Nodaway County, Missouri - Chapter 7: Railroads and Early Transportation, 1910

Chapter 7: Railroads and Early Transportation

The pioneers of Nodaway county, in common with those of all other new countries, had to undergo the hardships of going to mill and market a long distance before the advent of the railway systems that now cross and re-cross this fertile domain. Savannah, St. Joseph and other river points were the nearest market towns and to these the settler had to make frequent trips to provide the necessities for his household. To such far-away points he wended his lonely way with what provisions and farm products he might have to dispose of. None but he who lived through those early days and ex¬ perienced such trials can know what the pioneers passed through before the railroad era had dawned on Nodaway county. Freighting came to be. in time, a big business of itself and many engaged in it for a number of years.

The stage coach carried the mails from North to South, from East to West. Ten cents per mile was charged for a passenger to ride. Stage sta¬ tions, where the relay of fresh horses was made, usually had an excellent but rude country tavern, or inn, at which passengers were refreshed by a good meal and plenty of "spirits." With unbridged, angry and highly swollen streams, the passage was anything but pleasant and safe, but this is the way, after such facilities had been established, many of the new comers came into Nodaway county to secure their homes.

It was in 1845 - seven years after the organization of Nodaway county - before the sound of a locomotive whistle had been heard on Missouri soil, and then it was fourteen years longer before Nodaway county had the ad¬ vantages of a railroad.

bash, St. Louis & Pacific), and the "Maple Leaf" (Chicago Great Western) lines. The first line to be completed through the county was the "Burlington," known by the corporate name of Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs road (Maryville Branch). This was completed to the city of Maryville in the autumn of 1869, and to the Iowa line in the winter of 1870.

To give the reader a clearer understanding of the advent of the different railroads into Nodaway county, it will be important to go into some historical facts that to some may seem old, though to the younger generation and the more recent comer to this county it will appear new.

The smoke of the battles of the great Civil war had just cleared away, when the enterprising citizens of Nodaway county commenced to agitate the question of securing important transportation facilities by means of the steam railroad. It was in the early days of the spring of 1866 that a mass meeting of the citizens was called at Maryville, the prime object being to get an ex¬ pression and build up a public interest and sentiment that would support the measure of voting bonds to the amount of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars, to the St. Joseph & Iowa and to Alexandria, Bloomfield & Rockport railroad companies.

Accordingly, on the 10th day of May, 1866, the county court of Nodaway county "ordered that Nodaway county subscribe the sum of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars for the purpose, of or aiding in the building of the fol¬ lowing railroads through Nodaway county, viz : First, the sum of seventyfive thousand dollars to the railroad known as the St. Joseph & Iowa Line Railroad, from north to south on the valley of the One Hundred and Two river, on the most practical route through the county. Second, the like sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to the railroad known as the Alexandria, Bloom¬ field & Rockport Railroad."

This proposition was submitted to a vote of the people, who voted for the roads by a large majority. The companies who thus sought to secure aid in construction of these two lines across Nodawav county made no effort to build the proposed railroads, and nothing more was done in the matter until in September, 1867, when another proposition was submitted to vote bonds of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars to each of the two following roads: The Missouri Valley and the Mississippi & Missouri River Air Line railroads. The proposition carried at the polls and the Missouri Valley Rail¬ road Company accepted the result of the election by giving a formal legal notice of its acceptance.

On March 25, 1869, the county court formally subscribed the sum of one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars, but in May of that year the court was presented with a motion, asking to reconsider its former order to subscribe stock for said road. The motion was sustained, and February io, 1871, almost two years later, the court revoked its own order and instructed the county treasurer not to pay such bonds, and employed Attorneys Herren & Rea, of Savannah, Missouri, to defend their position before the supreme court of the state. On September 25, 1871, the supreme court ordered the county of Nodaway to pay the bonds voted to the railroad above named. In the meantime, however, the original company had sold its interest to what was to be known as the Kansas City, Saint Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company, which company had constructed the said road within the time specified in the bond issue with the Missouri Valley Company, whose right and title had been turned over to the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Company - that is, completed it to Maryville, in the autumn of 1869, and on to the line between Iowa and Missouri in the winter of 1870. Later this property was merged with or controlled, as now, by the great Burlington system. This is its history in brief.

As to the other railroad (the Missouri River Air Line), it should be said that it was never constructed and hence no bonds ever issued for same.

The Wabash Railroad

The second railway to lie built through Nodaway county was the Wa¬ bash, St. Louis & Pacific, called at the time of its construction the Council Bluffs & St. Louis, and it was built entirely by private subscription.

In the autumn of 1878 the citizens of Maryville assembled at Union Hall, the object being to perfect plans by which the sum of fifty thousand dollars might be raised, the same being demanded by the Council Bluffs & St. Louis Railroad Company, who would build their line into Maryville pro¬ viding this amount could be raised. They also demanded the sum of seventyfive thousand dollars from the country outside of Maryville, this last amount to be paid in produce by the farmers. In all, the people succeeded in raising about one hundred and sixteen thousand dollars in the town and county, of which amount fifty thousand dollars was paid in cash.

The meeting above mentioned was adjourned and held from day to day, for nearly a week. The ladies, for the first time in the history of Missouri railroading, took an equal interest with the men, all loyal, enterprising citizens doing their full share in order to hasten on the construction of the new rail¬ road.

The company was liberal in that it allowed much more than the actual market price for corn, wheat and other farm products taken in from the farmers on their subscriptions. The amount was raised and the construction company at once commenced its work, pushing it forward with all possible dispatch. The road was completed and cars running regularly by October 24, 1879. It was soon the property of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Company, and such it still remains.

The coming and operation of these two railroads gave the county, as well as the seat of justice, Maryville, an impetus hitherto unknown in their history. Really, the county's history is divided into three eras - the "before the war" days, the "after the war" days, and the railroad period.

In the circulating of the subscription papers by which the funds donated to the Wabash road were secured, many citizens were very active, and in this connection the name of Capt. I. V. McMillan, who collected the subscriptions throughout the county and was otherwise engaged in working up the project, should not be forgotten.

Other Lines

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy system was built from Villisca, Iowa, on its main line from Chicago to Council Bluffs, to Burlington Junction via Clarinda, Page county, Iowa, reaching Burlington Junction, October 9, 1879.

The Nodaway Valley railroad (really a construction company for the Burlington system) was built through the county from Burlington Junction to Skidmore, in 1880, completed to the latter point August 15th, of that year. These two lines are now known as the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs company, but operated as a part of the great, far-reaching Burlington system. Local aid, such as depot sites, right-of-way privileges, etc., was granted to these lines. Hence all of the steam highways of Nodaway county were constructed within about one decade, except possibly that of the Chi¬ cago Great Western, which came a few years later.

From about 1879 to 1889 the Wabash company operated a road from Burlington Junction to Clarinda, Iowa, but it was abandoned, after the col¬ lection of quite a sum in way of taxes collected in Iowa, and the rails and bridges were pulled up and the road-bed abandoned since that time. Whether it was bought in or wrecked by the Burlington company, is not fully known now. It was never a paying investment, at least, after the construction of the Burlington, which traversed the same section of country. Page county, Iowa, voted and paid the sum of one hundred thousand dollars to secure this road, which left the main line at Roseberry, Nodaway county, Missouri, eleven miles south of the Iowa line. It went into the hands of a receiver, had its hearing before the Iowa railroad commissioners, who decided in December, 1889, that it was best to let the company become defunct and the last train passed over the road about the middle of December that year. The track was taken up, the bridges removed and nothing remains to show where the road was save the few piling of bridges and the grade itself, which is all that is left of the "Wabash Plug," as it was always styled.

The Chicago Great Western Railroad

What was first known as the "Diagonal" route, running from Kansas City to Waterloo, Iowa, via DesMoines and Marshalltown, then extended to Chicago and St. Paul, via Oelwein, Iowa, after which it was named the "Maple Leaf" route, under President Stickney's management, and still later consolidated with lesser roads and branches under the corporate title of the Chicago Great Western Company, crosses the Wabash road in Nodaway county, at Conception Junction. This railroad from the start has been of much service to shippers and farmers throughout the central and eastern por¬ tion of the county. It was completed through the county in 1887.

On the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs ("Burlington") line are (main line) Skidmore, in Monroe township; Quitman, in Green township; Burlington Junction, in Nodaway township, and Clearmont, in Atchison township. On the Maryville division, Barnard, in Grant township; Arkoe, in White Cloud township; Maryville, in Polk township; Pickering, in Union township, and Plopkins. in Plopkins township.

On the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific ("Wabash") line, Clyde, in Jeffer¬ son township; Conception Junction, in Jefferson township; Bedison, in Polk township; Maryville, in Polk township; Wilcox, in Polk and Nodaway town¬ ships; Burlington Junction, in Nodaway township ; Dawson, in Lincoln town¬ ship, and Elmo, in Lincoln township.

Chicago Great Western ("Maple Leaf") line, Guilford, in Washing¬ ton township; Conception Junction, in Jefferson township; Ravenwood. in Jackson township, and Parnell, in Independence township.

With the lines giving direct communication with St. Joseph, Kansas City, Omaha, Lincoln, Nebraska and St. Louis, the mileage of road-bed is: For the Wabash system, forty-five miles; for the Burlington system, fifty-six miles, and for the Great Western line, twenty-three miles, making a total mileage in the county of well equipped railroad trackage of one hundred and twenty-four miles.