The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-29

land was concluded two or three years
| ago, except as 20 such pieces of land a:
| We're sold on contract and have since beer
| turned back to the company by forfeiture
This amounts to very small acreage
The lands were sold at an average OF
about five dollars per acre and Melted tbs
company something like five million dol
lars; but from this five million dollars
should be deducted all free transporta-
ton, advertising and other passenger de-
partment expenses which related to land
sales, which leaves the land grant ac-
count showing not over three millions te
| the good, while some call il approximate.
ing, there was no profit in the transae-
| ton, except as it came indirectly by what
was made from the railroad. The rail
road, of course, could not have existed
| except for the presence of this land as
have been built when it was if the pos,
| session of the land had not enabled the
| build the road. The takes on this rail
| road land grant built school houses from
are very many Instances where one sec
| ton of land was taxed to build three
| changing school districts so as to bring
| the given section of land under the ne
| the three separate houses. There is a
distinct line of demarkation between the
| S5G ,i@ houses and court houses within the
| those outside that limit, the comparison
BENG IN iavor OF me raI hoSa
| willing that the railroad lands should pay
for first class improvements s For many nam
| something like $3.50, 900 in taxes from the
The lands granted to the company in
Kansas, on which they Melted about one
dollar per acre, We're twice exposed
reduced the benefit the company would
| have received from them. In 1874 the
by reason of the plague of grasshcppers
that visited the state. There was no real
Centennial exposition began to be felt in
1876 and 1877. Again in 1879 and 1880.
the sale of the grant another setback.
On, both of these occasions many thous-
their prairie homes to their original
homes in the east. Seed grain was fur
amounts of help were otherwise distrib-
uted by the company in the task of tid-7
hT b ever bu tai haF of ihe Santa Fe through
Kansas was not interrupted by either
end al or he and nh
which had once been at the end of the
towns. Cowboys of the bad kind, In
dams, railroad construction stragglers
and hard 1a eharaeters generally We're at
of the Santa Fe villages and made them
more painfully active than they ever will
be again. Judge Lynch was a popular
dispenser of justice, and without his help
the regular courts could hardly have kept
up their work. But when the road crossed
the Kansas line new things were encoun-
tered. MIR. Strong, then the vice. presi-.
fire and fight, and wanted to take the
Rocky mountain country by storm. Only
was the ultra conservative attitude of Mr..
Thomas Nickerson, the president, who
railroad man, and the other was the pres
ence in Colorado of the Denver & Rio
tending from Denver to Pueblo, with
branches south and west from the latter
point. Mr.; Strong knew, the financial
people affectionately called it, and was
until q satisfactory purchase could be |
made. But Mr.. Nickerson refused to let |
tr tray t 9egotiations Were entered into for
a lease. Finally lease was consummat- |
ed, Mr.. Nickerson personally Supervising |
was made the 18th of October. 1878. |
and the road came into the possession of |
the same year The operation of the |
road under this lease was continued until |
pudiated the lease and by physical force !
regained possession of the road The |
erty to the Santa Fe the 18th of July, |
1879 and on the 18th of the Following Au- |
Strong matured plans to take the road /
from the receiver, but Mr. Nickerson |
Meantime work had been pushed on the |
Santa Fe line to Leadville. The grade |
two miles of the track laid when, on July |
18th, 1872 work was stopped by an injunc-
Grande people Prior to this the santa |
Fe had achieved victory over the RIO
ha Pdn been a overland i to santa Fe and SEE
cured the legisla ton he needed under |
e 0s sn5h5Py q as sr e9ron
build into New Mexico at once. Mr.. Nick |
by a disagreeable alternative presented
by Mr. Strong, which caused him to |
name sum of money which which,, foq dea be er
dered Chief Engineer Robinson to make
Legation through maton G odn Mr mt
trie, chief engineer of the Rio Grande. |
reached Trinidad the same night Nc
son pressed on and located his line that
night on the north side of Ration noun
tain, and at o'clock next morning began
the location of his line on the south side
Of the mountain. Thirty minutes after
McMurtrie appeared on the south side Of
secured this pass the Santa Fe road might
row row gauge of the Rio Grande would have
enabled it to traverse New Mexico quick
"a its its .:switehback' over the Ration about
Christmas, 1889. Afterwards the SWITCH
beck was abandoned for tunnel previ-
ously mentioned. cut through the solid
Between the time when the Rio Grande
repudiated its lease and the time that the
ended all controversy-all in |
the first half of Sis as War the Indeed
From three to five hundred men on each |
side We're armed and in the field in true
sideNMr Strong and Mr.. Robinson for
the Santa Fe. and Mr. Mr.. Palmer and MT MT
only combatants in the field, but were
also fighting a legal war. To be a mag
nate at that time and place meant to
be half the time a rioter and the other
half a fugitive. To be a judge was to
De in more than physicians danger of
being wanted at any hour of the day or
hight. The newspapers were sPouting nre
30 excited. Finally the main body of the
Santa Fe forces was SURROUNDED IN the
at Pueblo sand made to sur
render. The thrilling occurrences of this
busy half year would make long story
The romance involved in the history of