this
comparatively short railroad, particularly with the inducement of so
extraordinary a land grant. Not only the Union Pacific but the Central
Pacific and Kansas Pacific--all built within this decade--had to
accomplish far more construction in order to secure their respective
grants, and yet they had their complete lines in operation years before
the Santa Fe had fifty miles of track in actual commission. The reason
for this delay was of course a financial one. The other roads had
all received government aid in cash or securities in addition to land
grants. But the Atchison line was, from the start, thrown on its own
resources in raising capital, and it was not until late in 1869--nearly
a year after the opening of the Union Pacific to the coast--that any
construction work whatever was done. In that year the section from
Topeka to Burlingame, consisting of about twenty-eight miles, was opened
for traffic, and a year later the extension to Emporia was finished,
thus making a total of sixty-one miles under operation.

The terms of the land grant provided that the entire line across Kansas
should be completed by June, 1873. When by 1872 only sixty-one miles of
track had been built, the company still had over four hundred miles to
go within ten months if it expected to obtain the land grant. But so
energetically did the owners of the property work from that time on that
within seven months they had reached the eastern boundary of Colorado
and had thus saved the grant.

But like most of the Western railroads built in those early days the
Santa Fe property was, in a sense, ahead of its time. The rapidity with
which it shot across the State of Kansas in 1872 was equaled only by the
promptness with which it fell into financial straits. No sooner had its
complete line been opened for traffic than the panic of 1873 occurred;
the company became embarrassed by a large floating debt; and a
compromise had to be made with the bondholders whereby a postponement of
a year's interest was arranged.

No attempts were made to extend the Santa Fe during the long period of
depression following the panic of 1873. The road ended in 1872 at the
Colorado state line, and during the next few years the only building of
importance was a western spur to connect with the Denver and Rio Grande
at Pueblo, thereby giving an outlet to the growing city of Denver
and the rapidly developing mining regions of Colorado. About 1880,
construction was resume