Although today the Hiawatha is an Amtrak train between Chicago and Milwaukee, originally it was a fleet of trains operated by the Milwaukee Road, formerly known as the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, between Midwest and Far West destinations. The train was named for Longfellow’s epic poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The first train by that name ran in 1935 and by 12 years later there were five routes carrying the name.