The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-11-30

west On tine direct route 10 NH 1
more than one traveller nun ~.
assured himself idly that ~. ~
route was forced by the neees.,s, 8
OF mountain railroad buildinS =.
second thought would tell snv ~ s.
that the Denver & Rio f s.sosy
might have crossed the Rockss. A.
west OF Denver. because toda~ y. ~
eral railroad lines do cross M. -
To explain the naming and -.
ing Of this railroad MIR. Camns.,.
found 1t necessary to tell ~ sss,s
history of this railroad. II s,s,.
out with every intention h ~
world of reaching the river NJ. ~
name it still bears and eyen,n.n
Of going on to Mexico CITY ~ y!
route now occupied by the Nesir ~
National railway. This il vss y.
vented from doing by the Ssntas ~ \.
in a railroad war which conru,..s
Colorado in the 70's and invoi,ss
not only injunctions and NM.
court proceedings, but also armss
opposition. battles, and dozens !,
casualties. When the war endsS
the Denver & Rio Grande found Il
self building to Salt Lake Citr
route which had not entered ~
its calculations at the outset
Eu1it q Mile q Day.
General William J. Palmer
former Pennsylvania railroad man
who had won a brigadier-gener,l.
ship in the. Civil war, was the esn.
ius Of the Denver & Rio Grande 4,
builder for the Kansas Pacisc
railroad. he came into Denver in
1870 at the head of a CONSTRUCTION
force which had laid down lso
miles Of trackage in that many
days. He was a true empire build.
er. Other railroad pioneers were
obsessed with the transcontineutal
idea. The Union Pacific had al.
ready crossed the mountains On
the easy grades to the north. But
whether General Palmer doubted
the possibility of east to west co.,
struction through the more rugged
mountains of Colorado, his previ.
sion showed him a great north and
south line along the eastern hem
of the mountains with branch feed
ers into the mountain mining re.
gions, the line also to tap and lay
tribute upon such transcontinenta
lines as might be built south Of
Denver.
His courage enlisted capital.
none too much of it-and the Den.
yer & Rio Grande was incorporated
In the summer of 1871 General
Palmer set forth from Denver to
connect that settlement with, Ell
Paso by steel. Eleven months lahsr
found him at Pueblo, where be
heard disquieting rumors Of new
railroad organization. the Santa
Fe, which was much more strongly
capitalized than his own organiia-
ton and which was coming up the
Arkansas river and heading for
passes which the Denver & Rio
Grande claimed for its own.
One Of these passes was at Raton,
New Mexico. Rio Grande engineers
had already surveyed the route
through the pass, but the Santa Fe
rushed men ahead and built track
through the pass before the Rio
Grande could stop it. This act.
stopping the Rio Grande's progress
southwark, was bad enough, but
even more disturbing was the re-
port that the Santa Fe had designs
upon the Royal Gorge west Of
Pueblo. Through this gorge, Tue
only passage, General Palmer had
projected one of his branch feed
ers, and his forces were actually
grading in one part of the gorge.
But the Santa Fe moved a strong
force into the canyon and seized
position and fortified it.
1t was real war then between the
building gangs, until a United
States court enjoined both sides
from building in the gorge. Inc
outcome of this court action WAS =
victory for the Santa Fe, whicn
thereupon was able to compel me
Rio Grande to hand over its whole
property to the Santa Fe under
lease, and it retook ies lines BY
force, also occupying the RoyM
Gorge with an armed party. Ine
war finally ended by supreme
court decision in favor of the mo
Grande. After this decision tne
two roads reached a compromise
agreement which gave the SaaA
Fe the rights to the south OF fu-
eblo and the Rio Grande the con.
struction rights to the westward u
Pueblo. Consequently the ny
Grande turned definitely WESTWARD y
and in the early sos it reached oals
Lake City.
Although this outcome seemea
like defeat, at that time, 1t resuileu
fortunately for the road after an
for it forced the line through ths
grandest mountain scenery reaene.
by any American railroad. and as
consequence its tourist trahic w
day is great.