Arizona weekly citizen., 1882-04-16
OUR RAILROAD sYsrrn

citizens take hold of questions Of in
 greatest importance to Tucson. Ina
 we have all the elements necessary t
 build a city of from twenty to thirt,
 thousand population in comparativel.
 short period of time there can be nc
 doubt, but our city will not grow an,
 prosper unless we take hold and mak,
 the best uses of those elements.
 About nineteen years ago the build
 ing of the great overland roads began
 The main line of the great Union Pacif'
 started from Omaha, as that seemed t,
 be the best and most central point iron
 which to strike the valley of the Platte
 The Kansas Pacific another Of the sub
 sIdy roads of scarcely less importance
 than the Union or Central, was begun
 about the same time. General Lane
 who was then one of the Senators from Kansas, provided that the Kansas Pacific should be built via Lawrence, but Jeff the initial point at some point on the Missouri river. This latitude gave the company the right to build from Leaven. worth, which at that time contained a population of forty thousand, or from Wyandotte, (virtually Kansas City) a small town at the mouth of the Kansas river in the State of Kansas. The newly organized company was disposed to make Leayenworth the iuitial point of the Kansas Pacific, because of its be- ing the principal city of that section of the country. It was well laidout. and was favored with the most beautiful and slightly location on the Missouri river, within two miles of Fort Leavenworth, the most important military post In the West. But Leavenworth was little of Jt direct route, and the cost of build ing a road to Lawrence was consider ably greater, than the cost of building direct up the Kansas river from Wyan- dotte. The company offered to begin at Leayenworth, if the city and county would give them Sl00,0O0. This the people of Leavenworth declined to do, believing that the road must necessarily start from there, as it was the commer- sial center for all of Kansas, New Mexi- % and Colorado, many Of their mer- chants at that day carrying stocks equal 10 the largest houses in St. Louis. Subsequent events proved that the com 1any was not obliged to consider the 1 ,laIms Of Leayenworth, and as that city | 'efused To pay the difference in cost of construction they at once began to grade he road bed from Wyandotte and in a hort time had the road bed completed nd the cars running to Lawrence,
 distance of 35 miles. It was then that be city of Leavenworth began to wake P. The sluggards realized that a great listake had been made in allowing the pad to be built from Wyandotte. The .ading men of Leavenworth then came 'rward and offered to give S25O,OO0 to ave that city made the initial point; subsequently increased their fer to S30O,COO, but it was too late. heir golden opportunity had passed. he Kansas Pacific had already made rge investments at Wyandotte and ansas City and had begun the erection extensive machine shops The road ld been extended two miles to Kansas ty, which being more favorably situated
 au Nyandotte became the eastern ont for one of the great overland railroads. le managers of Eastern railroads at
 ce took Tn the situation and saw the lPortance of connection with
 e Kansas Pacific The Missouri
 iclfic was the first to reach out for tbe lde brought from the west by the Kan s; then followed the Hannibal and St c seph, and the North Missouri. New | ads were built to the south and south | st Tn Kansas and other eastern | ads were compelled to make | nnection with Kansas city, until she ? " has seventeen railroads centering | the bottom on the Missouri river, | lich at the close of the war did not V ntain a single house or habitatlon of | V kind. Kansas City has grown from ? qualid population of 3 000 at the close c the war to 10000 prosperous citizens, a | to-day has the brightest prospects a
 the future oi any city in America. fe avenworth rapidly receded from her ol 'ud position as the metropolis of the p ssOuri valley, and from her 40,OOO t' 'ple m five years she had only 17,0OO r' - Men who at the close of the war W re worth from S50,OOO to S3O0,OO0 ID at down with her, and the unfortu- ID es of Leavenworth may be found b' ttered all over the West. Even our B l town IS an asylum for at least one co the unfortunates of Leavenworth, tn Q at the close of the war was worth N GOO, but who IS now engaged in a VI all business, trying to regain his lost CT .unes. be lad LeavenwOrth given the Kansas dU fife Road slOO,OOO at the proper time, at would to-day have a population of pc 900, but she dId not, and what might Ju Q been hers has all been transferred Of lansas City. se' ncson to-day occupies much the same so tion that Leavenworth did nineteen en $ ago. Shall We make the same
 .ake, or shall we act with more sense th' make Tucson a great city, as We cal } 1t m our power to dO2 ma
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