USA > Missouri > Jackson County > Kansas City > Kansas City, Missouri : its history and its people 1808-1908 > Part 17
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The Traders' bank of Kansas City was opened for business October 15, 1900, with a capital stock of $100,000. The directors were George W. Fuller, Frank H. Woodbury, Sanford B. Ladd, C. C. Clemons, Ellis Short, John S. Morrin and A. J. Poor. The officers were J. R. Dominick, president ; E. J. Colvin, vice president; J. C. English, cashier, and L. C. Parmenter, assistant cashier. The Corn Belt bank was established in June, 1905, with a capital of $100,000.
The Fidelity Trust company, with a capital of one million dollars, does a general trust and savings bank business. It owns and occupies as a bank- ing house the old Federal building at Ninth and Walnut streets, which it bought for $260,000 and remodeled. The Pioneer Trust company opened its doors January 20, 1903. It does a general banking, financial, real estate, trust and bond business. The United States Trust company does a strictly trust com- pany business. It has a capital of $250,000. The United States and Mexican Trust company was organized in April, 1901. It does a general trust business, acting as trustee for issues of bonds, cares for and sells real estate and makes loans on real estate and approved collateral. This company is the fiscal agent for the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient Railway company, handles the securities for the construction companies, for which it is trustee, and has charge of the land interests of the railroad company along the line of the road in the United States and Mexico, including the town sites. A. E. Stillwell, president of the Kansas City, Mexico & Orient railroad, is president of the trust company. The Commerce Trust company opened for business October 1, 1906, with a paid-up capital of one million dollars.
With bank deposits aggregating $114,365,493, and with bank clear- ings amounting to $1,649,375,013, Kansas City at the beginning of 1908 took high rank among the great centers of finance in the United States. Only New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, St. Louis and Pittsburg were in advance of Kansas City on January 1, 1908, in the volume of business repre- sented by bank clearings, while many older cities, including San Francisco,
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Cincinnati, Baltimore, New Orleans, Cleveland, Detroit and Louisville, were surpassed by Kansas City.
The rapid growth of Kansas City as a financial bulwark is shown com- prehensively in this statement of bank deposits and bank clearings covering totals for each one of the past ten years: 1898, deposits $35,814,000, clear- ings $585,294,637 ; 1899, deposits $48,019,000, clearings $648,270,711; 1900, deposits $55,277,580, clearings $775,264,813; 1901, deposits $73,799,588, clearings $918,198,416; 1902, deposits $77,250,577, clearings $988,294,998; 1903, deposits $78,245,525, clearings $1,074,878,589; 1904, deposits $84, 228,000, clearings $1,097,887,155; 1905, deposits $91,665,721, clearings $1,197,905,556; 1906, deposits $102,215,000 clearings $1,331,673,055; 1907, deposits $114,365,493, clearings $1,649,375,013.
The increase of $317,701,958 in the clearings for 1907 over the total for 1906 was greater than the total increase of bank clearings for the six years from 1880 to 1886, during which time Kansas City's famous "boom" occurred. From 1889 to 1896 little progress was made, but since 1896 the growth has been rapid. The total bank deposits in Kansas City banks were more than 300 per cent greater at the close of 1907 than the largest total of deposits reached in the year 1898, ten years previous.
Reasons for Kansas City's growth and stability in banking are not diffi- cult to discover. Since the early '50s, when the Northrup & Chick bank was started here, Kansas City has been recognized as a point for the distribution of merchandise and supplies for a vast territory. It has also developed along with its wholesale and jobbing trade, a great market for the products of this territory, as well as the building up of many lines of manufacture. These, in addition to the fact that it is a recognized money center for its trade terri- tory, necessarily call for sound banks and safe banking methods.
CHAPTER XI.
THE STORY OF THE RAILROADS.
Kansas City has twenty systems of railroads and thirty-nine separate lines, making it the second largest railroad center in America. The railroads entering Kansas City have an aggregate mileage of about 50,000, nearly one-fourth of the mileage of all the railroads in the United States. The lines radiating from Kansas City traverse thirty-one states and territories. From this center the capitals of sixteen states can be reached without changing
Map Showing Kansas City as a transportation center with its 18 systems and 34 lines of railway
MAINE
N. DAKOTA
MINNESOTA
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VIRGINIA
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KENTUCKY
SEOURT
N.CAROLINA
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S.
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ARKANSAS
MISSISS
ARIZONA: NEW MEXICO
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LOUISI- ANA
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ALABAMA , GEORGIA
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TEXAS
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MARY- LAND
NEVADA
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VIRGINIA
CALIFORNIA
WASHINGTON,
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NEW YORK ! MASS.
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HISTORY OF KANSAS CITY
cars. The various lines reach 10,146 cities and towns direct. More than two hundred passenger trains enter and disappear from the Union depot daily. About three hundred freight trains, with an average of about 11,000 cars, pass in and out of the city daily.
No other city anywhere can offer merchants and manufactures better shipping facilities than Kansas City. One of the city's greatest inducements to new capital is its superior transportation facilities. It is the point from which the railroads can gather the largest tonnage over the greatest area. Kansas City has for its trade territory the Southwest-equal to one-third of the United States, with a population of more than 20 million. This is the market controlled by Kansas City without competition from any other city capable of surpassing it in the matter of freight rates. This condition must continue as true of the future as of the past, since Kansas City has the natural advantages that will enable it to have and to hold forever its market ascen- dency in the vast region. The Northwest is a business battle-field between Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis and Duluth. The cities of the East and South are hampered with competition, but the great Southwest belongs to Kansas City.
It was a round about journey from Kansas City to the East before the advent of the Pacific railroad of Missouri, now known as the Missouri Pacific railroad. The steamer Emile, Captain Sam Burks, left Kansas City every day for Leavenworth, Kas., and Weston, Mo. At Weston connection was made with the Platte Valley railroad to St. Joseph, Mo., connecting there with the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, leaving St. Joseph at midnight for Hannibal and connecting at Macon, Mo., with the North Missouri railroad, now the Wabash railroad, for St. Louis. At Hannibal connections were made with the Keokuk and St. Louis packets for St. Louis. Passengers for Chicago and Eastern points boarded the steamer Mollie McPike at Hannibal for Quincy, connecting with the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, or Great Western railway of Illinois. The trip from Kansas City to Chicago was made in forty hours- one train a day each way, only one line and no choice of roads.
The Platte Valley railroad was completed May 24, 1860, from St. Joseph to Weston. Steamboat E. Hensley, Captain John Nicely, ran daily between Weston and Leavenworth and between Weston and Kansas City. The Platte Valley railroad afterwards was built from Weston to Kansas City and completed to Harlem, opposite Kansas City, in the spring of 1869, and was known as the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs railroad. The first conductor on the Platte Valley railroad and afterwards the first conductor on the Atchison & Pike's Peake railroad west of Atchison, was Colonel Richard B. Morris, a resident of Atchison. Railroad fare was high in the early days. The pas- senger fare from Kansas City to St. Louis was $14.50; to Chicago, $24.50; to
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Cincinnati, $29.00; to New York City, $48.00; to Boston, $52.00; and inter- mediate points in proportion.
Ground was broken in Kansas City for the Pacific railroad of Missouri, July 25, 1860, building towards Pleasant Hill, Mo., to connect with the main line coming west from St. Louis. The first engine for this railroad came from St. Louis by steamboat and was landed at Kansas City in June, 1864, about the site of Kelly's flour mill, East Bottoms. This engine was unloaded and placed on the rails under the direction of H. Hale, who built the railroad to Pleasant Hill and afterwards was the superintendent of the Western division, Sedalia to Kansas City. Mr. Hale was well known to the old-time citizens of Kansas City. He was at one time superintendent of the Union depot. In 1908 he was a member of the Soldiers' home at Leavenworth, and was upwards of 90 years old.
The railroad was completed to Little Blue station, July 4, 1864. Mr. Hale invited the citizens to Little Blue for a picnic. He took his engine and four flat cars on which he constructed board seats and ran this train on the holiday between the two points to handle the crowds. Many of the old-time citizens, Judge J. E. Guinotte, then a lad, among them, had their first rail- road ride on that occasion.
The first passenger train came into the East bottoms of Kansas City from St. Louis September 25, 1865. Later in the fall, Nov. 15, 1865, the track was extended to the present Grand Avenue depot. Grading was started to Leavenworth. The first through passenger train was run from Leavenworth to St. Louis, July 1, 1866. The road was completed from Leavenworth to Atchison, Kas., September 10, 1869.
In the early days, there were two trains daily between Kansas City and St. Louis. The trip to St. Louis required eighteen hours. The fare was $14.50. The time now between the two cities is about eight hours by five different railroads with about twenty trains daily at a ticket rate of $5.50. The Missouri Pacific was built as a broad gauge railroad, five feet six inches. The gauge was changed to the present standard gauge. In the year 1870, this was done between St. Louis and Leavenworth in less than ten hours and was considered a wonderful feat at that time.
In 1867, there was built by the Missouri Pacific railroad and the Kansas Pacific railroad a big hotel and a station house in the West Bottoms, known as the State Line House and Station. All passengers were transferred at that point by both roads. On the completion of the Cameron branch and until the bridge across the Missouri river was finished, the Kansas Pacific came East on the Missouri tracks on the levee to the Gilliss House. Passengers were transferred from one road to the other by a ferry that operated between Kan- sas City and Harlem.
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The Pacific railroad of Missouri was the only railroad running into Kan- sas City that contributed to the city for its right-of-way. It paid $20,000 for the privilege of running over the levee, from Grand avenue to the State line to connect with the Kansas Pacific railroad going West. This money was turned over to three enterprising citizens who helped lay the foundation for a prosperous future for Kansas City. These three were Kersey Coates, Charles E. Kearney and R. T. Van Horn. With the money, as small amount as it was, they secured for Kansas City the Cameron branch of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad and with it followed the building of the Missouri river bridge; the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to Baxter Springs, Kas .; and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston railroad to Ottawa and Southern Kansas. This was the great turning point in Kansas City's history.
The next great enterprise was the building of the railroad bridge across the Missouri river between Kansas City and Harlem. Octave Chanute, the chief engineer, and George Morrison, assistant engineer, gave a history of this project, so important to Kansas City, in a book published in 1870:
"The movement that led ultimately to the building of the Kansas City bridge, dates from the incorporation of the 'Kansas City, Galveston & Lake Superior railroad' by the state of Missouri, in 1857. This high sounding title and the extent of the enterprise, that contemplated some 1,500 miles of rail- road, occasioned much merriment in the legislature, especially as only 129 miles of the proposed road would be in Missouri, within the jurisdiction of the body granting the charter, and it also was understood that the projectors would, for the present, be satisfied with the building of fifty-two miles of the line, as a branch of another railroad.
But the enterprising citizens of the infant Kansas City, which had at that time about 2,000 inhabitants, proved wiser than those who laughed at their plans. In 1860, a contract was let for building that portion of the road extend- ing from the town of Cameron, Mo., on the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, to the Missouri river, opposite Kansas City.
Considerable work was done and $200,000 was expended, but the Civil war put an end to all active operations in the spring of 1861, and for the next five years the project slumbered forgotten in the strife that desolated the border between Missouri and Kansas.
A charter was obtained from the Missouri legislature in 1865 for a car- riage and railroad bridge at Kansas City. This movement, however, was speculative and the corporators, having failed to secure the necessary capital, never organized under it and merely held the charter as a ready means of benefiting the town by giving it to any capitalist willing to undertake the con- struction of the bridge, should circumstances ever make such an undertaking possible.
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A general act of Congress was approved, July 25, 1866, authorizing the construction of bridges across the Mississippi river at Quincy, Burlington, Hannibal, Prairie du Chien, Keokuk, Winona, Dubuque and St. Louis, which by a special clause was made to apply to the Missouri river at Kansas City.
The Kansas City & Cameron railroad, being fully reorganized in 1866, with C. E. Kearney of Kansas City as president, obtained additional subscrip- tions and undertook to secure aid and a connection with the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad. A curious incident that occurred in connection with this road showed on how slender a thread sometimes hangs the fate of infant pro- jects and communities. Even before the Civil war, a strong rivalry existed between Kansas City and Leavenworth, the latter eity being situated on the same bank some twenty-five miles up the river. Both had begun railroads to Cameron, both had temporarily abandoned their enterprise in the war, and both sought the aid of Eastern capitalists controlling the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad to revive them. Leavenworth, which had enjoyed a large and prosperous trade during the war, in consequence of being near an im- portant military post and fort, was earliest in the field, and when Kansas City heard of it, had almost closed a contract for the necessary aid with Eastern capi- talists. A few days more and it would have been too late; everything would have been arranged, and the road built to Leavenworth, which probably would have been able to hamper its rival. Immediate personal appeals and proposi- tions brought about a suspension of final judgment, until the claims . and; merits of the two cities could be investigated.
The delay was granted by James F. Joy, who as president of the Michigan Central; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Hannibal & St. Joseph, and other railroads, was at that time preparing to have bridges built across the Missis- sippi river both at Burlington and Quincy. IIe visited Leavenworth and Kan- sas City and decided that the latter was the best point to reach and that a bridge must be built there to make the road of value. Arrangements were made, therefore, with the Kansas City & Cameron and the Hannibal & St. Jo- seph railroads, by which they agreed to furnish the iron for the new line and to build the bridge at Kansas City.
The railroad was completed from Cameron to the north bank of the river opposite Kansas City, November 30, 1867, and from that date until the completion of the bridge in July, 1869, the road was operated as a branch of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, freight and passengers being transferred by ferry.
A preliminary survey and report on the bridge site was made in August, 1866, by M. Hjortsberg, chief engineer of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy railroad. Octave Chanute became chief engineer of the bridge February 7, 1866, and the work was urged from that time until the bridge was completed.
KANSAS CITY BRIDGE, 1869.
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The corner stone of the south abutment was laid August 21, 1867, with appro- priate festivities. The last stone, completing the masonry of the bridge was laid May 5, 1869. The draw was swung June 15, 1869, and the first engine crossed the bridge ten days later. The bridge was publicly opened, Saturday, July 3, 1869. It was one of Kansas City's most memorable celebrations. The residents seemed to fully realize the importance of the occasion." A few head- lines of the Daily Journal of issue Sunday, July 4, 1869, the day after the bridge celebration, follow :
" Kansas City's Glorious Fourth of July."
" Grand Celebration of the Opening of the First Railroad Bridge Over the Missouri River! "
" The Only Bridge Across the Missouri River! ! "
" An Elegant Warm Day ! ! "
" Great Crowds of People From Missouri and Kansas! "
" Holman made a Sucessful Ascension in His Balloon From the Public Square (the present City Hall location), Amid the Cheers of the Crowd and the Firing of the Cannon!"
" Grand Banquet at the Broadway Hotel (now the Coates House)."
" Kansas City From Now On Will Boom!"
The building of the Union Pacific Eastern division, afterwards called the Kansas Pacific railway, and now the Union Pacific railway, was an important enterprise. Samuel Hallett, a contractor, began work on what was to be the future great overland railroad between Kansas City and the Pacific ocean, August 10, 1863. On July 27, 1864, Mr. Hallett was killed in Wyandotte, Kas. The work was continued by Shoemaker Miller & Co., a firm of contract- ors. The first passenger train was run to Lawrence, Kas., November 28, 1864. On January 19, 1865, the Kansas legislature adjourned to go to Lawrence to take a railroad excursion from Lawrence to Wyandotte and return. The branch line from Leavenworth to Lawrence was completed May 15, 1866, and in June the main line was completed to Topeka with one passenger train daily. It required one day to go to Topeka and the next day to return. The same dis- tance is traveled now in two hours with many passenger trains on three dif- ferent roads.
This road passed the 385 mile post going West, April 7, 1868, and was com- pleted to Denver, Col., and October 18, gave an excursion from Kansas City to Denver. It required the most of two nights and one day for the trip. West of Fort Ellsworth, the trains had to run slowly on account of the large herds of buffalo. The buffalo often delayed the trains until they had crossed the track because it was impossible to pass through the herds. One way passenger fare from Kansas City to Denver, was $45.00.
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In the month of June, 1867, construction was begun on the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad under the management of Major B. S. Henning as general superintendent. December 13, 1868, the road was completed to Olathe, Kas., and December 20, 1869, the road was completed to Fort Scott, Kas., one hundred miles. Early the following spring of 1870, this road was completed to Baxter Springs, Kas., 166 miles south of Kansas City. This line now is part of the Frisco system. It is interesting to notice how lines that were started from other Missouri river points as main lines are now branch lines, their main lines running into Kansas City.
Ground was broken at Atchison, Kas., June 13, 1860, for the Atchison & Pike's Peak railroad and it was built to Downs, one hundred miles. It is now a system of 440 miles, known as the Central Branch division of the Missouri Pacific railroad. The great system of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe was started from Atchison, Kas., in the summer of 1868, and the first locomotive with a train from Atchison passed over the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe bridge over the Kaw river at Topeka, March 30, 1869. The engine was the "C. K. Holliday." This road was built westward very rapidly, reaching the Colorado line at Granada, January 1, 1873.
The first rail was laid on the Lawrence & Topeka railroad, April 11, 1874, afterwards known as the Kansas Midland railroad. As soon as it was com- pleted from Kansas City to Topeka this line was bought by the Santa Fe system and is part of the Santa Fe system's main line from Kansas City to the Pacific coast terminals, San Diego and San Francisco. For the Kansas Midland railroad, Kaw township voted $100,000.00 in bonds and it proved to be a good investment, since it placed Kansas City on the main line between the Pacific coast and Chicago.
The Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston railroad started at Lawrence. In the year of 1869 it was built to Ottawa. This road was completed from Olathe to Ottawa, August 19, 1870, so as to have a Kansas City connection, using the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad to Olathe. This line was extended to Independence, Kas., and on to Wellington, Kas., and afterwards built an independent line from Kansas City to Olathe. The Leavenworth, Lawrence & Gulf railroad of early days is now a part of the Santa Fe system.
The St. Louis & Lawrence railroad was completed from Pleasant Hill, Mo., to Lawrence, Kas., fifty-eight miles, in 1877. This road was a failure. The Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad built a line from Holden, Mo., to Paola, Kas., in 1872, another cut-off that was of no value.
Kaw township voted $150,000 in bonds for the Kansas City & Northwest- ern railroad, in 1872. These bonds afterwards were re-voted for the, Kansas City & Eastern railroad, a narrow gauge railroad that was built from Kansas City to Independence and Lexington, Mo. This investment proved to be a
BUILDING KANSAS CITY BRIDGE, 1868.
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failure and was disastrous to all who invested their money in the enterprise. The road finally became a part of the Missouri Pacific system and was made a broad gauge line, it is now (1908) the Lexington division.
The Cameron branch of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad that reached Harlem August 22, 1867, is now the main line of the Burlington system and the branch is from Cameron to St. Joseph. The north Missouri railroad, now the Wabash railroad, was built from Moberly west and completed to Harlem, December 8, 1868. The Hannibal & St. Joseph; the- North Missouri & Kan- sas City ; and the St. Joseph & Council Bluffs railroads had their terminals at Harlem, from eight to ten months before the Missouri river bridge was com- pleted. After the opening of the bridge, July 3, 1869, the three railroads crossed the river, and with the Kansas Pacific. the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf; and the Leavenworth, Lawrence & Galveston railroads occupied the first Union depot in Kansas City.
In the spring of 1870, the Missouri Pacific railway built the incline that brought the trains through the "gooseneck," giving them an entrance to the Union depot, on the site of the present depot. This building afterwards burned, and the present depot was built.
The Union depot was completed and occupied April 7, 1878. The total cost, including the land, was $410,028. The depot company was organized under an act of the Missouri legislature passed in 1871. The bill was intro- duced by St. Louis people and gave authority for the old Union station in St. Louis, but its provisions were general and a company was organized in Kansas City, October 28, 1875, taking advantage of the law. The incor- porators were George H. Nettleton, Wallace Pratt, C. H. Prescott, T. F. Oakes and B. S. Henning. The company secured some of its land by dedication, but most of it by condemnation proceedings in July, 1877. The Union depot was remodeled in 1880 at a cost of $224,083.
The Chicago & Alton railroad built west from Mexico, Mo., to Kansas City and completed its line May 11, 1879, to Kansas City. The Kansas City, Fort Scott & Gulf railroad built a line from Olathe to Springfield, via Clinton. Later the "Blair road," known as the Kansas City, Osceola & Springfield, was built. Both these lines were taken over by the Frisco system. Later the Kansas City, Wyandotte & Northwestern railroad was built and bought by the Missouri Pacific system.
In later years came the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific railroad from Chicago through Kansas City to Denver, El Paso and Fort Worth; the Mis- souri, Kansas & Texas railroad south to Denison, San Antonio and Galveston ; the Frisco system to Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas; the Kansas City South- ern railroad to Texarkana, Shreveport and Port Arthur on the Gulf of Mex- ico; the Chicago, Great Western railroad to St. Paul, Minneapolis and Chicago;
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