There was considerable rejoicing in Chariton when what became known as the Indianola Branch of the C.B.&Q. Railroad was completed in February of 1879. Not only did the short-line Chariton, Des Moines & Southern link neighboring county seat towns, but promised convenient access to Des Moines.
That turned out to not be exactly the case, however, and it would be more than 30 years --- not until 1913 --- before direct and convenient passenger access was provided on the newly built north-south Rock Island line from Des Moines via Carlisle and Melcher and Dallas to Chariton and points beyond. Until then, it took less time to travel east and cross the Mississippi en route to Chicago on the main-line C.B. & Q. than it did to reach Des Moines.
The turn-of-the-century map here shows the Indianola Branch route. From the Chariton depot, trains headed north at Indianola Junction, just west of town, and proceeded north at a sedate pace through Oakley, Lacona, Milo and Ackworth before hanging a sharp left into Indianola. In order to reach Des Moines from Indianola, it was necessary to change to a Rock Island train and travel north to Summerset Junction and then to Carlisle before heading west into the capital city. This could take five hours on a good day.
During late December of 1901, as the 1902 legislative session was about to open, Chariton Herald editor Sam Greene hopped aboard a train headed for Des Moines to do a little politicking and upon his return home published the following lament in his edition of Jan. 2:
+++
Des Moines is only forty miles from Chariton, but it takes just as long to make the trip as if it were across the Mississippi. Why the Burlington Route does not acquire a quicker route from the capital city of Iowa to the capital city of Lucas county is not known hereabouts at present writing, but perhaps the Burlington officials know why it is.
Not even an old-fashioned woman who had never been on the steam cars in her life would be alarmed by a ride on the Indianola branch of the C.B. & Q., and as far as the Rock Island branch from Indianola to Des Moines, it reminds one of Bill Nye's story of a trip he took over a typical road in the South, before he died, of course.
Bill remarked to the conductor, as that gilded dignitary came along and took his ticket, "Mr. Conductor, as a friend and patron of his road I'd like to make a suggestion."
The conductor eyed him closely, but could not detect anything but seriousness, and asked, "Well, what is it?"
I would suggest," said Bill slowly, "that you put the cow catcher on the rear end of the train to keep the cows along the track from climbing in at the back door and biting us."
Bill never started from Indianola to Des Moines on the Rock Island, or he would not now be dead. He would not yet be arrived in Des Moines.
+++
The Indianola Branch remained in operation until December of 1961, when it was discontinued and the tracks eventually abandoned.
And the Bill Nye mentioned here obviously is not "the science guy." He was instead Edgar Wilson Nye (1850-1896), who settled in Laramie, Wyoming, in 1876 and was among the founders in 1881 of The Laramie Boomerang. He used that newspaper and other publications as platforms for his writings and became one of America's most widely known humorists of the late 19th century.
Also note that an interurban line connecting Des Moines and Indianola is shown on this map. That development began in 1905 with grandiose plans to extend the line to Chariton and Centerville --- a project that never got off the ground
No comments:
Post a Comment