LAST DAYS OF THE STAGING BUSINESS.

The people of Atchison in the sixties little realized the advantages the town gained by being the starting point for the California mail. They became used to it, the same as we have this day been accustomed to the daily arrival and departure of trains, but it was a gloomy day for Atchison when “the overland” finally pulled out of the town for good, after having run its stages out of the city almost daily for five years. The advance of the Union Pacific railroad from Omaha west along the Platte to Ft. Kearney, and the completion of the Kansas Pacific railway was the cause of the abandonment of Atchison by the “overland” as a point of departure for the mail. The company for many weeks before its final departure had been taking both stock and coaches off of the eastern division from the Missouri river to Rock creek, and other steps in preparation for moving the point of departure further west were taken. It was a little after 11 o’clock in the morning of December 19, 1866, that the long train of Concord stages, express coaches, hacks and other rolling stock started from their stables and yards on Second street to leave Atchison forever. The procession went west out of Atchison along Commercial street. Alex Benham and David Street, both faithful employees of “The Overland,” were in charge of the procession and they rode out of town in a Concord buggy. Other employees followed in buggies and coaches, and then the canvas covered stages, followed by over forty teams and loose horses, slowly moved out of town, headed for Fort Riley and Junction City.

ROUTE FROM ATCHISON

via the

SMOKY HILL FORK ROUTE.

From Atchison to	Miles	Total	Remarks
Mormon Grove	3½		Junction of the Great Military Road.
Monrovia	8½	12	Provisions, entertainment and grass.
Mouth of Bill’s Creek	13	25	On the Grasshopper, wood and grass.
Ter. Road from Nebraska	15	40	Wood, water and grass.
Soldier Creek	10	50	Wood and grass.
Lost Creek	15	65	Wood and grass.
Louisville	10	75	Wood and grass.
Manhattan City	12	87	Water, wood and grass.
Fort Riley	15	102	Water, wood and grass.
Salina	52	154	Wood, water and grass.
Pawnee Trail-Smoky Hill	130	284	Grass and buffalo chips.
Pawnee Fork	35	319	Grass and buffalo chips.
Arkansas Crossing	35	354	Wood, water and grass.
Bent’s Fort	150	504	Wood, water and grass.
Bent’s Old Fort	40	544	Water and grass.
Huerfano	40	584	Water and grass.
Fontaine qui Bouille	15	599	Wood, water and grass.
Crossing of same	18	617	Wood, water and grass.
Jim’s Camp	15	632	Water and grass.
Brush Corral	12	644	Wood, water and grass.
Head of Cherry Creek	26	670	Wood, water and grass.
Crossing of Same	35	705	From this point to the mines there is heavy timber, and grass and water in abundance.
Mines	6	711

From Freedom’s Champion, February 12, 1859.

ROUTE FROM ATCHISON

via

The Great Military Road to Salt Lake, and Col. Fremont’s Route in 1841.

From Atchison to	Miles	Total	Remarks
Marmon Grove	3½		Junction of the Great Military Road.
Lancaster	5½	9	Provisions and grass.
Huron (Cross. Grasshopper)	4	13	Provisions and grass. First Salt Lake Mail Station.
Kennekuk, do main do	10	23	Provisions, timber, and grass.
Capioma (Walnut Creek)	17	40	Provisions, timber, and grass.
Richmond (head of Nemaha)	15	55	Salt Lake Mail Station and provisions.
Marysville	40	95	Water and Grass.
Small Creek on Prairie	10	105	Luxuriant grass.
Small Creek	10	115	Water and grass.
Small Creek	7	122	Wood and grass.
Wyth Creek	7	129	Wood and grass.
Big Sandy Creek	13	142	Wood and luxuriant grass.
Dry Sandy Creek	17	159	Heavy timber.
Little Blue River	12	171	Wood and grass.
Road leaves Little Blue	44	215	Wood and grass.
Small Creek	7	222	Wood, grass and buffalo.
Platte River	17	239	Salt Lake Mail Station and provisions.
Ft. Kearney	10	249	Salt Lake Mail Station and provisions.
17 Mile point	17	26	Wood, water and grass.
Plum Creek	18	284	Wood and grass.
Cottonwood Spring	40	324	Wood and grass.
Fremont’s Springs	40	364	Luxuriant grass.
O’Fallon’s Bluffs	5	369	Wood, water and grass.
Crossing South Platte	40	409	Wood, water, and grass.
Ft. St. Vrain	200	609	Provisions, and from this to the mines the route is well timbered and watered.
Cherry Creek	40	649

From Freedom’s Champion, February 12, 1859.

TABLE OF DISTANCES

—From—

ATCHISON TO THE GOLD MINES,

via the

First Standard Parallel Route to the Republican Fork of the Kansas River, thence following the Trail of Colonel Fremont on his Explorations in 1843, to Cherry Creek and the Mines.

Compiled from Colonel Fremont’s Surveys, and the most reliable information derived from the traders across the Great Plains.

From Atchison to	Miles	Total	Remarks
Lancaster	9		Settlement, provisions and grass.
Muscotah, on Grasshopper	11	20	Settlement, provisions and grass.
Eureka	11	31	Settlement, provisions and grass.
Ontario, on Elk Creek	10	41	Settlement, provisions and grass.
America, on Soldiers Creek	9	50	Settlement, provisions and grass.
Vermillion City	25	75	Settlement, entertainment and provisions.
Crossing of Big Blue	3	78	Settlement, entertainment and provisions.
Little Blue creek	17	95	Heavy timber and grass.
Head of Blue creek	23	118	Timber and grass.
Republican Fork	12	130	Wood, water and grass.
Republican Fork crossing	2	132	Colonel Fremont describes this section as “affording an excellent road, it being generally over high and level prairies, with numerous streams which are well timbered with ash, elm, and very heavy oak, and abounding in herds of buffalo, elk and antelope.”
Branch of Solomon’s Fork	38	170
Leaves Solomon’s Fork	75	245
Branch of Republican Fork	15	260
Following up Rep. to its head	190	450	Heavy timber and grass on course.
Beaver Creek	23	473	Wood, grass and buffalo.
Bijou Creek	22	495	Wood, grass and buffalo.
Kioway Creek	15	510	The route from this point to the mines runs thro’ a country well timbered and watered, with luxuriant grass and plenty of wild game.
Cherry Creek and Mines	25	535

From Freedom’s Champion, February 12, 1859.

Main Entrance to Jackson Park, Atchison, Kansas

Freedom’s Champion: October 30, 1858.

A TABLE SHOWING THE NUMBER OF TRAINS

Which have left Atchison this season, for Salt Lake City and other Points on the Plains, Together with the Number of Men, Cattle, Mules, Horses and wagons engaged in transporting, and the Amount of the Freight Shipped:

Owners.	Residence.	Freighters.	Residence.	Destination.	Wagons.	Men.	Oxen.	Horses.	Mules.	Lbs. Mdse.
Radford, Cabot & Co.	St. Louis	P. M. Chateau & Co.	Kansas City	Salt Lake City	32	40	480	8	12	181,587
John M. Hockady & Co.	Mail Contractors	First Supply Train	Independence	S. L. M. Stations	10	20			80	23,000
Dyer, Mason & Co.	Independence	W. H. Dyer & Co.	Independence	Salt Lake City	60	70	720	5	21	315,000
S. G. Mason & Co.	Independence	E. C. Chiles	Independence	Salt Lake City	27	35	350	3	6	149,000
Radford, Cabot & Co.	St. Louis	J. B. Doyle	New Mexico	Salt Lake City	38	43	460	13		198,500
John M. Hockady & Co.	Mail Contractors	Second Supply Train	Independence	S. L. M. Stations	10	18			85	21,000
C. C. Branham	Weston	C. C. Branham	Weston	Salt Lake City	28	36	380	12	6	145,500
C. A. Perry & Co.	Weston	C. A. Perry & Co.	Weston	Salt Lake City	91	123	1,080	7	18	500,501
R. H. Dyer & Co.	Fort Kearney	R. H. Dyer & Co.	Fort Kearney	Fort Kearney	38	70	456	4	7	212,800
F. J. Marshall	Marysville	F. J. Marshall	Marysville	Palmetto	20	25	280	1	3	120,000
Irvin & Young	Independence	Irvin & Young	Independence	Salt Lake City	32	40	384	1	7	160,000
Livingston, Kinkead & Co.	New York	Irvin & Young	Independence	Salt Lake City	52	59	624	2	12	234,017
J. M. Guthrie & Co.	Weston, Mo.	S. M. Guthrie & Co.	Weston	Salt Lake City	50	60	700	3	8	252,000
Curtas Clayton	Leavenworth	C. C. Branham	Weston	Salt Lake City	12	25	380	1	12	66,000
Reynald & McDonald	Fort Laramie	Reynald & McDonald	Fort Laramie	Fort Laramie	9	15	163	2	6	49,000
C. Martin	Green River	C. Martin	Green River	Green River	7	12	84	6	1	35,000
Livingston, Kinkead & Co.	New York	Hord & Smith	Independence	Salt Lake City	40	50		5	325	159,400
Hord & Smith	Independence	Hord & Smith	Independence	Do and Way Points	10	15		2	85	37,400
Bisonette & Lazinette	Deer Creek	Bisonette & Lazinette	Deer Creek	Labonto	13	20	156	6		67,600
Ballord & Moralle	Marysville	J. S. Watson	Marysville	Marysville	9	13	108	3		45,000
R. H. Dyer & Co.	Fort Kearney	R. H. Dyer & Co.		Fort Kearney	13	20	158	2		68,100
John M. Hockady & Co.	Independence	Third Supply Train		S. L. M. Stations	57	60		6	312	204,000
Geo. Chorpoening	California	A. J. Schell	Pennsylvania	Cal. & S. L. Stat’s	12	20			80	21,000
Hockady, Burr & Co.	Salt Lake City	Hockady, Burr & Co.	Utah	Salt Lake City	105	225	1,000	50	200	465,500

					776	1,114	7,963	142	1,286	3,730,905

CHAPTER XI.
RAILROADS.

EARLY RAILROAD AGITATION—THE FIRST RAILROAD—CELEBRATING THE ADVENT OF THE RAILROAD—OTHER ROADS CONSTRUCTED—THE SANTA FE—THE ATCHISON & NEBRASKA CITY—THE KANSAS CITY, LEAVENWORTH & ATCHISON—THE ROCK ISLAND—THE HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH—THE FIRST TELEGRAPH—MODERN TRANSPORTATION.

Eight years before the last stage pulled out of Atchison the agitation for a railroad began. The first charter provided for the construction of a railroad from Atchison to St. Joseph. As appeared in an earlier chapter, the city council of Atchison at its first meeting called an election March 15, 1858, to vote on a proposition to subscribe for $100,000 in stock. The election was held in the store of the Burnes Brothers, and S. H. Petefish, Charles E. Woolfolk and Dr. C. A. Logan were judges of election. The proposition carried almost unanimously, and, in addition to the stock subscribed for by the city, the citizens of the town subscribed for $100,000 in stock individually. The following May the contract for the construction of the road was awarded to Butcher, Auld & Dean at $3,700 per mile. There were fourteen other bidders. The members of the firm which made the successful bid were: Ephraim Butcher, David Auld, James Auld and William Dean. Work of construction was started May 12, 1858, but was not finished until February 22, 1860. The completion of this road to Atchison was of very far reaching importance. The town was wild with excitement, for the new railroad gave the town its first direct rail connection with the east. Its terminus at Winthrop (East Atchison) was the first western point east of the Rocky mountains reached by a railroad at that time in the United States, save one. The first railroad built between the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers was the Hannibal & St. Joseph, which was completed to St. Joseph February 23, 1859, and the new railroad from Atchison connected with the Hannibal & St. Joseph at the latter point.

Richard B. Morris was the first conductor of the Atchison road, and he subsequently became internal revenue collector of Kansas under Cleveland. Following the completion of the road, a great celebration was held at Atchison June 13, 1860, and the people not only celebrated the completion of the St. Joseph line, but also the breaking of ground on the Atchison & Pike’s Peak railroad, now the Central Branch. Great preparations were made for the celebration weeks in advance and promptly following the hour of 12 o’clock on the morning of June 13, 1860, the firing of 100 guns at intervals began, which was kept up with monotonous regularity until daybreak. Flags and bunting fluttered from poles and windows throughout the city, and a special train of invited guests from the East arrived at Winthrop before noon with flags flying and bands playing. The passenger steamer, “Black Hawk,” loaded to the guards with citizens from Kansas City, reached Atchison early in the morning, and leading citizens also came from Wyandotte, Leavenworth, Lawrence, Topeka and other towns. The city had been cleaned up and put in holiday attire by the city authorities. The town had never before presented such a gay appearance. Frank A. Root in his interesting book, “The Overland Stage to California,” who was present at the celebration, has perhaps written the most interesting account of this event that has ever been printed. He says:

“In the procession that formed along Second street, one of the unique and attractive features was a mammoth government wagon trimmed with evergreens and loaded with thirty-four girls dressed in white, representing every State in the Union and the Territory of Kansas. There were three other wagons filled with little girls similarly dressed, representing all the forty-one counties of Kansas in its last year of territorial existence.

“One of the contractors for government freighting had a huge prairie schooner, drawn by twenty-nine yoke of oxen, the head of each animal ornamented with a small flag, while he himself was mounted upon a mule. The contractor was quite an attraction, dressed in the peculiar western prairie and plains frontier cow-boy costume with buckskin pants, red flannel shirt, boots nearly knee high, with revolver and bowie knife buckled around his waist, dangling by his side. The procession in line, marched west along Commercial street to near Tenth. It was a long one and it was estimated that there were 7,000 people in it and at least 10,000 in the city witnessing the festivities. The ceremony of breaking ground for these two roads took place about noon, but there was nothing particularly imposing about it. The most important part of the ceremonies was the turning over of a few spadefuls of dirt by Col. Peter T. Abell, president of the road, and Capt. Eph. Butcher, the contractor, who built the Atchison & St. Joseph road. The event was witnessed by fully 5,000 people, after which the monster procession formed, and, headed by a brass band, and other bands at different places in the line, marched across White Clay creek to the grove in the southwest part of the city, where the oration was delivered by Benj. F. Stringfellow. Following the oration several speeches were made by the most prominent of the invited guests, one of them by Col. C. K. Holliday, of Topeka, one of the founders of the great Santa Fe system. The barbeque was an important feature of the affair. Six beeves, twenty hogs, and over fifty sheep, pigs and lambs were roasted. There was also prepared more than one hundred boiled hams, several thousand loaves of bread, cakes by the hundred, besides sundry other delicacies to tickle the palate and help make the occasion one long to be remembered by all present. The exercises were quite elaborate and wound up with a ball in the evening at A. S. Parker’s hall on the west side of Sixth street, between Commercial and Main and a wine supper in Charley Holbert’s building on Second street, just north of the Massasoit House. Many visitors came from a long distance east, some as far as New England. Most of the Northern States were represented, and a few came from the South. Free transportation was furnished the invited guests. Hundreds came by rail and steamboat and many poured in from the surrounding country for miles, in wagons and on horseback, from eastern Kansas and western Missouri.”

While a strong movement for the construction of railroads was started in 1860, it was soon discovered that much progress could not be made in the face of the unsettled conditions brought on by the Civil war, and, as a result a further effort in that direction, was, for the time being, abandoned. However, Luther C. Challiss did not give up his idea of projecting a road to the West, and to him more than to anybody else belongs the credit of starting the first road west out of Atchison. He obtained a charter for the building of the Atchison & Pike’s Peak railroad and this company was organized February 11, 1859, but on account of the war was not opened to Waterville until January 20, 1868. Challiss obtained possession of 150,000 acres of land from the Kickapoo Indians by a treaty, and, upon the organization of the company he was elected president. The land he secured from the Indians was, for the most part, located in Atchison county, around Muscotah, and adjoining counties. With Mr. Challiss were associated Charles B. Keith, who was the agent of the Kickapoo Indians, George W. Glick and Senators Pomeroy and Lane. In the charter for this road provision was made for its construction 100 miles west of Atchison. Col. William Osborn, who had constructed the west half of the Hannibal & St. Joseph railroad, built the first section of the Central Branch to Waterville. He named the town after his old home in New York, where he was born. It was proposed at this point to make a connection with a branch running from Kansas City to Ft. Kearney, Neb., but the Kansas City road was subsequently changed to Denver, and for this reason it has been said the Central Branch was not completed to Denver, as originally planned.

The Atchison & Pike’s Peak Railroad Company was incorporated by special act of the Territorial legislature of the Territory of Kansas, chapter 48, “Private Laws of Kansas, 1859,” and authorized to construct a railroad from Atchison to the western boundary of the Territory in the direction of Pike’s Peak. Subsequently, the Atchison & Pike’s Peak Railroad Company became the assignee of all the rights, privileges and franchises of the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company, given and granted under an Act of Congress, of July 8, 1862, Twelfth Statute, page 489, entitled: “An Act to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean, and to secure to the government the use of same for postal, military and other purposes,” which provided that the Hannibal & St. Joseph Railroad Company might extend its road from St. Joseph via Atchison, to connect and unite with a railroad in Kansas, provided for in said Act, for one hundred miles in length next to the Missouri river, and might, for that purpose, use any railroad charter, which had, or might have been granted, by the legislature of Kansas. Accordingly, the work of construction from Atchison west was inaugurated under the name of the Atchison & Pike’s Peak Railroad Company. On January 1, 1867, by virtue of the laws of the State of Kansas, the name of Atchison & Pike’s Peak Railroad Company was changed to the Central Branch Union Pacific Railroad Company, and the latter company completed the railroad from Atchison to Waterville.

THE ATCHISON, TOPEKA & SANTA FE RAILWAY COMPANY.

The first real move for the construction of a railroad from the Missouri river, west, resulted in a charter granted by the Territorial legislature to the St. Joseph & Topeka Railroad Company February 20, 1857. Under the terms of the charter the road was to start from St. Joseph, Mo.; thence crossing the river through Doniphan, Atchison and Jefferson counties to Topeka. The charter was subsequently amended and the road was extended in the direction of Santa Fe, N. M., to the southwestern line of Kansas, which is practically the same route now traversed by the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railroad. The desire on the part of the people for direct railroad connection with the Missouri river and the East gave to this movement great impetus, and there was considerable rivalry between the towns to offer aid and assistance. The people of Atchison were particularly anxious to make this town the terminal point and the future railway center of the great trans-continental system, and strongly opposed any project which would make Atchison simply a way station on the great road to the West. With a view to avert such action on the part of those behind the movement to construct this road, it was determined to make Atchison the eastern terminus of the same. Accordingly, Atchison loaned its credit to the amount of $150,000. by aid of which subsidy a direct road was built on the Missouri side of the river from St. Joseph and thence north under another charter with Atchison, Kan., instead of St. Joseph as the eastern terminus, the enterprise was carried on and as a result the citizens of Kansas Territory were much elated with the added prestige of the railroad being a Kansas corporation. The Atchison & Topeka Railroad Company was incorporated by an Act of the legislature February 11, 1859. Those named as the original incorporators were: S. C. Pomeroy, Atchison; C. K. Halliday, Topeka; Luther C. Challiss, Atchison; Peter T. Abell, Atchison; Aspah Allen, Topeka: Milton C. Dickey, Topeka; Samuel Dickson, Atchison; Wilson L. Gordon, Topeka; George S. Hillyer, Grasshopper Falls; Lorenzo D. Bird, Atchison; Jeremiah Marshall, Topeka; George H. Fairchild, Atchison; F. L. Crane, Topeka. The company was “authorized to survey, locate, construct, complete, alter, maintain and operate a railroad with one or more tracks from or near Atchison in Kansas Territory, to the town of Topeka, in Kansas Territory, and to such point on the southern or western boundary of said Territory in the direction of Santa Fe as may be convenient and suitable for the construction of said road and also to construct a branch to any point on the southern line of said Territory in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico.” The authorized capital stock was $1,500,000, and the first meeting for organization under the charter was held at the office of Luther C. Challis in Atchison September 15, 1859, at which meeting $52,000 of the first subscription of stock was paid, and the following directors were chosen: L. C. Challiss, George H. Fairchild, P. T. Abell, S. C. Pomeroy, L. D. Bird, C. K. Halliday, F. L. Crane, E. G. Ross, Joel H. Huntoon, M. C. Dickey, Jacob Safford, R. H. Weightman, and J. H. Stringfellow. The officers were: C. K. Holliday, president; P. T. Abell, secretary; M. C. Dickey, treasurer. It will be seen that the majority of the incorporators and of the officers were citizens of Atchison, and it is an important fact in the history of Kansas that Atchison county played such an important part in the organization and construction of the first railroad lines in the State. Had it not been for the terrible drought of 1860, which totally paralyzed all classes of business, the work of constructing this road immediately following its organization would have gone forward, but the famine which followed the drought was so complete and so widely distributed throughout the State and the western country as to almost destroy the farming interests. During this period the directors of the road decided to press the claims of Kansas for a national subsidy for the construction of railroads, and President C. K. Holliday, with a number of his associates, spent much time in Washington during 1859 and 1860. Their work was not in vain, for on March 3, 1863, Congress made a grant of land to the State of Kansas, giving alternate sections one mile square and ten in width, amounting to 6,400 acres per mile, on condition that the Atchison-Topeka road should be finished on or before 1873. The State accepted the grant and transferred it to this road February 9, 1864. It was in October, 1868, almost ten years after the date that the first charter was granted to this road that work of construction was begun in Topeka. The road was first built in a southerly direction so as to reach the coal region in Osage county. It was opened to Carbondale, eighteen miles from Topeka, in July, 1869, and reached Wichita, 163 miles from Topeka, in May, 1872, and at about the same time in 1872 the road was completed from Topeka to Atchison, a distance of fifty-one miles.

ATCHISON & NEBRASKA CITY RAILROAD.

On May 5, 1867, the charter for the Atchison & Nebraska City Railroad Company was filed in the office of the secretary of State of the State of Kansas. The original incorporators of this road were Peter T. Abell, George W. Glick, Alfred G. Otis, John M. Price, W. W. Cochrane, Albert H. Horton, Samuel A. Kingman, J. T. Hereford and Augustus Byram, all of whom were citizens of Atchison. The charter provided for the construction of a railroad from “some point in the city of Atchison to some point on the north line of the State of Kansas, not farther west than twenty-five miles from the Missouri river, and the length of the proposed railroad will not exceed forty-five miles.” Shortly after the road was incorporated the name was changed to the Atchison & Nebraska Railroad Company, and under this name subscriptions in bonds and capital stock were made in Atchison and Doniphan counties. Atchison county subscribed for $150,000, and in addition to the subscription of the county there were individual subscriptions amounting to $80,000 in the county. Work was commenced on the road in 1869, and it was completed in 1871 to the northern boundary of Doniphan county, three miles north of Whitecloud. The stockholders of Atchison graded the road bed to the State line, constructed bridges and furnished the ties, after which the entire property was given to a Boston syndicate in consideration of the completion and operation of the road. This railroad was afterwards consolidated with the Atchison, Lincoln & Columbus Railroad Company of Nebraska, which road had been authorized to construct a railroad from the northern terminal point of the Atchison & Nebraska railroad to Columbus, on the Union Pacific railroad, by way of Lincoln, and the road was completed to Lincoln in the fall of 1872. This consolidated road was purchased by the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad Company in 1880.

KANSAS CITY, LEAVENWORTH & ATCHISON RAILWAY COMPANY.

This road was organized by articles of association filed in the office of the Secretary of the State of Kansas September 21, 1867, and March 25, 1868, and the Missouri River Railroad Company by articles of association filed February 20, 1865, and the construction of the Leavenworth, Atchison & Northwestern railroad was commenced at Leavenworth in March, 1869, and completed to Atchison in September, 1869. The stock held in the company by Leavenworth county, aggregating $500,000, was donated to this road to aid in its extension to Atchison, and the first train into Atchison arrived in the latter part of 1869. It was not until July, 1882, however, that the first train was run through from Atchison to Omaha over the line of the Missouri Pacific railroad, which subsequently absorbed the Leavenworth, Atchison & Northwestern Railroad Company.

THE CHICAGO, ROCK ISLAND & PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY.

The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway Company was one of the last of the railroads to make connection with Atchison. This line was originally projected to Leavenworth, but reached Atchison shortly after. The construction of the Atchison branch was begun in 1872, and in July of that year the first train was run into the city.

All of these roads having been organized and constructed and in operation, the next movement that took place in transportation circles was the erection of the bridge across the Missouri river, work upon which was commenced in August, 1874, and completed in July, 1875. This bridge is 1,182 feet long and the stone for the piers and abutments upon which it rests was taken from the quarries at Cottonwood Falls, Chase county. It was originally built by the American Bridge Company of Chicago, and was rebuilt entirely new, except for the piers, in 1898. Shortly after the erection of the bridge, connecting Missouri with Kansas at Atchison, the first railroad depot was built upon the site of the present union station, which was completed and dedicated September 7, 1880. There was a great deal of discussion as to the proper location of a depot before the building was finally erected, and it was through the efforts of the Burneses that its location on Main street, between Second and Fourth street, was selected. The capital stock of the original Depot Company was $100,000,000, of which the railroad companies then entering the city subscribed for $70,000. The balance of the stock was taken by individuals. The cost of the original depot was $120,000, and the architect was William E. Taylor, who planned the old union station in Kansas City. James A. McGonigle, who was the contractor for the old Kansas City station, also built the Atchison union depot. It was built of the finest pressed brick from St. Louis, and trimmed with cut stone from the Cottonwood Falls quarries. Its length was 235 feet, with an “L” ninety-six feet long. It was two stories high with a mansard roof. It was an ornamental, and, in those days, an imposing structure. The ceremonies accompanying its dedication were witnessed by a great crowd, and many great men in the railroad and political life of Kansas participated in them. Gen. Benjamin F. Stringfellow delivered the address, and a banquet was served in the evening, followed by a procession and fire-works. Two years later, in June, 1882, this depot was partially destroyed by fire, suffering a loss of $10,000, but it was immediately rebuilt. On January 6, 1888, another fire completely destroyed the building, and the present union station was erected a short time later.

HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD.

On and after Monday, February 28, this road will be open for business throughout its entire length. Passenger trains will leave St. Joseph for Hannibal every morning, making close connection with steam packets to St. Louis and Quincy, and affording direct connection with all the railroads east of the Mississippi river. Time from St. Joseph to Hannibal, eleven hours, and to St. Louis, eighteen hours, saving more than three days over any other route. Trains from the east will arrive in St. Joseph every evening, connecting with a daily line of packets running between St. Joseph and Kansas City; also a line up the Missouri to the Bluffs. Passengers from all parts of Kansas will find this the quickest and most agreeable route to St. Louis and all points on the Mississippi, giving those going east a choice between the routes from St. Louis, Alton and Quincy. Fare will be as low as by any other route. Favorable arrangements will be made for taking freight, saving most of the heavy insurance on the Missouri river. Express freight will be taken through much quicker than by any other line.

Tickets can be had at the office in St. Joseph for nearly all parts of the country.

JOSIAH HUNT, Sup’t.

P. B. GROAT, Gen’l. Ticket Ag’t.

Feb. 1st, 1859.

no. 48–lm.

(From Freedom’s Champion, Atchison, February 12, 1859.)

HANNIBAL & ST. JOSEPH RAILROAD.

NEW ROUTE OPEN FOR THE EAST AND SOUTH.

Passengers for St. Louis, northern Missouri, Iowa, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, New Orleans, Louisville and Southern States, will find this the shortest, quickest and most desirable route to the above points. On the 1st day of February only fifteen miles of staging intervenes between St. Joseph and Hannibal, and on the 1st day of March, 1859, the road will be completed, and open for through travel the entire length. A daily line of stages from Atchison, passing through Doniphan and Geary City, connects at St. Joseph with the H. & St. Jo. railroad. From Hannibal a daily line of packets leave upon arrival of cars for St. Louis, upon the opening of navigation, and boats connect at Quincy with the C. B. & Q. railroad for Chicago, and with the G. W. railroad for Toledo via Naples. This is in every respect the best route for eastern and southern passengers. Trains leave St. Joseph for the east daily.

JOSIAH HUNT, Sup’t.

P. B. GROAT, General Ticket Agent.

(no. 47)

(From Freedom’s Champion, Atchison, February 12, 1859.)