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: