The Howard Branch

[Dee Gee]

Photo and story from saved Howard Courant-Citizen dated April 24, 1975

SILENCE REIGNS NOW at the abandoned depot on the abandoned Santa Fe Railroad line at Howard.  The furniture has been removed, the calendars have been taken from the walls, the crossing signs have been dismantled(note foreground), the rails are without occupants and rust already has begun to find its place.  the old Santa Fe depot in Howard, now a relic of another era, was emptied April 17 - mostly likely for the final occasion.  Former Santa Fe station agent John Layton's future with the firm also is apparently uncertain.  Rail service between Emporia and Moline was discontinued last week after a three-year fight waged by are businessmen and farmers with the Santa Fe, working through the courts and the Interstate Commerce Commission.  The ICC finally disallowed any further hearing on the matter.

[genealogynut]

Thanks, Dee Gee, I enjoyed the picture.  My father-in-law really missed that train, when they took the railroad out, as it rain right thru his farm.  In the olden days, he said he could almost set his pocket watch, by when the train went thru.

[frawin]

I have apicture of the old depot that is from around 1906 from the Hottinger collection. I will post it when I get back home.

[W. Gray]

I just got back from Howard.

The line from Severy to Howard was built as the Elk & Chautauqua Railroad and then leased to the Santa Fe. The line was finished to Howard in 1879 and then to Moline in 1886.

The original intent was for the Elk & Chautauqua to go from Moline to Sedan, but the line never made it.

What you saw may have been the Moline and Sedan Railway that was incorporated on August 23, 1887. I was not aware that that line made it off the drawing board to Rogers or anywhere else, but sometimes in the early days the maps contained railroad routes when one did not yet exist.

I once saw a map that had a line from Western Park east to Howard and have never been able to find out anything about it.

The above newspaper story indicates a three year battle between local business men and the Interstate Commerce Commission ended when the Howard Branch was vacated. However, I read somewhere that the Howard Branch lasted as long as it did because one of the board members of the state organization overseeing railroad abandonments was from Howard. He continually voted against abandonment but when he died that paved the way to abandon.

[frawin]

This is a picture of the Santa Fe Depot in Howard around 1900.

[frawin]

This is an early 1900s picture of the Railroad bridge across Elk River just South of Howard on old 99 that went thru town and South. This Railroad Bridge was just West of the old 99 Wagon Bridge. I swam under this old bridge many times. Also walked across the river on it many times. If memory serves me correctly it was around this or under this RR bridge that "old Hot" shot the Alligators

[frawin]

This is a little different picture of the same RR bridge and in the same time frame as in the previous picture.

[frawin]

This is an early 1900s picture of the old Wagon bridge across Elk River  on old 99.

[Janet Harrington]

Wow, Frank.  The second railroad picture even has a train getting ready to cross the track.  Thanks.

[genealogynut]

Frank, thanks for sharing your pictures with us.  Don has really enjoyed them, as he has printed them out for his own mini-collection.