Kansas, Nebraska & Dakota Railroad in Harris, Kansas.
The Kansas, Nebraska, and Dakota Railroad was established in 1885.
Kansas, Nebraska, & Dakota Railroad in Kansas.
That year, Colonel L.L. Bush, E.D. Smith, Alexander McGaw, S.L. Levy, E. Makley, and M. Van Harlinger of Philadelphia, John Caller and V.A. Yecker of Lancaster, and E.J. Pruner of Tyrone, all from Pennsylvania, were in Kansas looking at the proposed route of a new railroad, which Colonel Bush projected. The party was well received by the citizens wherever they stopped, and they were highly pleased with the country. The road was to be extended from Fort Scott, Kansas, in a north-westerly direction to Bismark, North Dakota, crossing Nebraska in an almost straight line. The field presented for such a road was immense. At that time, all the railroad lines ran east and west, and Fort Scott was connected to Memphis, Tennessee, by the Kansas City, Fort Scott, and Gulf Railroad. The projected line was to connect with this road and run north across the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad at Pawnee, Nebraska.
After seeing the country, the railroad men were so pleased that they formed a company with a capital of $15,000,000 to be known as the Kansas, Nebraska & Dakota Railway Company. It was organized in Topeka, Kansas, with John Francis of Topeka as president, William Keller as vice president, and Alexander McGraw as treasurer. They also organized the Enterprise Construction Company with a capital of $500,000 to build the road with an estimated completion date of January 1887. The standard gauge steel rail line was to be first class in every respect.
On December 22, 1885, grading on the Kansas, Nebraska & Dakota Railroad began in Fort Scott, Kansas, with 50 teams and 100 men working. Grading had also progressed at Blue Mound in Linn County.
Later, the Kansas, Nebraska, and Dakota Railway became part of the Missouri Pacific Railroad System.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of Kansas, December 2024.
Also See:
A Century of Railroad Building
Railroads & Depot Photo Gallery
Sources:
Abandoned Rails
Blue Mound Sun, Blue Mound, Kansas, October 15, 1885
Wichita Eagle, Wichita, Kansas, December 23, 1885