Of Note for the Records

VOL. 8, NO. 12 / VOL. 9 NO. 1 — DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 OF NOTE Double PastPorts issue for the holidays This edition of PastPorts is a double issue covering Decem- ber and January. The next issue will appear in February 2016. Until then, we thank all of our loyal PastPorts readers and the many researchers who have visited the library over the past year. We wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and all the best for the New Year. Library holiday schedule Christmas Eve, Thursday, Dec. 24: closed Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25: closed New Year’s Eve, Thursday, Dec. 31: close at 5:00 p.m. New Year’s Day, Friday, Jan. 1: closed Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Monday, Jan. 18: closed FOR THE RECORDS A History of St. Louis Railroads, 1847–2015 Among the social forces of the modern world the railroad holds unquestionably the first place. There is not a single occupation or interest which it has not radically affected. Agriculture, manufacturers, commerce, city and country life, banking, finance, law, and even government itself, have all felt its influence.—Edward Howard, “A Railroad Study” in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Sept. 1877 Figure 1 | Alton was considered the most promising river access point for railroads in the 1850s and led to the estab- All Eyes on the Mississippi lishment of the Chicago & Alton Railroad. The railroad has become the backbone of North America, the and upkeep of the network has sustained the United States primary means of transportation of goods and commodities, during the 20th and into the 21st century. and was at one-time the primary means of inland transport for many early settlers. The rail network’s development The first rail system–the Baltimore and Ohio–was estab- directly correlates with the United States’ rise to power dur- lished only fifty years following the signing of the Declara- ing the second half of the 19th century, and the management tion of Independence. By the CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 NEWS AND TIPS | HISTORY AND GENEALOGY AT ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY [ OPEN DEC. 19–20 ] DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 | PAGE 3 mid-1840s, railroad construction was clamoring towards 1855. By 1856, it extended to Alton, where it connected Illinois border towns like Terre Haute and Chicago with all with the Terre Haute and Alton Railroad. eyes on the Mississippi River. As early as 1855, Alton & Sangamon owners realized the The metropolitan landscape of the 1850s was very different need for access to Illinoistown. The Illinois state legislature from that which we know today. When the Illinois legisla- forbade any measure that might end with businesses leav- ture chartered the state’s first railroad, Alton was consid- ing for St. Louis and denied their request. In order to pro- ered the most promising river access point. In 1852, the vide passenger service, the Alton & Sangamon offered two Alton & Sangamon Railroad was constructed from Alton to boat trips a day from Alton to St. Louis. The legislature Springfield, connecting by 1854 with the Chicago & Mis- finally reversed itself in 1863, allowing the Chicago & sissippi at Burlington, Iowa. In 1857, the two railroads re- Alton to extend its service. Illinoistown changed its name organized as the St. Louis, Alton & Chicago, reorganizing to East St. Louis on April 22, 1864. again in 1862 as the Chicago & Alton Rail Road (Figure 1). For more about the forming of the Chicago & Alton Rail Further north, competition was brewing. The Chicago and Road, see The Chicago & Alton Railroad: The Only Way Aurora Railroad reached the Mississippi in 1856 at Bur- by Gene V. Glendinning, R 385.0977 G558C. lington, Iowa, renaming itself the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy (CB&Q). Burlington was another major fur trading Alton was not without competition. Other fur trading loca- city and quickly gave the CB&Q traction with river ship- tions were of great interest to railroad investors. Illinois- pers seeking a more northern delivery point. Although it town was already a bustling river port thanks to the early did not reach St. Louis in the 1850s, the CB&Q or fur traders establishing a ferry crossing. Illinoistown's loca- “Burlington Route” would quickly emerge as a major influ- tion–downstream from Alton–was more advantageous to ence on St. Louis railroad history. river shippers and demand quickly grew as goods traveling up river were ported at Illinoistown. The first railroad to Manifest Destiny establish port access was the Belleville & Illinoistown in The 1840s were boom years for the river city of St. Louis as a large influx of German immigrants began to settle the west bank of the river. American sentiments towards manifest destiny were at an all time high when the Pacific Rail- road was chartered on March 12, 1849. In four years, the Kansas-Nebraska act would open Kansas and Nebraska territories to white settlement. Construction of the first railroad west of the Mississippi began in 1851, running from 14th St. to Cheltenham (Dogtown). In 1852, the Pacific Railroad requested land grants for routes both west and southwest from a location 37 miles from 14th St. Here they established the town of Franklin and began work on a Southwest route. By July 1853, the Pacific Railroad com- pleted the connection from Kirkwood (named after James P. Kirkwood, engineer) to Franklin. By 1855, the western route of the Pacific Railroad con- Figure 2 | The North Missouri Railroad Company estab- nected St. Louis to Jefferson City. Its first competition lished a line from 2nd and North Market to the Missouri came from the North Missouri Railroad Company, which River opposite St. Charles. opened 19 miles of track from 2nd St. and North Market to NEWS AND TIPS | HISTORY AND GENEALOGY AT ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 | PAGE 4 grain elevators, and even breweries. In 1859, Franklin hon- ored the railroad by changing its name to Pacific. A third competitor entered the race in 1865. The Union Pacific Railroad—Southern Branch was chartered and constructed from the outskirts of St. Louis with the goal of reaching Fort Riley, Kans.. A group of St. Louis area investors under the leadership of Judge Levi Parsons saw an opportunity in 1870 and purchased the 182-mile Union Pa- cific Railroad—Southern Branch. Parsons and investors chartered the Missouri, Kansas & Texas, known over the years as the M-K-T, or “The Katy.” Parsons quickly began expansion south, becoming the first railroad to reach Texas. After the war, the North Missouri Railroad worked to cre- ate a non-stop passenger route to Kansas City. In 1865, it began planning for Missouri River bridges at Kansas City and St. Charles. On Sept. 14, 1868, the St. Charles Bridge Company under the leadership of James B. Eads began its first attempt at building a bridge across the Missouri River. Flooding in July 1869 wiped out everything the crews ac- complished, and the flooding changed the course of the river on the St. Charles bank. Plans were redrawn to in- clude three additional piers in order to reach the west bank. The bridge opened on May 29, 1871. For the first time, a Figure 3 | John C. Fremont entered the railroad business passenger could catch a train at the Mississippi River and in 1866, when he purchased a failed line and opened the travel non-stop from St. Louis to Kansas City. Southwest Pacific Railroad Company. The financial hardships of the a ferry landing on the Missouri River opposite the city of Southwest Pacific St. Charles on August 2, 1855 (Figure 2). Construction con- As with any new technology, the challenges that emerge tinued on the west bank of the Missouri and by August from implementation are often as problematic as those the 1857, track reached Warrenton. Crews worked diligently technology was developed to resolve. Railroads were con- and by May 1858, the North Missouri Railroad Company structed with little concern for a future network. Industri- covered 155 miles from St. Louis to Mexico, Mo. Macon ous profiteers stretched themselves thin by building too City was reached in 1859 and remained the end of the line much too quickly, with no foresight towards future usabil- during the Civil War. ity, and with little concern for standardization. Such was the case with the Pacific Railroad’s Southwest Pacific The Pacific Railroad continued to push further west, reach- Branch. Rail construction was expensive and produced no ing Tipton, Missouri in 1858. Here the Pacific took over profit while roads were under construction. While the Pa- mail transportation from the Overland Mail Company. The cific Railroad was able to establish mail services along its junction at Franklin proved prosperous and many busi- eastern route, the Southwest Pacific was slow to build and nesses were established: steel mills, flour mills, stockyards, provided little cash flow. In 1866, the Pacific Railroad NEWS AND TIPS | HISTORY AND GENEALOGY AT ST. LOUIS COUNTY LIBRARY DECEMBER 2015 / JANUARY 2016 | PAGE 5 chased land grants in St. Louis County and City, construct- ing a right-of-way to the Mississippi river. To pay for it, the investors entered into an agreement with the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad (AT&SF) to purchase the valuable southwest land grants. The deal heavily favored the AT&SF, and in 1890 AT&SF purchased the St. Louis- San Francisco. For three years, the AT&SF railroad had access to St. Louis. In 1893, however, over 500 banks and 15,000 companies–particularly in the western states–went bank- rupt. Among them were the Union Pacific, the Northern Pacific, and the AT&SF.

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