The Delaware ledger. (Newark, Del.) 1879-19??, 1884-09-06
staging on the Plains.

ulStdnce OIL nearly lUU miles across the
plains from Atchison, says a writer,
first set my foot on the site of the
city Of Denver. was then employed
by Ben Holiday as express manager on
the Overland Stage Line, leaving At
Gibson every third Monday morning at
8 O'Clock, and reaching Denver the fol-
lowing Sunday from 7 to 9 A. NJ. Two
other messengers were also employed,
so that one was dispatched from there
every Monday morning, no ma arriv-
ing there from the East on that morn
ing, Arriving in Denver, the messen-
ger would lie over two days, leaving
there on Tuesday morning and reach
ing Atchison the following Monday,
lying over there one week-in other
words, being on the plains en- route
twelve days out of every twenty-one.
When was making my regular trips
across the plains there were only three
telegraph offices between Atchison and
Denver. The first one at Fort Kear-
ney, distance OF 253 miles. The next
was at Cottonwood Springs, 1856 miles;
the last at Overland City (Julesburg).
something near 500 miles. The latter
was the nearest office to Denver, fully
200 miles by stage down the Platte.
Here the Associated Press dispatches
were taken off the overland wire and
placed in the way packet in charge of
the driver and were two days thereafter
in reaching the future great city of the
plains.
The stage coach then carried from
nine to twelve passengers, the regular
through fare being S75, which was sub
sequently increased to S100, and soon
afterward to Sl25. Not infreqnently
during my engagement with the stage
company there was as high as sixteen
passengers down the Platte as far as
Fort Kearney, where about one-third
OF them would get off for Omaha and
Nebraska City, where connection was
made with the Western Stage Com
pany.
Along the Platte during those days
was perfect string of white-covered
wagons, called ''prairie schooners,"
loaded with groceries, provisions, grain,
outftting goods, miners supplies, etc.
There was little or nothing said of
Colorado then. The whole region was
known as the Pixies Peak country, and
nearly every tenderfoot coming across
the plains was "bound for Pixies Peak
or bust" 1t may, perhaps, not be out
of place to note that about every other
man soon returned to the States land,
to use his own language, more forcible
than elegant), "busted, by thunder"
made thirty two trips by stage
across the plains from Atchison to Den
yer before there was foot of railroad
in Kansas between the Missouri River
and Rocky Mountains. There had
been little track-laying on the line of
the Elwood and Marysville Railroad in
the spring of 1860, but the track was
subsequently torn up. Ground had
also been broken, with great pomp and
ceremony, on the proposed Atchison
and Pixies Pike Railroad, on the 18th
of June, 1860, on which occasion there
were present several thousand people,
among the number being several hun
dred distinguished persons from the
East. Track-laying on this line did
not begin until November, 1865, and
some time afterward the name of the
road was changed to the Central Branch
Union Pacific.
While making those long, tedious
trips III 1868. ga. 'G5, l often wondered
how long it would be, and whether 1
would live to see the day when a line
of railroad would cross the plains and
run into Denver. Horace Greeley had
long before agitated the subject of
Pacific railroad IN the Net0 York Tfib-
une. During his first visit to the West,
in the spring of 1850, his first letter
was written from Atchison, and many
Of his subsequent letters en- route to
Denver and the Pacific stage were on
the subject of a railroad, which then
was an important subject. Majors,
Russell & Waddell then ran the stage
known as the LeaVenworth and Pixies
Peak Express three times week. Gree
ley was accompanied ON his trip across
the plains by stage by the late Albert
d. Richardson. They went via the
Smoky Hill route, the same now trav
ersed by the Kansas branch of the
Union Pacific Railway. That was
just a quarter Of century ago last
spring, but remember it as if it were
only yesterday, for 1 had been quite
familiar with Richardson in Kansas
since 1857. l also well remember the
day he and Col. Thomas w. Knox left
Atchison, in the spring of 1860, where
they outfltted and made the trip by
team with the Harrison brothers across
the plains to Denver, where they sub.
sequently were employed for time in |
the editorial department of the now
defunct Commonwealth. During the |
four weeks en- route across the plains |
Col. Knox wrote quite a number of
letters to the AtctiSon Champion, then
small weekly, when was foreman in
that office and while Kansas was yet
Territory. put in type Knox's first
letter while en- route for Denver. 1t
was written in Marysville, 100 miles
west of Atchison, and headed "Far
Western Correspondence. But at
that time Marysvllle was on the out
skirts of civilization in Kansas, and
seemed farther away from Atchison
than Denver does at this time.
Few dreamed Of a railroad for Dem
yer then, for the iron horse had not
crossed the muddy Missouri in Kansas.
NIr.nAL.a.. thn fnrthnnt ,rnetnrr, r,oirt |