Johnson County, Missouri - Chapter 10: - Railroads, 1881

Introduction - Missouri Pacific Railroad, - Difficulty About Location - Orders of the County Court - Leading Men Engaged in it - Holden Branch - Order of County Court - Pro¬ ject for the Warrensburg and Marshall Railroad - Cost to the County - Bonds on this Railroad - Decision of the Courts - Highways - Early Roadj - Orders of the Courts - Names of Principal Roads - General System of Working Roads - Ferry on Blackwater.

In this age of great, unprecedented progress and advancement in all that pertains to the elevation and enlightenment of mankind, nothing in all the domains of science and art has been more effective in bringing about these results than the invention of railroads. The imagination of man, stimulated by the most gorgeous scenes of beauty and grandeur, could never have conceived the marvelous and unparalleled changes that have been wrought in this country, and in all the world, within the last half century, by the introduction of railroads. Men, living in the present gen¬ eration, can distinctly remember when the iron-horse breathed out his nos¬ trils the first, dark, waiving, columns of smoke that hailed his appearance in the world, and made steam locomotion possible. Nothing in all the realms of truth or fiction has ever before surpassed the rapid strides the world has made, in every department of literature, in every field of art, and in all the ramifications of science, since the year 1830, when steam locomotion, for the first time in the history of the world, was made a verit¬ able fact. It need not be claimed that this degree of advancement is due alone to the great advantages brought on by railroads, but it may be shown that they have contributed to these results more than any other factor; nay, perhaps, more than all the other factors that make up the civilization, refinement, and prosperity of the present day. All the world have become neighbors. The wealthy merchant in New York can spend his summer vacations with his relatives or friends on the distant shores of the Pacific, surrounded by all the beauties and delicacies of a tropical clime. The northern citizen may spend the day with his southern neigh¬ bor, and return to his home in the same length of time. All civilized nations are brought into close connection with one another in the various relations of business and pleasure.

Time is almost annihilated, and space made as naught by the grand and mighty railroad and her attendant luminary, or satellite, the telegraph.

By these rapid means of inter-communication and exchange of products, all the learning, discoveries and inventions of the world are brought together, as one vast motive power to lift up the world and make it what it is. It is thus by the united effort of mankind, brought on by our grand systems of railroads and telegraphs, that such an impetus has been given to every department of human activity, destined, perhaps, to continue to elevate and ennoble the human race for coming ages, until they shall have risen to a height so grand, so lofty, and so transcendant in all its aspects, as would cast in the dark shades of barbarism, the boasted civilization of to-day.

The Pacific railroad was the first important railroad projected in the county. The question of its location began to agitate the people as early as 1850. There was a fierce struggle, involving much animosity and bitterness, carried on in the state legislature, as to whether the road should be located on its present route, called the inland route, or along the river counties.

The man who contributed more than any other to bring this road through the county, was Col. B. W. Grover. And as the history of the early struggles in regard to this location is given in a speech made by Col. Grover, we give it in full with the attendant circumstances.

Among the many tokens of high regard paid Col. B. W. Grover, was the presentation of a fine silver pitcher in the court house, February, 1866, by a committee, selected by the citizens, and consisting of W. H. Anderson, W. S. Hume, W. C. Mitchell, and John L. Rogers. The chairman, W. H. Anderson, presented the "beautiful and elegant gift," and made the following short, but pithy speech:

Mr. Grover: - In the name, and in the behalf of the friends of internal improvement of this county, we present you this pitcher, as we know of no better way to express our feelings towards you, in this presentation, than to read the sentiment that we have engraved thereon, as follows: "Presented to Hon. B. W. Grover, by his fellow citizens, of Johnson county, as a testimony of their affection for him as a man, and particularly as an evidence of their appreciation of the services zealously and judiciously rendered by him in the state senate and elsewhere, in maintaining and advancing the interests of our county, and induc¬ ing a healthy internal improvement system for the state at large, A. D. 1856." This, sir, in part, expresses the sentiment of those whom we represent in this matter, and although our county and this senatorial district, as well as the state at large, are at the present time deprived of your valuable services, in the state senate, we are glad to know that it is not the will of the people of your county, and we believe may add of this senatorial district, that it should be so. Allow us to add, sir, and we do it without the design to refer to politics or to flatter you, that we believe that could your name have been brought before the people of this senatorial district, in a proper manner, for the last August election, that you, sir, was the choice of the people of this district, for the state senate.

Receive this token, of our regard, sir, and place it in your family, and when you have passed away, arid the iron horse snorts through our town, bearing off the produce of our rich soil, and bringing in return therefor, all the comforts and luxuries of life; when our country and our posterity are prosperous and happy, then your children with pride, may point to that pitcher, as an evidence that their father acted an important part in bringing about these results.

From this we may see that it was largely by the vigorous efforts of two of Johnson county's men, Col. B. W. Grover in the state senate, and Major N. B. Holden in the lower house, that this railroad received its present location. Among the gentlemen of Warrensburg, whose labors in this enterprise must not pass by unnoticed, are Col. James McCown, Henry - Coleman, Charles O. Silliman and W. H. Anderson. The latter of these gentlemen was mainly instrumental in getting Col. Grover elected as a director in the new railroad ; besides, he did many other things in behalf of his county to bring the road here, going to St. Louis several times in the interest of " the inland route." It may be important and interesting to the reader to see the different orders of the county court on this subject, especially as they contain the conditions of the grant and many other im¬ portant circumstances.

Ordered , That a poll be opened at the next August election, at the different precincts in the county of Johnson, to ascertain the wishes of the voters of said county in regard to the county subscribing fifty thousand dollars stock in the Pacific Railroad bonds, for said amount, to be issued by the county, bearing six per cent interest from date, to be received by the company at par, and to be redeemable, one-third in ten years, one-third in fifteen years, and one third in twenty years, and the sum subscribed to be expended within the limits of said county, on the line of said road, to aid in its construction.

This is the order as filed in the clerk's office, but as we are informed by some of the leading men of those times, the citizens of the county were influenced to believe that a subscription of one hundred thousand would be more effective in bringing the road to this county, and hence they sub¬ scribed that amount instead of the sum ordered by the court. This one hundred thousand dollars completed the one million to be subscribed by those counties of the state through which the road was to run.

This road has a branch running out two miles north of Warrensburg to the great sandstone quarries, and does all their immense shipping with remarkable facility, the track being so built that the cars may be run under the rock as held up by the machinery they have at work there. This subject will again be treated under the head of " Rock Quarries."

The only other road in the county is the St. Louis and Sante Fe road, running from Holden, where it makes connection with the Missouri Pacific, southwest through part of Madison, Kingsville, and Rose Hill townships, and passing through Harrisonville, Cass county, and on to Paola, Kansas. This road was built in 1870, and the following is the order of the court relative thereto:

Now at this day comes J. C. Richards and presents to the court here a peti¬ tion with thirty signers, tax-payers of Madison township, asking the county court to order an election to be held in the municipal township of Madison, to obtain the voice of the people in regard to said township subscribing sixty thou¬ sand dollars to the capital stock of the St. Louis and Santa Fe Railroad Com¬ pany. Whereupon, it is ordered by the court that an election be held in said township on the 8th day of June, 1869, to ascertain the sense of the quali¬ fied voters of said township upon said proposition, and that the ballot used at said election have the words for the subscription, "yes," or for the subscription, " no," either written or printed upon them.

There was a project as early as 1870 to build a railroad from Warrens¬ burg to Marshall, Saline county, and the county voted one hundred thous¬ and dollars to be expended on the road.

Before the entire subscription required for building the road was raised, the money voted by the county was used in working on the road. This road was graded from Warrensburg northeast to the distance of 18 miles, when it was found that the rest of the money necessary for the completion of the road could not be raised, and hence the project had to be abandoned. The county lost her hundred thousand dollars, but many persons have refused to pay interest on these bonds. The question was brought before the courts and decided against the bondholders in the state courts, but the supreme court reversed the decision, and it is thought that all the bonds will have to be paid. There were also forty thousand dollars private subscription raised in the county, which was all lost. There is no doubt

Highways . - Long before the county was settled with many inhabitants, there was a passway through here going west, but there was little need of the county court making any public roads, as the entire country was open. But when the people began to improve their farms, it became necessary to establish, by law, certain roads needed for public transporta¬ tion, since otherwise they would be changed from time to time, as the land was taken up by the settlers.

As early as 1836 we had three roads laid out in the county running from Warrensburg. One running north from Main street, in Old Town, and crossing the Blackwater at Grindstone ford, went thence to Lexing¬ ton.

At the May term of court, 1837, a road was laid out from the farm of James Green, near the line of Lafayette, and passing by Warrensburg extended to Clinton, the county seat of Henry.

In February, 1837, we have the order of the county court to lay out a -road from Warrensburg, running by way of J. A. Gallaher's mill, and on to the county line between Johnson and Saline, and thence to Jonesborough.

These were the principal roads in the county at that time, and were called the Lexington road, the Independence road, the Georgetown road, and so on, according to the leading city on their route.

In the early days the roads, of course, did not need so much work as at present, but the neighbors had to get together and work the roads when¬ ever necessary.

The road system in this county is about like that of all other counties, and is very simple. The county contains 90 road districts of irregular size, and distributed among the townships as follows: Jackson 6,. Col¬ umbus 5, Hazel Hill . 6, Simpson 5, Grover 6, Kingsville 4, Madison 7, Centerview 6, Warrensburg 7, Washington 9, Rose Hill 8, Chilhowee 9, Post Oak 6, Jefferson 5, and one district, taking in portions of Warrens¬ burg, Centerview and Chilhowee townships. These road districts are laid out by the court of the county to suit the convenience of the people, without reference to any general principle. Road overseers are elected once a year by the people of the district in which they reside. A road overseer gets no fixed salary for his term of office, but he is paid $1.50 per day for each day he has hands at work on the road. All able-bodied citizens of the county, between the ages of twenty-one and fifty years are expected to pay a poll tax of, generally, about $3.00, and this sum they generally pay by working the roads at the rate of $1.00 per day. It has been the custom of farmers for many years to pay their poll tax in this

Road overseers are often guilty of much negligence and sometimes of partiality. In some communities the roads are neglected till it is extremely dangerous to travel over them.

On the Georgetown and Lexington road, near the present site of Dunksburg, formerly there was a ferry across Black water, and the following will show the schedule of rates:

Ordered by the county court, May 25,1868 , That Noah Bides have ferry license granted to him, to run a ferry across Blackwater, on the Georgetown and Lexington road, to be dated to cover the time from April 10,' 1867, to April 10, 1869, he to give bond with approved security, at the following rates: state tax, two dollars; county tax, two dollars. The price of ferryage to be as fol¬ lows: for man and horse, twenty-five cents, (25 cents); for two horses and wagon, fifty cents, (50 cents); four horsed and wagon, seventy -five cents, (75 cents); for horse and buggy, thirty-five cents, (35 cents); for one footman, ten cents, (10 cents); and for loQse stock, per head, five cents, (5 cents) each.