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THE DAYS OF CONSTRUCTION INERTIA DURING THE `SEVENTIES
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad between the date of its creation by the Act of July 27, 1866, and January 31, 1880, when the Atchison and Frisco undertook to make it a link in their planned transcontinental route to the Pacific, had done very little by way of construction.
In Missouri, it constructed no road mileage excepts to lay track from Pierce City to Seneca. The line which it owned in that state was acquired by purchase. At one time it operated 328 miles of purchased and 486.75 miles of leased road. The following excerpt from Andrew Peirce's report of December 13, 1873 to the Directors tells this story:
By virtue of an Act of Congress, approved June 10th, 1852, there was granted by the United States to the State of Missouri a portion of the public lands in aid of the construction of certain railroads in that State, and the State of Missouri appropriated from said grant certain lands to aid in the construction of a line of railroad connecting St. Louis with the western boundary of the State, upon the same general line of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, and had been constructed and was, on October 26th, 1870, owed and operated by the South Pacific Railroad Company to Pierce City, a point fifty miles southwesterly from Springfield and two hundred and ninety miles form St. Louis..
By an indenture, dated October 26th, 1870. The South Pacific Railroad Company conveyed to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company, and to its successors and assigns forever, ALL AND SINGULAR, the railroad complete and uncompleted of the said South Pacific Railroad Company, situated in the State of Missouri, and all of the depots, stations, sidetracks, bridges, culverts, and other structures, locomotives, cars, and rolling-stock, and all of its privileges, rights, franchises, real estate, and other property of every kind and description whatsoever, including all of the land remaining unsold, or to which it was or might be entitled under and by virtue of the said Act of Congress, approved June 10th, 1852.
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PROGRESS OF CONSTRUCTION.
The line was completed and opened to Neosho, three hundred and fifteen miles from St. Louis, on December 1st, 1870; to Seneca, on the western boundary of the State of Missouri, three hundred and thirty miles from St. Louis, on Aplril 1st, 1871, and to Vinita, in the Indian Territory, three hundred and sixtyl-four miles from St. Louis, on September 1st, 1871.
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company, by its merger with the South Pacific Railroad Company, in October, 1870, extended its line northeasterly from Springfield, Missouri, towards the city of St. Louis, to Pacific City, where it formed a junction with the Missouri Pacific Railroad, and under a contract with that line, found its only outlet to St. Louis a distance of thirty-seven miles. The principal stockholders of this Company had, in February, 1871 purchased a controlling interest in the stock of the Missouri Pacific Railroad with a view to an association of the interests of the two corporations, and thereby secure to this Company its eastern terminus on the west bank of the Mississippi River, in the city of St. Louis, together with the unequalled depot and terminal facilities to be acquired from the Missouri Pacific Company. In pursuance ot this plan, on the 29th day of June, 1872, a lease was concluded between the two companies, and the Missouri Pacific Railroad, together with several lines of railway theretofore leased to the said Missouri Pacific Railroad, and everything pertaining there to, was leased to the Atlantic and pacific Railroad Company for the period of nine hundred and ninety-nine years.
The Missouri Pacific main line extends from the city of St. Louis centrally through the State of Missouri to Kansas City on the western boundary of the state..........283-1/2 milesThe Carondelet Branch, constructed during the year 1872, extends from the Mississippi River in St. Louis, six miles below the initial point of main line, to an intersection therewith at kirkwood..........15-1/2 miles.
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Missouri Pacific Leased Lines.
The lines of railway operated by the Missouri Pacific Railroad under leases and included in the leased to this Company, are as follows:
The Osage Valley and Southern Kansas Railroad,
Extending northwardly from Tipton on the
Missouri Pacific main line to Boonville on
the Missouri River...........................25 miles.
The Lexington and St. Louis Railroad, extending
Northwesterly from Sedalia on the main line
of the Missouri Placific to Lexington on the
Missouri River...............................55-1/4 miles.
The St. Louis, Lawrence, and Denver Railroad,
Extending from Pleasant Hill on the Missouri
Pacific main line westwardly to Lawrence,
In the State of Kansas.......................61 miles
The Missouri River Railroad, extending from
Kansas City, the western terminus of the
main line of the Missouri Pacific Railroad,
Northwesterly to Leavenworth, in the State
of Kansas...................................25-1/4 miles
The Leavenworth, Atchison, and Northwestern
Railroad, extending northwesterly from
Leavenworth, in the State of Kansas, and
Connecting with the Missouri River Railroad
To Atchison, in same State.................. 21-1/4 miles
The Miles included in the Missouri Pacific
Railroad lease to this Company are as
Follows:
Missouri Pacific Main Line................283.50
Missouri Pacific Carondelet Branch........ 15.50
Osage Valley and Southern Kansas
Railroad....................... 21.25
Lexington and St. Louis Railroad...........55.25
St. Louis, Lawrence, and Denver
Railroad............................61.00
Missouri River Railroad....................25.25
Leavenworth, Atchison, and Northwestern....21.25
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Total Mileage Missouri Pacific Division ................486-3/4 miles
Total Mileage Atlantic and Pacific Division.............328 miles
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Total miles owned and leased to this Company............814-3/4 miles
Add side tracks......................................... 95-1/2 miles
---------
Total Mileage...........................................910-1/4 miles
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On July 1st, 1872, the management of the two corporations was consolidated under the officials of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company and have been operated as two divisions. The Atlantic and Pacific Division, including its main line of 328 miles, and the Missouri Pacific Division, including the Missouri Pacific and its leased lines, 486-3/4 miles.
In the Indian Territory only 34.4 miles had been built form Seneca to Vinita: the track having arrives at the latter place on September 1st, 1871. Nothing further was done in the next ten years. The extension to Tulsa and Sapulpa came during the eighteen hundred and eighties under the Tripartite Agreement of January 31, 1880. The reason for this inaction were two-folds: First, the opposition of the Indians to railroad construction, and Second, the severe financial depression of the eighteen seventies. These are explanation, but they do not alter the fact that the showing was poor. Only 34.4 miles of road had been built between July 27, 1866 and January 31, 1880, in fourteen years.
The one tangible thing that Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company did accomplish under the Act of Congress were the surveys and the filing of maps of Definite location from Vinita, Indian Territory, to San Francisco, California. It was the Land Grant, resting upon these things, that gave substance to the A&P and made possible the Tripartite Agreement and the building of the Western Division.
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