The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-03-29

ing what was then called '.Wyandotte
float they pre-empted the townsite and
formed the Topeka Town company, of
which Mr.. Holiday became the first
president. A .Wyandotte float" was a
government warrant authorizing
Wyandotte Indian or his assigns to To-
cate a piece of unoccupied government
land wherever he might choose.
Having located their townsite, Mr.
Holiday and his associates took up
farms adjacent to it, and some of the
land so obtained was afterward added
to the townsite. Mr.. Holidays farm
was added. and his present dwelling on
East Sixth street is on his original
farm. Having established the town,
Mr.. Holiday directed the affairs of the
company until it had disposed. of all
its lots. The company was then closed
out. and Mr.. Holiday was made trus-
tee for the purpose of curing all defects
of title
Mr.. Holiday early saw the possibili-
ties OF the young town, and obtained
from the territorial legislature, when
he was member of the territorial
council, charter for the Atchison, To-
peka & Santa F'e Railroad company.
Afterward the capital was voted to To
peka, as he had predicted, and soon he
set about to raise money to construct
the railroad. In 1864 he caused to be
printed q map of the projected rail-
road. This is still extant and shows
the lines of the great system stretching
from Atchison to the Gulf of Mexico,
TO the City of Mexico, to Guaymas. to
Los Angeles, to San Francisco, and to
Denver.
Having obtained a charter for the
enterprise. his next step was to OBJ
tain a land grant from congress. This
was done by enlisting the aid of SEN
ator Samuel c. Pomeroy, and to fur
Their help the enterprise Mr.. Holiday
resigned the presidency and caused
Senator Pomeroy to be chosen. But
Senator Pomeroy proved to be of no
70 ba ant nd Ny. Toll
1iday again became its head. At first
his friends scoffed at the great ex-
pectations of the protector of the en-
terprise, but by slow degrees he gained
converts and finally he saw an oppor-
tunity to obtain money to make a start
in actual construction. This came by
an act of congress authorizing the sale
for 81 an acre in gold of the residuary
lands of the Pottawatolnie Indians to
any land grant railroad company, and
by borrowing money on a, mortgage Mr..
Holiday secured the land and sold it at
a sufficient profit to build his railroad
to Carbonate. about twenty miles.
This was the first section, and the rest
of the road until it reached Newton was
built in the same fragmentary way.
To raise his share Of the construction
money, Mr. Holiday, who had by this
time become Colonel Holiday on ac-
count of some military service rendered
to the state, went into the market and
borrowed. and his profits consisted of
a certain share of the mortgage bonds
and stock of the company. To pay his
| obligations he sold these mortgage
bonds, retaining the stock of which at
one time he had about 5000 shares, val
ued at 500 a share
Mr. Holiday never lost faith in the
Santa Fe." When it was in its worst
| financial straits he was a bull in the
market. and only sold occasional blocks
of stock to meet pressing obligations.
! In 1879, when the stocks of all the
/ granger roads advanced on the market,
his children and other members of his
family begged him to unload. 1t was
| then 48 cents on the dollar. mo" he
replied to all their appeals. THAT
stock is going to $3.50" Tt never
reached that figure. but it. climbed to
diction came practically to pass. Be
| fore that, however, Mr.. Holiday,
pressed by debts, was compelled to sell
at 90 cents and a dollar, but he con-
tinued to hold on through the hard
times and all through the reorganiza-
ton period and now owns, it is said,
about 1900 shares, worth something
more than so cents on the dollar He
| owns a great deal of other property,
and his estate is estimated to befworth
from $500, 900 ito $500, 600.
| Colonel Holiday has mixed little in
| politics. He has been a member of the
ed for lieutenant governor by the re-
cratic ticket with Governor Click. At
| ter his graduation from college Mr.
Holiday married Miss Mary Jones of
| Meadvilie. who stiI survives. They
| have two children-Charles K. Holli-
| day and Mrs. T. J. Kellam.