USA > Kansas > Wyandotte County > Kansas City > Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Historical and biographical. Comprising a condensed history of the state, a careful history of Wyandotte County, and a comprehensive history of the growth of the cities, towns and villages > Part 23
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The panic of this year resulted so disastrously to the railway inter- ests of Kansas City that little progress was made in railroad construc- tion for three or four years ensuing. One of the first companies to take advantage, on any considerable scale, of the revival of commerce, was the Chicago & Alton, which, it will be remembered, had extended its line to Mexico, Mo., on the old Louisiana charter, and for some years had been making its connection to Kansas City from that place over the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroad. February 27, 1877, the president and other officials of that road visited Kansas City to confer with the people, relative to extending that line along the ronte originally proposed for the Louisiana Road to Kansas City. At a series of public meetings, held during the spring and summer, the sentiments of the people along the route were ascertained, and in the fall a new company was organized for the purpose of building the road. This was known as the Chicago, St. Louis & Kansas City Rail-
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road Company. It was composed mainly of Chicago and Alton men. Aid was accorded by the counties along the line. The Memphis Railroad projects, in which Kansas City had been so greatly and so successfully interested, since 1870, reappeared in 1877. April 12 the road was sold in bankruptcy to Kansas City men for $15,025; but at- tempts to raise funds to construct the line were unsuccessful. Other railroad enterprises were more fortunate, however, and the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad began the construction of branches from Emporia south, since extended via Howard, Kas., and from Florence to Eldorado, later extended to connect with the main line at Ellen- wood, Kas. Early in the year a company, consisting of representa- tives of the different railway interests centering in Kansas City, was organized to build a union depot-a measure that had been for some years under discussion. July 10 the old wooden shed, which had long served for that purpose, was abandoned, and the point of inter- change was moved to the State-line depot. The demolition of the old building followed speedily, and the erection of the present imposing structure was at once begun, and finished in January, 1878, at a cost of $225,000. Other additional railroad facilities were effected in 1877 by the extension of the Clay Center branch of the Kansas Pacific road to Clifton, the extension of the Central branch of the Union Pacific to Concordia, and the construction of the Joplin Railroad from Girard to the line of the Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad. The Central branch of the Union Pacific made its eastern terminus at Atchison, but met with such competition in the Republican Valley from the Clay Center branch of the Kansas Pacific that it was compelled to make rates to Kan- sas City over the Missouri Pacific from Atchison, and it thus became virtually a Kansas City road. About the close of the year it was pro- posed to extend the Joplin line to the Fort Smith & Little Rock Rail- road, in Arkansas, thus securing a through line to the Mississippi River, at Chico, by the latter road and the Little Rock, Mississippi River & Texas Railroad, then nearly completed between Little Rock and Pine Bluff. The great railroad strike of this year (1877) extended its influence to Kansas City, and on the afternoon of July 23 freight train men refused to work further without an advance of wages. At night meetings were held by the strikers, and in Kansas City, Mo., on the following day a mob of lawless men, chiefly idlers, paraded the streets and forbade laborers of nearly every kind to work longer. These ominous proceedings aronsed the people, and meetings were held quietly and measures adopted to protect property. A company
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of men was promptly raised and sworn in as special police, and this timely provision had the effect of crushing the lawless spirit of the mob, who were taking advantage of the railroad strike to inaugurate an order of anarchy and destruction, such as had recently prevailed in Pittsburgh, Penn. Many laborers in what is now Kansas City, Kas .. were involved in this movement. The trouble was mainly confined to the railroad men and their employes, who succeeded in amicably adjust- ing their differences, and freight business was resumed July 30. The strikers did not, apparently, seek a collision with the Government authorities, which would have resulted from their stopping the mails, and as passenger trains were mail trains, passenger traffic was not interfered with.
Arrangements for building the extension of the Chicago & Alton Railroad were completed in January, 1878, except for the right of way through Kansas City, Mo., and this was secured August 8. The construction of the road was progressing rapidly below, and Decem- ber 4 the work was begun here. Chief among railway extensions this year was that of the Chicago & Alton from Mexico, Mo., to Kansas City, making another through line to Chicago and St. Louis. This road was nearly completed during the year, and was opened for busi- ness April 18, 1879, but did not begin running passenger trains until May 13. The next in immediate importance, if it was not the most im- portant for Kansas City, was the extension of the Atchinson, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, from Pueblo, Colo., to Clifton, N. M., with a view to further extension to a connection with the Southern Pacific of California, making a southern trans-continental route more valuable than the Union Pacific. This road also built a branch to Leadville, Colo., to afford railroad facilities to the rich San Juan country. The line of the Central branch of the Union Pacific was extended to Beloit, Kas., bringing to Kansas City the trade of the upper Republican and Solomon Valleys. The Kansas Pacific extended its Clay Center branch to Clyde, and built a branch from Solomon City to Minneapolis, with the same general effect as the extension of the Central branch. The Kansas City, Burlington & Santa Fe Railroad was further extended from Williamsburg to Burlington, bringing to Kansas City an impor- tant addition to her trade from the southwestern part of Central Kan- sas. The pool that had existed since September, 1876, was dissolved March, 1878, and then followed the first severe railroad war in which Kansas City lines were involved. This fight was apparently sought by the St. Louis lines as against those leading to Chicago, and was in-
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angurated April 1, by the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern Railroad, with a cut of rates to about one-third, and raged furiously for a short time, when the pool was reorganized.
This year Jay Gould's interest in lines leading to Kansas City was acquired in this manner: He was a chief owner in the Union Pacific. By its charter, that road was required to pro-rate on equal terms with the Kansas Pacific for California business, but it had always refused to do so. Mr. T. F. Oakes, general superintendent of the Kansas Pacific, was now able to afford his company efficient aid in its long struggle with the Union Pacific for its charter rights. Early in the year he induced Mr. Chaffee, of Colorado, to introduce into Congress a bill to compel the Union Pacific to respect the rights of the Kansas Pacific, and a largely. attended public meeting held in Kansas City, February 8, indorsed it strongly and memorialized Congress on the subject, and similar action taken at other places resulted in the favor- able reporting of the bill in March, with a good prospect for its pas- sage. Gould could not successfully oppose the measure, and in April he sent agents to St. Louis, who bought a controlling interest in the Kansas Pacific, and thus withdrew the opposition of that company. In June the Kansas Pacific and Union Pacific Railroad Companies pooled on Colorado business, but the through rates to California which the friends of the Kansas Pacific had sought were not granted.
With the opening of 1879 the building and extension of railroads was revived. The Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad built a branch from Baxter's Springs to Joplin. The Kansas City, Lawrence & Southern extended its Independence branch to Greenwood, with a view to pushing it through to Arkansas City. The main line of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe was extended from Clifton to Las Vegas, N. M., its Cottonwood Valley branch to McPherson, its Eureka branch to Howard, and its Wichita branch to Wellington and Arkan- sas City. The Clay Center branch of the Kansas Pacific was extended to Concordia, and the Solomon Valley branch to Beloit, and a branch was built from Salina to McPherson. The Kansas Pacific Company also bought and put in operation the unused Lawrence & Carbon- dale road, and bought the Denver Pacific from Denver to Cheyenne, and the Colorado Central & Boulder Valley and Denver & Rio Grande Railroads. The Central branch of the Union Pacific, now part of the Missouri Pacific, extended its Concordia branch to Cawker City, and built a branch to Kinoni and Stockton. The Atchison & Nebraska road was extended from Lincoln to Columbus, and the St. Joseph &
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Denver to a connection with the Union Pacific. The ill-fated Kansas City & Memphis road was sold to Boston capitalists, who proposed to build about 100 miles during the succeeding year, and extend it afterward as occasion might require. The Burlington & Southeast- ern Railroad, then running from Burlington. Iowa, to Laclede, Mo., projected an extension to Kansas City, and made four extensions with that view. The Kansas City & Northeastern Company surveyed a line from Kansas City to Chillicothe, Mo., with a view to early con- struction. The Missouri Pacific Company extended its line between Holden and Paola to Ottawa, and built the old Fall River Railroad from Paola to Leroy. The Lexington & Southern from Pleasant Hill, on the Missouri Pacific, to Nevada, on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, had been projected. Jay Gould and his associates, who previ- ously controlled the Union and Kansas Pacific and St. Joseph & Denver Railroads west of the Missouri River, and the Wabash road east of the Mississippi, early in the year bought a controlling interest in the St. Louis, Kansas City & Northern, and consolidated it with the Wabash, under the name of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific. The roads, except the Union Pacific, were now connected. To make connection with that the Pattonsburg branch of the St. Louis, Kansas City and Northern was extended to Omaha. Not long afterward Gould and his associates bought the Missouri Pacific and the Central branch of the Union Pacific, and consolidated them, making two divisions, connecting at Kansas City. They also secured an interest in the Han- nibal & St. Joseph Railroad, during the year, and afterward bought the Missouri, Kansas & Texas. In June the Fort Scott Company bought the Springfield & Western Missouri Railroad and completed it, soon after, to a junction with the main line at Fort Scott. In No- vember, Gould bought the Kansas City & Eastern (narrow gauge) road, and in December it was leased to and became a division of the Missouri Pacific. In December the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Company made a contract with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company for trackway rights over its line from Cameron, Mo., and January 1, 1880, it began to run its trains to Kansas City. There was another freight-rate war in 1879, and much promiscuous cutting was done. The pooling arrangement had been dissolved in view of the early completion of the Chicago & Alton Railroad to Kansas City. The road was open for business April 18, but did not begin running passenger trains until May 13. The war was caused by this line's allotment of business to St. Louis, and was begun by
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roads concentrating in that city. During the summer the contracts between the Hannibal & St. Joseph and the Wabash Railroad Com- panies expired, by which the latter had nsed the track of the former from Arnold Station to the bridge. A spirited contest between the two companies ensued. The Wabash Company built a track of its own, and made a new bridge contract, but the end of the trouble was reached only after litigation.
The railroad interests of Kansas City grew in 1880. The Lexing- ton & Southern Railroad, extending from Pleasant Hill, on the Mis- souri Pacific, to Nevada, on the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, was built. Soon it was consolidated with the Missouri Pacific, and trains were run from Kansas City to Texas, by that route, over the Missouri, Kansas & Texas. The Manhattan, Alma & Burlingame road was built from Burlingame, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad, to Man- hattan, on the Union Pacific. A branch of the Fort Scott road was built from Prescott, Kas., to Rich Hill, Mo., to reach the coal fields of Bates County, Mo. A long needed switch was built from the main line of this road, near Turkey Creek, into the southern part of Kan .. sas City, Mo. In July the Wabash Company completed a line into Chicago, which was the fourth through line between Kansas City and Chicago. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company ex- tended its main line westward, reaching El Paso, N. M., early in 1881, and in March it connected with the Southern Pacific, of California, forming a second line across the continent via Kansas City. The Fort Scott Railroad Company built part of the line between Fort Scott and Springfield, with a view to extending it to Memphis. There were some other important extensions. In January, 1880, the Central branch of the Union Pacific, west from Atchison, became a division of the Missouri Pacific, and in March was consolidated with the Union Pacific. A little later the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs road was sold to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Com- pany, and the Kansas City, Lawrence & Southern Railroad to the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad Company. In May the Mis- souri, Kansas & Texas Railroad was leased for ninety-nine years by the Missouri Pacific Railroad Company. In February the general offices of the Union Pacific Railroad Company were consolidated and located at Omaha, and in May the long fought-for through rates to the Pacific by this line were granted to Kansas City.
The old Memphis road, which had been bought in Kansas City, was sold, December, 1879, to Messrs. Lyman and Cross, of the Missouri,
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Kansas & Texas Railroad, but they failed to execute the contract. In January, 1880, it was again contracted to J. I. Brooks and others, by whom it was reorganized, in June, as the Kansas City & Southern. Some surveys were made, but little further was accomplished till early in 1881, when the company was reorganized with additional capital, , and measures were taken looking to the early construction of the line. In January, 1880, the Wyandotte, Oskaloosa & Western (" narrow gauge") Railroad Company was organized in Wyandotte, but it took no active measures. The Union Transit Company was organized in Kansas City in March. Its object was to take charge of switching for the various roads centering here. Land was purchased for yards west of the Kaw. In April the Des Moines & Kansas City Railroad Com- pany was organized at Des Moines, Iowa, to build a line between the two cities, and surveys were soon after begun. The Kansas City Rail- road Company was organized in Kansas City in December, with T. B. Bullene as president, to build a railroad from Kansas City to Salina, Kas., through Baldwin City, Osage City and Council Grove, and about the same time the Kansas City, Nebraska & Northwestern Railroad Company was organized in Kansas City, with a view to the construc- tion of a line from Kansas City to Falls City, Neb., by way of Oska- loosa and Valley Falls, Kas. In July the new Wabash line was opened into Chicago, and on October 16 the railway war was resumed and con- tinued with violence for a few days. Then, after a cessation of hos- tilities for a few weeks, the conflict became more spirited than ever. The roads to St. Louis were quickly involved, and later those east of Chicago and St. Louis.
The Memphis branch of the Kansas City & Fort Scott Railroad, which, at the opening of 1881, was completed nearly to Springfield, Mo., was finished to that point during the year, opening up to Kansas City a larger trade field in Southwest Missouri than it had hitherto had access to. Another road of not less importance was the Lexington & Southern, completed during 1880, between Pleasant Hill and Nevada, and extended during 1881 to Carthage, Mo. This road was operated from the first as a branch of the Missouri Pacific, and early in the year trains were put on between Kansas City and Galveston. This also enhanced Kansas City's Missouri trade, and opened to her a larger field in Texas. Another road of considerable benefit to her trade in Southern Kansas was the St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita, constructed during the year from Fort Scott westward to Yates Cen- "ter. It was operated in connection with the Missouri Pacific from
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Fort Scott, and the trade along the line reached Kansas City by way of the Lexington & Southern. Another railway change in the same locality that contributed to the advantage of Kansas City was the pur- chase of the Missouri, Kansas & Colorado Railroad, from Messer to Cherryvale, by the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Railroad Company. This road had been formerly operated in connection with the St. Louis & San Francisco, as a St. Louis road and a St. Louis feeder. After this date that part of the line between Weir and Messer was taken up, and the balance was operated by the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf Company as a Kansas City feeder. Besides these more important new roads and railway changes, there were other changes of minor impor- tance, which at once or later did their part toward the enhancement of Kansas City's commercial interests.
There were several important extensions and changes in the rail- ways converging at Kansas City in 1882. The Missouri Pacific was extended to Omaha, penetrating and making accessible to Kansas City the eastern and richest portion of the State of Nebraska. The Chi- cago, Burlington & Quincy Company completed a line from Wymore, on its Atchison & Nebraska road, in Nebraska, to Denver, Colo .. and put on through trains from Kansas City to Denver, by way of this line, and the Atchison & Nebraska and Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs lines. This afforded Kansas City not only a new and competing line to Colorado, but also secured it access to the whole of Southern Nebraska, which was intersected by the lines of the com- pany. The trade territory added by these changes was the best half of Nebraska. To the south of Kansas City the Missouri Pacific was extended to Carthage, Mo., and the St. Lonis & San Francisco to Fort Smith, Ark. The former of these changes secured to Kansas City the trade of Carthage and what remained unsecured of the southwestern lead-mining country. The latter, by the connection secured with the Fort Scott road, afforded access to all Northwestern Arkansas, and, by connecting with the Little Rock & Fort Smith Railroad, gave a great line through the center of Arkansas to Arkansas City, on the Mis- sissippi River, only 400 miles above New Orleans-a line suscep- tible of development into a most important southern ontlet. In the same direction the Fort Scott branch to Memphis, Tenn., was pushed steadily during the year, reaching Greenfield, Mo. The Fort Scott & Gulf Company having secured, during 1881, the "narrow gauge" road from Cherokee to Cherryvale, Kas., this year changed it to a "standard gauge," greatly enhancing its value to Kansas City.
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It also built a branch from Joplin to Webb City, thus reaching a large trade. The Missouri Pacific, and its co operating lines in Texas, made a number of important extensions, giving Kansas City access to new trade. There were several similar changes and extensions, all bene- ficial to Kansas City. The only changes that occurred to the east- ward of Kansas City accomplished the transfer of the Hannibal & St. Joseph road to the Wabash system, which led to the termination of the contract between that road and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, by which the two were made to constitute a Kansas City and Chicago line. Incidentally, one of these roads proposed to extend its lines to Chicago and the other to Kansas City.
During 1883 there was but one notable addition to Kansas City's railway facilities, and that was one of the most important that could have been made. The completion of the Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis Railroad opened to the trade of Kansas City a rich region in Southwestern Missouri and Southeastern Arkansas, and at Memphis connected it with the lines traversing a vast area of the South, east of the Mississippi River, which had heretofore been inaccessible to it. The prospects for future additions to Kansas City's railroad system were very flattering. There were no less than four roads trying to reach Kansas City from the direction of Chicago, all of which bade fair to be completed within a year or two. Another was projected from St. Louis, with fair prospects, and the old original Kansas City & Memphis enterprise, after much delay and many changes, now gave promise of speedy completion, thus giving hope for two lines where only one had been so long and so ardently struggled for. Three more roads from the cattle country of the southwest were projected, and it was believed they would be built within a few years. It was demon- strated during 1884 that the Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis Railroad was fully to meet all expectations. In this year and the fol- lowing, railroad construction went forward, some new lines being pro- jected and begun in the country tributary to Kansas City, and exten- sions were made to others already in operation. With the revival of business came the revival of railroad building, and the country tribu- tary to Kansas City attracted a large investment of capital in this de- partment of enterprise. During 1886, 1,000 miles of new road were constructed in the State of Kansas alone, all of which opened new trade territory to Kansas City. The Atchison. Topeka & Santa Fe Company having purchased the Gulf, Colorado & Santa Fe, of Texas, built a line across the Indian Territory connecting it with the Kansas
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system, and opened a new line through Central Texas to Galveston. This company also began the construction of a new and independent line from Kansas City to Chicago, which was opened early in the sum- mer of 1888, besides building a large mileage of new branches in Kansas, where it already had a large mileage, among which is the Kan- sas City & Southwestern, better known as the Paola branch, from Kan- sas City to Paola, Kas., where it connects with the entire southwestern system of that company. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Com- pany constructed a line to Kansas City, which was opened late in 1887, crossing the Missouri close by Kansas City, and the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Company, penetrating into Kansas, built a line sonth- west from Topeka to the extreme southwestern part of Kansas, and another to the northwest through Northwestern Kansas and Southern Nebraska, both of which were soon to be connected with Kansas City by a line from Topeka. The Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern Railroad Company organized and constructed a line to the northwest from Kansas City, which reached the Nebraska State line about the opening of 1888. Work was resumed on the Kansas City & Southern Railroad, penetrating into Central South Missouri, and the St. Louis, Kansas & Colorado Railroad and the Missouri Central line from St. Louis to Kansas City, were put under contract. The Chicago, Bur- lington & Kansas City Company determined to extend its line through to Kansas City, and the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City Company projected and began the construction of a line from Des Moines to Kansas City. The Kansas City, Springfield & Memphis Company projected two extensions which promised to effect Kansas City, one from Willow Springs, Mo., to Cairo, Ill., and the other from Memphis to Birmingham, Ala., which, in connection with the Georgia lines, promised to open a new line to the Atlantic at Savannah and Charleston. In the development of the railway systems which supply transporta- tion for Kansas City's commerce, the year 1887 was one of great results. The body of commerce was with the States of Missouri, Kan- sas, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado and Nebraska and the Territories of New Mexico and Indian Territory. In these the total railway con- struction during the year 1887, largely the latter half of that year, was 6,523. The Chicago, Kansas & California (the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Chicago line), the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (Kan- sas City line), and the Chicago, St. Paul & Kansas City Railways were all completed and put into operation, making three additional lines between Kansas City and Chicago, and one additional line be-
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