In 1867 a group of Fremont County citizens had tried to induce the Kansas Pacific Railroad, then building across Western Kansas, to extend their line through South Central Colorado. General W. J. Palmer, afterwards of Denver Rio Grande fame, was then the managing director of the Kansas Pacific, along with W. H. Greenwood, chief engineer, who was in charge of construction. In compliance with the requests of Fremont County and Canon City citizens, Palmer then organized and directed an expedition that surveyed a line which in 1868 Palmer advocated. The route thus recommended ran southwestward from Ellsworth, Kansas, through the Canon to the headquarters of the Arkansas and thence through the San Luis Valley to the 35th parallel and beyond to the coast. Had the Kansas Pacific followed this line it would instantly have tapped some of the richest portions of Colorado. But the Eastern managers of the Kansas Pacific finally decided to build to Denver, which was done and as a result, that road never became a factor in Colorado. After the Kansas Pacific had finally been diverted to Denver, Mr. Palmer seems to have conceived of building a narrow gauge line, the Denver Rio Grande, from Denver southward along the foot of the mountains. Chagrined at not having secured an eastern outlet through the Kansas Pacific, Fremont County gladly voted $50,000 in county bonds to aid the narrow gauge railroad. In October of 1872, the Rio Grande had reached Pueblo and had built a spur to Lebran in the Canon coal fields, eight miles from Canon City. Then without stopping to extend their lines to Canon City, hurriedly they built southward to El Moro, where more good coking fields were. In the meantime the $50,000 in county bonds that were voted on were lost to the Denver Rio Grande on a courtroom technicality. Almost in despair the people of Fremont County held a public meeting in Canon City in January of 1873 and formally invited the Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe to construct a line into their locality, along the route proposed by the Kansas Pacific. Unfortunately the Santa Fe was at a virtual standstill from 1873-74 so Fremont County this time voted $100,000; but the bond only carried by a two vote majority and the County Commissioners refused to issue the bonds. Finally, in 1874, an issue of $50,000 in bonds carried, which was supplemented by a gift of $25,000 worth of property in Canon City and in that year the long sought narrow gauge railroad reached the county seat.
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