The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-01-22
WICHITA AND Ell PAS0.
A GREAT INDEPENDENT LINE OF
RAILWAY.
A New Country of Inexhaustable Re,
sources, of Agricultural Valleys and
Grazing Lands and a Magnifi-
cent Territory for the
Future Wichita Trade.

The Importance of the proposed Wichita
and FL Paso railway to this city, to its
grain and live stock markets, and to its
general and jobbing trades, is well under
stood by our people. For years such a
line has been discussed and urged. Harper
City especially, in conjunction with some
of our own citizens, approaching the con-
venience, profit and Importance of such
line. put forth efforts to secure its con-
struction years ago. The Santa Fe was
| urged to build its Mulvane extension from
Wichita, instead of from the former point,
for the simple reason that the territory
| proposed to be traversed was directly trib-
utary to the markets of this city naturally,
but the then management of the Santa Fe
had other fish to fry The San Francisco
management at one time took the neces-
sary initiatory steps TO construct this iden-
tical line of road and to its present pro-
posed terminus, in the interest Of its
trunk line, St. Louis connection, and no
doubt if it had remained an independent
organization the work would sooner or
later have been accomplished. At last
leading citizens Of Wichita met and organ
lied the Wichita and FL Paso road, which
as an enterprise is rapidly getting into
shape and onto its feet, largely through
the efforts of aud in being earnestly Sec
onded by the interests at Runnymede, at
| Harper City and at other points. As was
seen by special dispatch TO this paper,
the people of Harper, by wonderfully
unanimous vote agreed on Monday OF
this week to aid in the construction. All
of the points between here and Funny,
mede have taken affirmative action, and it
only remains for this city, more interested
if possible than any other point, to come
forward and do her part. That Wichita
viii do this there is not a doubt. Being
larger, her movements have necessarily
been slower, but the work of getting
up the petitions to the city council and
doing the other necessary preliminary
legal work has been going steadily for
ward, and it is hoped by the next meeting
of that body all requirements will have
been met and everything found in readi
ness and completeness for the calling of the
election.
The Wichita and FL Paso railway will
| traverse the unOccupied territory lying be-
tween the Wichita and Western and the
Anthony and Kiowa branch of the Mis-
souri, Pacific touching several towns be
tween here and Harper, including Runny-
mede 1t passes through magnificent
grain and stock country. Twenty miles
beyond Harper it will enter the great
Cherokee strip of G. 600, 600 acres, soon to be
thrown open to settlement, and thus will
Wichita secure another line into the terri
tory. The portion of the India territory
proposed to be reached by this
line is as fine, as rich and as great in agri-
cultural possibilities as that of Oklahoma
proper 1t goes right through the fine
grazing lands lately occupied by the great
cattle syndicate who were removed by the
order of the general government The
future products of that section, of all its
fields and pastures, will come to Wichita's
markets. The wide and fertile valleys of
the Salt Fork and of the Cimarron rivers,
and of the Canadian and North Fork
rivers will be intersected farther on by
this line, and win run through the very
center of the famed district lying between
Fort Reno and the Cantonment, within
the lines of the Cheyenne and Arapahoe
Indian reservations, which reserves have
already been treated for by the govern
ment commissioners, and which will be
opened to settlement as soon as the con-
gress shall ratify such treaty, a bill for
which purpose is now pending.
One of the best features, if it is not I'M
questionably the most satisfactory feature
of the Wichita and FL Paso railway, is the
fact that 1t is to be an independent line.
None of the trunk line railway corpora
lions have either direct or remote inter
est in it. And they will not have. 1t is to
be constructed independently of any aid
from them and will stand on its own foot
ing and, will, therefore, not be compelled
to make earnings for the watered stocks
J
these old corporations. For the first forty
or fifty miles it will be directly competi-
tive, but beyond that it will have a vast
and virgin territory of its own to serve,
and until it reaches tide water connections
in Texas or terminal points in Mexico.
Before reaching the Red River country,
which magnificent valley is the dividing
line between Texas and the Indian
territory, this line will cross the Wichita
river valley and skirt the Wichita
mountains, said TO be rich in minerals in
which have been found gold bearing
quartz, silver and lead ores and coal, and
which last named mountains and valleys
are within the Kiowa, Commanche and
! Apache reservations, also treated for
In short there is no proposed line OF
railway of which we have any knowledge
that offers so many inducements, that
presents so many possibilities. and that
promises so much of Importance 10 both
the investors and TO the people Of Wichita
and FL Paso.
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