The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-09-29
THE SANTA FE.
A Comprehensive Article Civ
ing Its History
Written by Director Charles 8.
Gleed,
For That Excellent Magazine,
the Cosmopolitan.

The best general article that has been
published about the Santa Fe and it's
marvellous history and growth, was
written by Charles S. Gleed, now a df-
rector and intimately connected
with the road almost from it's inception.
The article, as quoted below, appeared
in the February. 1898, number of the
Cosmopolitan, John Brisben Walkers
great magazine success-a high grade
popular ten cent monthly.
Prosaic business and genuine romance
We're never more perfectly compounded
peka & Santa Fe Railroad company-the
company known on the stock market, and
therefore in the east generally, as THE
Atchison," and in the west as The Santa
Fe-- This company came into existence
ana It's INES were constructed IN accord
ance with more Ihan a quarter OF CEN
fury of prophecy
l ne proPhecy was not made as a rule,
by those Who were accounted most wise
in worldly matters Financiers for the
most part saw little to justify the faith of
the soldiers. miners and other frontiers
men who urged that the old Santa Fe
trail ought to be converted into a trail
OF steel and some day would be.
Down to the very times when the final
protector of the line, Cyrus K. Holiday,
was patiently begging men OF means TO
take hold of his scheme, great statesmen
in congress We're echoing the verdict of
the great hnanciers. who said as settled
fact that money invested in the great
American desert would never come
back.
Even when Thomas J. Peter, who built
the first thousand miles of the road; came
west TO look over the situation, he be-
ieved he was merely to take interest
ing but profitless journey to the neglect
of his regular business, for he thought
there would be no support for an addi-
tjonal railroad west of the Missouri river.
he vast herds of buffalo supported by
the prairie grass This convinced him
that under the grass there was that which
would support millions of people. On this
conviction he concluded to act.
the late Senator Preston B. Plumb, who
threw all his characteristic energy into
the encoura cement of the enterprise
There were those who scarcely believed in
the road as d financial practicability be-
yond three or four hundred miles from
the Missouri river, yet who thought that
some daS- briid a line TO the Pacific over
the -'thirty-fifth parallel route" Through
New Mexico and AriZona) as a rategic
measure and as a mail route. And so.
after all sorts of men with all sorts of
views had contributed to the conSidera-
ton of this question the right men came
and the locomotive and the Pullman car
drove out the OK team and the covered
wagon. and the desOlate trail became the
The originator of the enterprise. the
father of 1t, as he is commonly called
sas, one of the founders of Topeka, and
now a resident of that city. Colonel Hol-
Mday drew up the charter of the company
and member of the territorial senate
of 1859 secured its passage. The first
& Topeka Railroad company. but the vast
nature of the enterprise was indicated by
the auLIpHiAN SSGLASo - AONelAN NAAO
city OF Santa F'e and the Gulf OF Mexico
The name of the company was changed to
its present form in November, 1858. The
original incorporators associated with Col
Onel Holiday were United States senator
Samuel c. PomerOy, Luther c. Chains,
Peter r. Abeli Milton c. Dickey, Asaph
Allen. Samuel Dickson, Nelson L. Gordon,
George s Hillyer. Lorenzo D. Bird, Jere-
Iniah Murphy, George H Fairchild and
r. L. Crane. From the day of the in
corpora ton until 1865 Colonel Holiday i'm
pOrtuned the capitalists of the east, in
season and out, to take hold OF his
lEcheme. Rebuff. not to say ridicule. was
nearly all he got for his pains. In 1867
"a contract was made with George w
Beach of New York to build the entire
road as then contemplated; Beach failed
10 execute his contract and in 1858 assign
ed it to Mr.. T. ]. Peter of Cincinnati.
now of Alabama, who was the first man
found with both the courage and the abiI-
itv to build the road.
Mr.. Peter represented the contracting
frna of Dodge, Lord & Co. of Cincinnati,
con1posed of Messrs- Francis Dodge, II.
Q Lord lthen president of the Indianap-
oils Cincinnati & Lafayette road, Orlin
smith (then vice president of the Balt-
more & Ohio road. H B. Frost. Henry
Stearns. George w Norris and 7. ]. Peter.
ON securing the Beach contract in 1858,
Dodge Lord 81 Co. organized a contract
ing firm to build the first twenty-five
miles of the road From this time on
many famous men were connected with
1he entarprise Mr.. Peter. as the as
signee of Beach. made a contract with
the members of his firm and other parties
to build from Topeka to Burlingame, To-