The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-07-20
RAILWAYS or 0ElAH9NA
How Constructions Were Made
in Early Days Pioneers
Were Active

Enrly days railroad building tn OK.
ialioma was enc Of the territory's M
tefesing features. The pioneer VET
tiers Of every community hi OklahO
inp walch did net have railroad
were sure That il Was The onle ihlIis
needed 10 assure thelr towns pros
perIty, Naturally their ilrst prefer
elce wns 10 have one OF the big tfnus
Fines built info their community, hut
if II could not be accomplished, aud
usually Il could not. they set out 10
build their own railroad.
Many Of these local enterprises
prospcred and were operated for \
time as Independent lines and eycn;.
tally became links Of the largest sSs.
tens. But probably more of them
finncd ont the other way and ahani
Goned grades for lines, each Of when
gas expected To build naw metre
polls, can be found In almost Any
part Of oklahoma
One Of these running liorthwarl
from Cherokee toward the state linz,
almost parallulinE the route Of the
lreseni Santa re line, Is made IN.
subject Of some iIiterSatIng femlnls
,enges by the men who helped ii
build il. A. c. Tjtus OF Cherokee, G
iIoeffer OF Diiftwood and several pro
motors Are still prominent IN AliaifN
county affairs.
During the early days. said M
iiOeffer recently, in telling of his eN
,erience, "when 1t was forty niles &
railroad and no bridges across ths
sreeks and rivers, the people got q no
ion IN their heads to build Il raj.
road from Cherokee formerly still
ville) to Kiowa. ltas. Andy Titus, nos
of Cherokee and several others
thought that If they got the grade a.
ar as Kiowa they would be able 6
sell 1t to the Missouri Pacific. In fact
hey had hunch from Bale Wagon
ar that II could be done.
80 they Went right to work forth
With to get tine right-of-way and do
qations to build the grade. The 90
nations were nearly all in work, sons
lcdging as high as $40 and nearl.
n OF the early settlers $2J, 70 y.
oid in that way. IN a few days tn
dirt began to fly In earnest. tn
)ols consisted of old fashioned roa'
srader and six slips OF fifty pound
opacity,
The company had no plow, but sopl
sade arrangements with John Her
nan for the use Of his, John Deer
,all,ing piow foot burner) Thing
vcre working nicely until the thlr'
lay when BY reckless driving or D
tnrning around a handle was hfol'
n and Josh refused to let them u.s.
lis plow further, unless they agree
replace the handle.
"Andy Titus had gone to Harpef
Kas.. on horseback for bis launur'
lsud no one else feeling like taklnl
6e resnonsibilitv rpnn himself, vor'
ras suspended for several days. Fia
lily Andy came back and hxed thlnS
ii with Josh. by promising to replac
The handle and give him q llie-tlm
lob as section foreman.
"As the grade was nearly all 1on
and certain to be sold, some OF TN
leep thinkers began to look ahea
nd wonder who would be chosen q
,ficials. After a deal of sparring an'
fixing Oyerstreet ilnally landed 2
.cien.ifc rate-maker. Ed Smith as een
eral ticket agent, Hark Williams, q
| oaamaster and John Herman MAS pro
noted to general attorney Tor ihe M roa
Some OF the stockholders, thinhin
hat there was 4 slate already iiX.
for The Offices, and feeling that the.
names we're not written there, mad
| motion to adjourn the meeting an
| the motion carried.
I'm the meantime the Missouri "a
eifc got out of the notion to buy Tn
cvade. They had found ali agreemeh
| with the Santa re. whereby they ma
agreed not TO extend their lines mt
/ Oklahoma until after the millennium
which, by the way, has not arrive
lAet. SO this once powerful railroa
corporation busted before Teddy tn
rDsler stepped into the arena and tn
old gfade is now sown to wheat an
alfalfa. ,.,o~5,s.f t..-t,