1870.