The
Great Train Race
July
1870, the Kansas Pacific Railroad arrived at the Willow Springs stage
station. Rather than put their train
stop at the stage stop, the RR went on west a bit and built a division
point. Here they would build a roundhouse
and a depot. This wide spot the railroad
was building would become the village of Hugo, Colorado.
While
the Kansas Pacific was working on their division point, their subsidiary, the
Denver Pacific had arrived in Denver.
Completing the rails from Cheyenne to Denver. Governor John Evans had run out of money and
could not find any more financing So the
governor went to the KP and struck up a deal.
The KP would provide the financing and money to complete construction of
the DP to Denver. In return, the KP
would gain controlling interest of the DP.
So it
was agreed that the newly constructed RR would become a joint line operation
between the two railroads. The newly
formed town of Hugo came into existence.
The midway point between Hugo and Denver was Strasburg. To this point the two railroads would
race. The winner getting bragging rights
and all the puffery they want.
So the
race began, the Denver Pacific building East from Denver, the Kansas Pacific
building West from Hugo. The sweat rolled
off the gangs as they laid rail. Records
were broken for the most rail laid in a day.
The men were leaning into their work, wanting to beat the other RR gang
from that other RR.
Work continued uninterrupted, most the Indians had left the
area and Custer and his troops were still assigned to patrol the KP line. The work crews were about a days’ work from
the finish line and the roar of the workers rolled over the grassland. Next day would the end of the race, the
transcontinental RR would be completed.
That
night the KP foreman took some men and walked the ROW to the finish. As the men walked along, they were making
sure things were in order for the next day sprint. Rails were lined up, spikes were placed, fish
plates and bolts were at the joints to hook the rails. If they found bad ties, they were replaced or
corrected.
Next
morning with first light, the workers were out laying rails. The sing song of the workers serenaded pares
life. Apparently that little extra
effort of the KP foreman worked. For the
KP crew arrived at Strasburg over an hour before the DP showed up. When the DP got the last rail in place the
celebration was underway. Dignitaries
were on hand and barrels of whiskey rolled on to town by the wagon load.
The KP
chief sought out the KP foreman to be caretaker of the Silver Spike for the
ceremonial driving of the final spike, a Silver one. The whiskey flowed and all night the crews
celebrated. Next morning the Dignitaries
were busy getting ready and the KP chief was looking for his foreman.
The Forman
was found, sleeping off the night before.
The chief asked him for the spike.
Picking up his pants and rifling through the pockets, the silver spike
could not be found. During the night’s
celebration the Silver Spike had gained its freedom and gone on down yonder
someplace. \
Uttering
choice words, the chief stormed off the ceremony without the treasured
spike. The foreman, still blurry and
fuzzy staggered after him and produced a regular spike. And the Transcontinental RR was completed
without the driving of the silver spike.
Oh the
KP had a bridge over the Missouri River.
The Union Pacific had to ferry their passengers over the waterway. In a Strasburg town park is a small obelisk
marking the Silver Spike Ceremony. It
will no rival Promontory Point for notoriety.
Instead it will be a splitter of hairs and maybe a footnote in history
books.
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