Bucking the Railroads on the Kansas Frontier

Bucking the Railroads on the Kansas Frontier

Author: John N. Mack

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2013-01-07

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0786470291

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As the Civil War ended, thousands of Union veterans imagined Kansas as a place to make a new beginning. Many veterans settled in the southeastern part of the state. In their struggle to establish lawful, ordered communities the settlers came into conflict with railroads intent on building through southeast Kansas to reach warm-water ports in Texas. To the settlers the railroads represented both a promise and a threat. By linking farmers and businessmen with eastern markets, the railroads guaranteed the prospects of economic gain. However, when they claimed rights to the land that settlers had already claimed, railroad monopolies were identified as a new manifestation of the same threat to republican values they had fought against in the recently concluded War. This book tells the story of the settlers' opposition to and victory over railroads and the impact on the evolution of political thought in Kansas and the American west.


Book Synopsis Bucking the Railroads on the Kansas Frontier by : John N. Mack

Download or read book Bucking the Railroads on the Kansas Frontier written by John N. Mack and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2013-01-07 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As the Civil War ended, thousands of Union veterans imagined Kansas as a place to make a new beginning. Many veterans settled in the southeastern part of the state. In their struggle to establish lawful, ordered communities the settlers came into conflict with railroads intent on building through southeast Kansas to reach warm-water ports in Texas. To the settlers the railroads represented both a promise and a threat. By linking farmers and businessmen with eastern markets, the railroads guaranteed the prospects of economic gain. However, when they claimed rights to the land that settlers had already claimed, railroad monopolies were identified as a new manifestation of the same threat to republican values they had fought against in the recently concluded War. This book tells the story of the settlers' opposition to and victory over railroads and the impact on the evolution of political thought in Kansas and the American west.


Bound by Steel and Stone

Bound by Steel and Stone

Author: J. Bradford Bowers

Publisher:

Published: 2022-07

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 9781646423491

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Bound by Steel and Stone analyzes the Colorado-Kansas Railway through the economic enterprise in the American West in the decades after the supposed 1890 closing of the frontier. In it, J. Bradford Bowers weaves a tale of reinvention against the backdrop of the newly settled West, showing how the railway survived in one form or another for nearly fifty years, overcoming competition from other railroads, a limited revenue base, and even more limited capital financing. Offering the Colorado-Kansas Railway as an example of how shortline railroads helped to integrate the rural landscape with the larger urban and economic world, Bowers reveals the constant adaptations driven by changing economic forces and conditions. He puts the railway in context of the wider environmental and political landscapes, the growing quarrying and mining business, the expansion of agriculture and irrigation, Progressive-era political reforms, and land development. In the new frontier of enterprise in the early twentieth-century American West, the railroad highlights the successes and failures of the men inspired to pursue these new opportunities as well as the story of one woman who held these fragile industries together well into the second half of the twentieth century. Bound by Steel and Stone is an insightful addition to the history of industrialization and economic development in Colorado and the American West.


Book Synopsis Bound by Steel and Stone by : J. Bradford Bowers

Download or read book Bound by Steel and Stone written by J. Bradford Bowers and published by . This book was released on 2022-07 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bound by Steel and Stone analyzes the Colorado-Kansas Railway through the economic enterprise in the American West in the decades after the supposed 1890 closing of the frontier. In it, J. Bradford Bowers weaves a tale of reinvention against the backdrop of the newly settled West, showing how the railway survived in one form or another for nearly fifty years, overcoming competition from other railroads, a limited revenue base, and even more limited capital financing. Offering the Colorado-Kansas Railway as an example of how shortline railroads helped to integrate the rural landscape with the larger urban and economic world, Bowers reveals the constant adaptations driven by changing economic forces and conditions. He puts the railway in context of the wider environmental and political landscapes, the growing quarrying and mining business, the expansion of agriculture and irrigation, Progressive-era political reforms, and land development. In the new frontier of enterprise in the early twentieth-century American West, the railroad highlights the successes and failures of the men inspired to pursue these new opportunities as well as the story of one woman who held these fragile industries together well into the second half of the twentieth century. Bound by Steel and Stone is an insightful addition to the history of industrialization and economic development in Colorado and the American West.


The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier

The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier

Author: V. V. Masterson

Publisher: University of Missouri

Published: 1952

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 9780826206688

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History of the first railroad built across Indian Territory (Oklahoma).


Book Synopsis The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier by : V. V. Masterson

Download or read book The Katy Railroad and the Last Frontier written by V. V. Masterson and published by University of Missouri. This book was released on 1952 with total page 312 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: History of the first railroad built across Indian Territory (Oklahoma).


Hell's Half-Acre

Hell's Half-Acre

Author: Susan Jonusas

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2023-03-07

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1984879855

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One of NPR's "Books We Love" New York Times Book Review's "The Best True Crime of 2022" "Rich in historical perspective and graced by novelistic touches, grips the reader from first to last.”—Wall Street Journal A suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier—shedding new light on a family of serial killers in Kansas, whose horrifying crimes gripped the attention of a nation still reeling from war. In 1873 the people of Labette County, Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried by a trailside cabin beneath an orchard of young apple trees were the remains of countless bodies. Below the cabin itself was a cellar stained with blood. The Benders, the family of four who once resided on the property were nowhere to be found. The discovery sent the local community and national newspapers into a frenzy that continued for decades, sparking an epic manhunt for the Benders. The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders—one among the thousands relocating farther west in search of land and opportunity after the Civil War—were capable of operating "a human slaughter pen" appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree and whether justice ever caught up to them is a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Set against the backdrop of postbellum America, Hell’s Half-Acre explores the environment capable of allowing such horrors to take place. Drawing on extensive original archival material, Susan Jonusas introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, many of whom have been previously missing from the story. Among them are the families of the victims, the hapless detectives who lost the trail, and the fugitives that helped the murderers escape. Hell’s Half-Acre is a journey into the turbulent heart of nineteenth century America, a place where modernity stalks across the landscape, violently displacing existing populations and building new ones. It is a world where folklore can quickly become fact and an entire family of criminals can slip through a community’s fingers, only to reappear in the most unexpected of places.


Book Synopsis Hell's Half-Acre by : Susan Jonusas

Download or read book Hell's Half-Acre written by Susan Jonusas and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2023-03-07 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of NPR's "Books We Love" New York Times Book Review's "The Best True Crime of 2022" "Rich in historical perspective and graced by novelistic touches, grips the reader from first to last.”—Wall Street Journal A suspense filled tale of murder on the American frontier—shedding new light on a family of serial killers in Kansas, whose horrifying crimes gripped the attention of a nation still reeling from war. In 1873 the people of Labette County, Kansas made a grisly discovery. Buried by a trailside cabin beneath an orchard of young apple trees were the remains of countless bodies. Below the cabin itself was a cellar stained with blood. The Benders, the family of four who once resided on the property were nowhere to be found. The discovery sent the local community and national newspapers into a frenzy that continued for decades, sparking an epic manhunt for the Benders. The idea that a family of seemingly respectable homesteaders—one among the thousands relocating farther west in search of land and opportunity after the Civil War—were capable of operating "a human slaughter pen" appalled and fascinated the nation. But who the Benders really were, why they committed such a vicious killing spree and whether justice ever caught up to them is a mystery that remains unsolved to this day. Set against the backdrop of postbellum America, Hell’s Half-Acre explores the environment capable of allowing such horrors to take place. Drawing on extensive original archival material, Susan Jonusas introduces us to a fascinating cast of characters, many of whom have been previously missing from the story. Among them are the families of the victims, the hapless detectives who lost the trail, and the fugitives that helped the murderers escape. Hell’s Half-Acre is a journey into the turbulent heart of nineteenth century America, a place where modernity stalks across the landscape, violently displacing existing populations and building new ones. It is a world where folklore can quickly become fact and an entire family of criminals can slip through a community’s fingers, only to reappear in the most unexpected of places.


Kansas History

Kansas History

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Kansas History by :

Download or read book Kansas History written by and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Frontier Community, Kansas City to 1870

Frontier Community, Kansas City to 1870

Author: Andrew Theodore Brown

Publisher:

Published: 1963

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Frontier Community, Kansas City to 1870 by : Andrew Theodore Brown

Download or read book Frontier Community, Kansas City to 1870 written by Andrew Theodore Brown and published by . This book was released on 1963 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Conquest of Southwest Kansas

Conquest of Southwest Kansas

Author: Leola Howard Blanchard

Publisher:

Published: 1931

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13:

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Book Synopsis Conquest of Southwest Kansas by : Leola Howard Blanchard

Download or read book Conquest of Southwest Kansas written by Leola Howard Blanchard and published by . This book was released on 1931 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


The Farmer's Last Frontier

The Farmer's Last Frontier

Author: Fred Albert Shannon

Publisher: M.E. Sharpe

Published: 1945

Total Pages: 468

ISBN-13: 9780873320993

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Part of a series of detailed reference manuals on American economic history, this volume traces the development and expansion of agriculture across the USA during the last half of the 19th century.


Book Synopsis The Farmer's Last Frontier by : Fred Albert Shannon

Download or read book The Farmer's Last Frontier written by Fred Albert Shannon and published by M.E. Sharpe. This book was released on 1945 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part of a series of detailed reference manuals on American economic history, this volume traces the development and expansion of agriculture across the USA during the last half of the 19th century.


Frontier Link with the World

Frontier Link with the World

Author: David E. Paterson

Publisher:

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 292

ISBN-13:

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A Frontier Link with the World is the history of one small company which operated a track sixteen miles long and served essentially one community. This company shared significant characteristics with its much larger neighbors, and therefore serves as a microcosm depicting the interrelationships between the corporate activities of a Georgia railroad and the economic and social history of the community it served.A Frontier Link with the World balances discussions of government and corporate influences on railroad development with the activity and interest, collective and individual, of investors and customers in the local community. Paterson describes misconceptions about the railroad's purpose and potential which fostered a love-hate relationship between local people and the railroad. From an analysis of the local economy, David Paterson explores how much the railroad benefited the community, and who benefited most. Beyond scheduled freight and passenger services, the author details other railroad services which broadened the social and cultural horizons of the community.The book makes extensive use of manuscript sources, including the recently - available Central of Georgia Railway Collection at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Significant depth is added by: (1) data on population and wealth for the local community compiled from local tax records for the period of the company's existence, illustrating how the railroad was funded, its profitability, and its effect on the growth of the community, and (2) sufficient biographical data on most of the railroad's employees showing who they were, where they were recruited, and how local amateur operators evolved into a careerrailroad workforce.


Book Synopsis Frontier Link with the World by : David E. Paterson

Download or read book Frontier Link with the World written by David E. Paterson and published by . This book was released on 1998 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A Frontier Link with the World is the history of one small company which operated a track sixteen miles long and served essentially one community. This company shared significant characteristics with its much larger neighbors, and therefore serves as a microcosm depicting the interrelationships between the corporate activities of a Georgia railroad and the economic and social history of the community it served.A Frontier Link with the World balances discussions of government and corporate influences on railroad development with the activity and interest, collective and individual, of investors and customers in the local community. Paterson describes misconceptions about the railroad's purpose and potential which fostered a love-hate relationship between local people and the railroad. From an analysis of the local economy, David Paterson explores how much the railroad benefited the community, and who benefited most. Beyond scheduled freight and passenger services, the author details other railroad services which broadened the social and cultural horizons of the community.The book makes extensive use of manuscript sources, including the recently - available Central of Georgia Railway Collection at the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. Significant depth is added by: (1) data on population and wealth for the local community compiled from local tax records for the period of the company's existence, illustrating how the railroad was funded, its profitability, and its effect on the growth of the community, and (2) sufficient biographical data on most of the railroad's employees showing who they were, where they were recruited, and how local amateur operators evolved into a careerrailroad workforce.


The Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail

Author: Rinker Buck

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2015-06-30

Total Pages: 464

ISBN-13: 1451659164

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In the bestselling tradition of Bill Bryson and Tony Horwitz, Rinker Buck's The Oregon Trail is a major work of participatory history: an epic account of traveling the 2,000-mile length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way, in a covered wagon with a team of mules—which hasn't been done in a century—that also tells the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country. Spanning 2,000 miles and traversing six states from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, the Oregon Trail is the route that made America. In the fifteen years before the Civil War, when 400,000 pioneers used it to emigrate West—historians still regard this as the largest land migration of all time—the trail united the coasts, doubled the size of the country, and laid the groundwork for the railroads. The trail years also solidified the American character: our plucky determination in the face of adversity, our impetuous cycle of financial bubbles and busts, the fractious clash of ethnic populations competing for the same jobs and space. Today, amazingly, the trail is all but forgotten. Rinker Buck is no stranger to grand adventures. The New Yorker described his first travel narrative,Flight of Passage, as “a funny, cocky gem of a book,” and with The Oregon Trailhe seeks to bring the most important road in American history back to life. At once a majestic American journey, a significant work of history, and a personal saga reminiscent of bestsellers by Bill Bryson and Cheryl Strayed, the book tells the story of Buck's 2,000-mile expedition across the plains with tremendous humor and heart. He was accompanied by three cantankerous mules, his boisterous brother, Nick, and an “incurably filthy” Jack Russell terrier named Olive Oyl. Along the way, Buck dodges thunderstorms in Nebraska, chases his runaway mules across miles of Wyoming plains, scouts more than five hundred miles of nearly vanished trail on foot, crosses the Rockies, makes desperate fifty-mile forced marches for water, and repairs so many broken wheels and axels that he nearly reinvents the art of wagon travel itself. Apart from charting his own geographical and emotional adventure, Buck introduces readers to the evangelists, shysters, natives, trailblazers, and everyday dreamers who were among the first of the pioneers to make the journey west. With a rare narrative power, a refreshing candor about his own weakness and mistakes, and an extremely attractive obsession for history and travel,The Oregon Trail draws readers into the journey of a lifetime.


Book Synopsis The Oregon Trail by : Rinker Buck

Download or read book The Oregon Trail written by Rinker Buck and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2015-06-30 with total page 464 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the bestselling tradition of Bill Bryson and Tony Horwitz, Rinker Buck's The Oregon Trail is a major work of participatory history: an epic account of traveling the 2,000-mile length of the Oregon Trail the old-fashioned way, in a covered wagon with a team of mules—which hasn't been done in a century—that also tells the rich history of the trail, the people who made the migration, and its significance to the country. Spanning 2,000 miles and traversing six states from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean, the Oregon Trail is the route that made America. In the fifteen years before the Civil War, when 400,000 pioneers used it to emigrate West—historians still regard this as the largest land migration of all time—the trail united the coasts, doubled the size of the country, and laid the groundwork for the railroads. The trail years also solidified the American character: our plucky determination in the face of adversity, our impetuous cycle of financial bubbles and busts, the fractious clash of ethnic populations competing for the same jobs and space. Today, amazingly, the trail is all but forgotten. Rinker Buck is no stranger to grand adventures. The New Yorker described his first travel narrative,Flight of Passage, as “a funny, cocky gem of a book,” and with The Oregon Trailhe seeks to bring the most important road in American history back to life. At once a majestic American journey, a significant work of history, and a personal saga reminiscent of bestsellers by Bill Bryson and Cheryl Strayed, the book tells the story of Buck's 2,000-mile expedition across the plains with tremendous humor and heart. He was accompanied by three cantankerous mules, his boisterous brother, Nick, and an “incurably filthy” Jack Russell terrier named Olive Oyl. Along the way, Buck dodges thunderstorms in Nebraska, chases his runaway mules across miles of Wyoming plains, scouts more than five hundred miles of nearly vanished trail on foot, crosses the Rockies, makes desperate fifty-mile forced marches for water, and repairs so many broken wheels and axels that he nearly reinvents the art of wagon travel itself. Apart from charting his own geographical and emotional adventure, Buck introduces readers to the evangelists, shysters, natives, trailblazers, and everyday dreamers who were among the first of the pioneers to make the journey west. With a rare narrative power, a refreshing candor about his own weakness and mistakes, and an extremely attractive obsession for history and travel,The Oregon Trail draws readers into the journey of a lifetime.