The Kanzas news., 1857-08-29
St. Louis. jefferson City and Santa Fe.

has been watching for several years the up
ward course of Chicago, with jealous eye;
but has heretofore eontented herself with
disparaging the advantages of her rival, in
stead of improving her own.
1t is fact, that Chicago has used its
money and lent its credit for the purpose
of building railroads; TO an extent unknown
before in the history of the west. And now
it is reaping the rich reward.
While ST. Louis has folded its hands in
comparative idleness, neglecting to provide
the means of intercourse with the interior
of the State, and with the rich agricultural
countries at the west and southwest, Chi
cago has been extending Its Briarean arms
in every direction, bringing to its storehouse
the products of vast, and almost boundless
country; until to-day, Chicago stands in
the center of the most perfect system of
Railroads in the world Now there is no
good reason why St. Louis may not be the
great depot for the vast region lying to the
west, south west and northwest of it.
By properly constructed system of
Railroads, constructed too, along routes
pointed out, and supplied with material, by
Nature herself, the whole exports from the
whole of Kanzas Territory, the best part of
Nebraska, the Indian territory, which will
soon be settled, and northern Texas, viii
be poured into the lap of st. Louis, to be
by her distributed over the East, North and
South.
But wish to speak particularly of the
Great Central Route TO the Pacific. 1t is
generally conceded that St. Louis is the
most natural starting point for this road
| A more northern route must be circuitous,
and more southern one impracticabie, on
account of the desert nature of the coun-
try through which it would have to pass.
Assuming, then, that st, Louis is to be the
eastern terminus, then Santa Fe would nat
ura1ly be the first prominent point aimed at.
Situated in the heart Of vast region, capa-
bic of supporting a dense population, it
would be the first great depot, beyond the
|
The Pacific Railroad Company of Mis-
souri,, may, and probably viii, become the
| first link in the vast chain which is to bind
the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
! Their reported action with regard to laying
their road west from Jefferson City, instead
of following up the Missouri River, is a
step in the right direction. That read
j from St. Louis to Santa Fe can be built,
and that too through country rich in ag-
ricultural and mineral resources, can be
easily demonstrated. From Jefferson City,
it would follow up the Valley of the Usage
River as now proposed by the P. R. r. Co.,
until reaching the Kanzas line.
This point should be, in order to keep
in direct line, at about Township 8 or 19
south in Kanzas Territory.
Here the road crosses the Usage River
and follows up its head waters on the south
side, which reach within few miles of the
: Neosho; then follow up the Neosho to its
junction with the Cottonwood, there cross
the Neosho, and follow the Cottonwood for
about 80 miles directly west, to the point
where the old Santa Fe trail crosses this
river. From this point the route would
not vary much from that now travelled
AS far as Kanzas is concerned, it is a self
I evident proposition, that its railroads must
as a general thing be built along the course
of streams. Not only to secure an abun-
dant supply of wood and water, and an
easy, level grade. but because the richest part
of the country is its vallies, and the densest
4 population will always be found in the vi
cinity of the water courses And here is a
route for $50 miles west of the Missouri
line, with but one ridge, or divide OF
any consequence to cross. And this whole
distance is alre ady thiekly settled by "a pop
ulation which is making rapid strides to-
wards wealth, population which viii build
200 miles of Railroad through the center OF
Kanzas, within the next five years, if Mis-
souri, win only give them road direct to
Jefferson City, and so on to st. Louis,
without the necessity of a circuitous, and
almost impossible route across numerous
streams and tsdivides" UP to Kanzas City,
then down the river to the proposed eastern
terminus, St. Louis. With this main line
completed through Missouri, and 200 miles
through the center of Kanzas, the question
of its extension to the Pacific at no distant
day, would be practically settled.
H. vr,o-, r1f g. fr
erson City are already moving in this mat
ter, and if the western counties viii awake
from their lethargy. to sense of their OWL
interest. take stock in the road, and urge il
along with all the means in their power
the people of Kanzas viii be ready 10 mee