A History of Kansas

by Anna E. Arnold

Stage Coach.

The Pony Express, 1859-’61. The trip to San Francisco, a distance of about 2000 miles, occupied nearly a month, and the people of California were very anxious that a quicker way of getting their mails be devised. To meet this demand the Pony Express was established in 1859. The line extended from St. Joseph to San Francisco, a long, lonely way across plains and deserts and over mountains, sometimes in a straight line but often winding through dark cañons or along the edge of mountain precipices. The Pony Express required one hundred and ninety stations, nearly five hundred horses, and eighty riders. The stations averaged about ten miles apart. The horses were selected for their speed and endurance, and the distance from one station to another was covered in the shortest possible time. At each station a fresh horse was waiting, and the only delay was in changing the mail pouch from one horse to another. The pouch contained only letters, and they were written on the thinnest of paper to avoid surplus weight. Five dollars was charged for the carrying of each letter. The first trip was made in ten days, the shortest one in seven days and seventeen hours. Many stories of adventure are related of the two years in which the Pony Express was in operation. In 1861 a telegraph line was constructed across the continent, which made it possible to flash news from ocean to ocean in a few seconds, and the Pony Express went out of existence.

The First Railroad in Kansas, 1860. By this time railroad building had begun in Kansas. The first road was laid in the spring of 1860, while Kansas was still a Territory, between Elwood, opposite St. Joseph, Missouri, and Marysville. When the first five miles of rail had been laid, a little old locomotive that had done service on many eastern roads was brought into the State and a celebration was held in honor of the first trip. Though the engine was old and drew only a few flat cars over the rough and crooked track, it was an important event, for it marked the beginning of railroad building in Kansas.

The Union Pacific Railroad, 1862-’69. There had long been talk of a railroad to the Pacific coast, and in 1862, while the Civil War was still in progress, Congress granted a charter for such a line. This was the beginning of the Union Pacific Railroad. It was to be built as soon as possible by working from both ends. From the east the road was to pass through Nebraska and on toward Salt Lake, and from the west it was to be built from San Francisco eastward until the two lines met. This road did not pass through Kansas, but while it was being constructed a line that later became a part of the Union Pacific[18] system was built from Kansas City westward, along the Kansas River, through Manhattan, Junction City, and Salina, and on west through Denver to join the main line at Cheyenne.[19]

The Indian, the Soldier, and the Builder.

During the seven years spent in building this railroad many difficulties were met and conquered. Most of the country along the line was without timber, fuel, or any of the necessary supplies. The materials for construction were brought up the Missouri River by steamboat to Kansas City. From this point they were hauled by train over the new railroad as far as it was completed. The Indians opposed the work because it meant the westward movement of civilization and the settling of their hunting grounds. They were a constant source of danger to the whole frontier, but especially to the railroad builders. The men usually went to their work armed, and stacked their guns ready for instant use. Sometimes it was even necessary to guard the men with troops while they worked. History gives many accounts of Indian massacres committed along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad. The entire line was finished in 1869.

Early Days on the Union Pacific.

The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe, Completed in 1872. In the meantime other lines had been chartered through Kansas, the principal one being the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe. This railroad was begun at Topeka in 1868 and completed to the western boundary of the State in a little more than four years. The line between Topeka and Atchison was also completed within this period. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe has since been extended westward to the coast and eastward to Chicago, and many branches have been added. This railroad follows the general direction of the Santa Fe Trail across the eastern half of the State. Near Great Bend the track runs on the exact course of the old highway, and from this point on through the rest of the State they are never far apart and often coincide. When, in 1872, the “Santa Fe,” as it is generally called, was completed through Kansas, the last caravan of wagons had wound its way over the old Trail. The trains of cars rushing over the new iron trail marked another advance in the westward march of civilization.