CONDITIONS AS THEY EXISTED JANUARY 1, 1873 (cont.)

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After this digression, which belongs more properly to the story of the Santa Fe in New Mexico, let us return to the terminus of the road, Granada. This became the temporary cow-town for southwestern Kansas, New Mexico and southeastern Colorado. It also became the terminus of the Santa Fe Trail. Large commission house of Otero, Sellar & Company and Chick, Brown & Company were established and through these establishments passed the most of the trade of New Mexico and much of southern Colorado. There was a hotel operated by John Windram and his wife. While Granada did not become a second Dodge City, from the standpoint of wild men and women, there was enough of the element not to make a Dodge Cityan feel lonesome. There were the inevitable saloons, gambling and dance-halls and these adequately served the clerical help of the two large commission houses, the cowboys and transients of the time. Names who later became famous in New Mexico history learned how to dance in Granada. Thus, many of the social graces were acquired at this outpost of civilization.

Still, with all of these advantages possessed by Granada, it gave slight resemblance to a terminus of a great railroad. Aside from the two trading stores, a few live stock traders, blacksmith shop, hotel, saloons, gambling and dance halls there was little business or industry in evidence. It was before there was any agricultural development. To the Santa Fe management, it became painfully apparent that it had to go somewhere. Coal, for locomotive fuel and revenue loads eastbound, was urgently needed. Two places there were, not so remote, which possessed that commodity in large quantities - Canon City and Trinidad. These had to be reached in any event regardless of any subsequent plans that might be harbored by the management of the Company.

Actual construction records relating to the building of the lines in Colorado have been largely dispersed. From the charters of the several companies, under which the Santa Fe built its extensions west of the Kansas State Line, one can learn something about the men who organized these companies and their ambitions. From the very painstaking searches of the Bureau of Valuations of the Interstate Commerce Commission and some available company records, one can piece together the things accomplished. In what follows the definitely known facts are stated.

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Granada, in midsummer 1873, was getting all set for the arrival of the first train. There then existed about ten buildings, three livery stables and a combination hotel and restaurant. It was not until the end of June that the Santa Fe bridge across the Arkansas River, a few miles east of the town was completed. Shortly thereafter, about July 4th, the track reached Granada.

At the middle of 1873 the Santa Fe had not yet acquired a direct connection with Kansas City. Cattle were, of course, the principal product of the plains and Kansas City was one of the principal markets. There was then a railroad extending from Carbondale to Lawrence; another one from Lawrence to Olathe and a third one from Olathe to Kansas City. It was proposed that when shipment could begin out of Granada that this routing would be adopted. It is an odd fact that The Colorado and New Mexico Railroad Company was not organized until after the road had been built, the track laid and trains arrived at Granada. The date of incorporation was July 7th and the tack reached Granada on July 5, 1873.

About the middle of August 1874 Mr A A Robinson had completed a survey southwesterly along Butte Creek from some 60 miles. Towards the end of the year the Santa Fe, The Colorado and New Mexico, the Pueblo and Salt Lake had matured plans for constructing the line westward to Pueblo. A branch was to extend from Granada southwesterly into New Mexico.

On June 3, 1875, Joseph Nickerson drove the first spike on the extension from Granada to Pueblo. At this ceremony several of the Santa Fe directors, including Lakin, Burr, Speare and Wilbur, were also present. By this time much track and bridge material had been accumulated at this point. It was now almost two years since the first train hand arrived at that town. About 15 miles of grading had been completed and tracklaying was to be pushed.

At about this same time the grading for the Kansas Pacific branch from Kit Carson had reached Las Animas and so had the grading of the Pueblo and Salt Lake, the Santa Fe's subsidiary. Even at that early date the public suspected Jay Gould of manipulating the Kansas Pacific against the people and, as a result, the latter favored the Santa Fe's subsidiary. On July 1, 1875, A A Robinson was able to report six miles of tracklaid and advancing at a rate of about a half a mile a day. Bridges were being built. There were no less than seven construction gangs at work between Granada and Las Animas. The K.P. people were wagering that their road would reach Pueblo before that of the Santa Fe.

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About August 1st Mr A A Pratt, the bridge contractor, reported that bridging between Las Animas and the river at Nepesta was completed. By the middle of August the K.P. graders had reached a point about 13 miles west of West Las Animas, while the Santa Fe track was at Rule Creek. By the end of the month the Santa Fe track was at old Las Animas while that of the K.P. was 17-1/2 miles west of West Las Animas. The first Santa Fe train from Kansas City for West Las Animas left on August 30, 1875. On September 23d the Arkansas River was out of its banks. It is interesting to note that the stage fare from West Las Animas to Pueblo was $19.75. By Thanksgiving Day West Las Animas had become a big cattle town and two passenger trains arrived and departed daily over the Santa Fe, as well as the K.P.

By Christmas time the Santa Fe track was 27 miles west of West Las animas and by the end of the first week of January, 1876, the Santa Fe track had reached Rocky Ford. At this time, also, the bridges between Pueblo and the river at Nepesta were completed. Rocky Ford had one store, post office, saloon, forge and several residences. At la Junta the depot and yards of the two railroad companies were opposite each other and the tracks were only 50 feet apart. A A Robinson predicted that the Santa Fe track would reach Pueblo by February 10th.

The above details were ascertained by the compiler from newspaper reports of the time in question.

Pages 45 - 47 transcribed in altered form for the net by Larry Green

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