Railroad Wars facts for kids
The Royal Gorge in 1886 Colorado. Competition to build a line through the Royal Gorge resulted in a railroad war in the late 1870s.
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| Date | 1864-1912 |
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| Location | United States |
| Participants | Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, Central Pacific Railroad, Sacramento Valley Railroad, Rock Island Railroad, Deschutes Railroad and the Oregon Trunk Railway |
Railroad Wars were big fights between different railroad companies in American history. These fights were often about business and who would control important routes. Most of the time, these "wars" were legal battles in court. But sometimes, they turned into real armed conflicts.
Railroad companies have always competed in the United States. However, the most violent clashes happened in the late 1800s. This was especially true in the Old West, where new lands were being settled.
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Famous Railroad Wars
Placer County Railroad War
One of the first railroad wars in the Old West happened in California. It was called the Placer County Railroad War in 1864. Two companies, the Sacramento Valley Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad, wanted the same railroad track.
This track went from Ashland to Auburn Station. The Sacramento Valley company wanted to buy the old tracks cheaply. They needed American-made rails for the First Transcontinental Railroad. The Central Pacific, however, wanted to finish building the line to Auburn.
To stop the Sacramento Valley company from taking the tracks, Central Pacific found a local man named Griffith Griffith. He owned a granite quarry along the road. Central Pacific convinced him to sue the Sacramento Valley company. He said they were hurting his business.
Griffith won his case on June 15, 1864. He got a court order to stop the track removal. But the Sacramento Valley company ignored the order. On July 2, they started taking the tracks apart anyway.
The sheriff of Placer County then stepped in. He gathered his deputies and arrested some railroad workers. But on July 9, the track removal started again. The deputies tried to stop it.
Before they could, a Justice from Lincoln arrived. He arrested the deputies for disturbing the peace. When the sheriff heard this, he called in the Auburn Greys. This was a local militia group.
The militia went to stop the workers. They even opened fire on a crew removing tracks. Other workers were arrested and put in jail. For a short time, the tracks were safe.
However, the California Supreme Court later got involved. They sided with the Sacramento Valley Railroad. This meant the Sacramento Valley company had permission to remove the tracks. So, the Central Pacific had to build their own line to Auburn. They finished it on May 13, 1865.
Colorado Railroad War
The Colorado Railroad War was also known as the Royal Gorge Railroad War. It happened in the late 1870s. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway fought against the smaller Denver and Rio Grande company.
In 1878, both railroads wanted to be the first to build a line through Raton Pass. Both had lines going into Trinidad, Colorado. The pass was the only way to reach New Mexico. There were many legal tricks and threats of violence.
To break the tie, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe hired gunfighters in February 1878. The Denver and Rio Grande was running out of money. So, they had to give up the pass to their rivals. This first part of the fight ended without a shot.
But the next year, silver was found in Leadville. This brought the fight back to life. Now, both railroads wanted to build tracks along the narrow Royal Gorge.
The Denver and Rio Grande hired its own gunfighters. So, the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe made their team stronger. On March 20, 1879, they hired Bat Masterson. He put together a group of famous gunmen. This group included Doc Holliday, Ben Thompson, and Mysterious Dave Mather. There were about seventy others too.
This strong group had success until early June 1879. But on June 10, a court ruled in favor of the Denver and Rio Grande. This changed everything. With help from local sheriffs, the Denver and Rio Grande attacked their rival's forces.
There was heavy fighting at the Santa Fe's forts in Colorado. The forts in Denver and Colorado Springs quickly fell. Masterson's main base in Pueblo held out the longest. But they eventually lost. Later, there were a few small fights with no bloodshed. But the war was mostly over. The Denver and Rio Grande now controlled the Royal Gorge.
Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War
The Enid-Pond Creek Railroad War was a fight between citizens and the Rock Island Railroad. It happened in Oklahoma. In the late 1880s, the Rock Island Railroad built a line into the Indian Territory. It followed the Chisholm Trail.
The company built stations near old stagecoach stops. Two of these stations were Pond Creek and Enid. These towns became part of a big problem between the railroad and the United States Department of the Interior.
The trouble started when the Department of the Interior opened the Cherokee Outlet for settlement. To avoid "county seat wars," which were common, the Department divided the land. They chose county seats for each new county. Pond Creek was chosen for "L" County, and Enid for "O" County.
After this, some Cherokee citizens claimed land near these towns. People accused railroad officials of working with the Cherokee to make money from town development. So, government officials moved the official towns to different nearby spots. This created two new towns.
A land run opened the Cherokee Outlet in 1893. Settlers moved into all four town sites. There was railroad Pond Creek and government Pond Creek. There was also railroad Enid (or North Enid) and government Enid (or South Enid).
The Rock Island Railroad reacted by refusing to stop trains at the government towns. The citizens protested, and the Oklahoma government supported them. But the United States Senate sided with the railroad.
Government officials then told the Rock Island Railroad they had to deliver mail to the two government towns. The railroad put hooks on their trains. These hooks could pick up and drop off mail without stopping. When mail bags broke open, angry citizens said it was on purpose. The people of Enid then made a rule about train speed. But the Rock Island Railroad ignored it.
Citizens tried to stop trains by waving flags or putting dummies on the tracks. They also left wagons and other things on the rails. When that did not work, they became violent. In June 1894, people in Pond Creek tore up tracks. They also wrecked a freight train.
By July, citizens were shooting at trains. They also put bombs on the tracks. Later that month, unknown attackers sawed through wooden supports near Enid. This caused another freight train to crash.
To bring back order, United States Marshals Service and United States Army troops were sent in. They patrolled the railroad lines. But the violence continued. Finally, the United States Senate stepped in. On August 8, 1894, President Grover Cleveland signed a law. It said railroads had to build stations and depots in these towns.
Soon after, railroad Pond Creek was renamed Jefferson. It moved to higher ground. Government Pond Creek stayed, but its county was renamed Grant County. The county seat moved to Medford. Railroad Enid became North Enid. Government Enid, or South Enid, became the present-day Enid. It is the seat of Garfield County.
Deschutes Railroad War
The Deschutes Railroad War started in 1908. Two railroad companies, the Deschutes Railroad and the Oregon Trunk Railway, raced to build a line. This line would go from the Deschutes River across central Oregon. The Deschutes Railroad was part of Union Pacific. It was owned by Edward H. Harriman. The Oregon Trunk was owned by James J. Hill.
Harriman started building first. He decided the eastern side of the river was the best path. Soon after, Hill began building his line on the western side. Later, in the Deschutes River Canyon, the two lines ran side-by-side. They even shared some tracks and stations.
Over the next few years, there were many legal fights. They wanted to decide which company could use the canyon. But railroad workers went even further. Construction crews would blow up the other side's supplies. They would ignite their black powder. They also dumped large rocks onto camps below. Small gunfights also broke out.
Luckily, not many people were hurt. By 1912, the two railroads were mostly on separate lines. This removed the reason for the fighting.
See also
In Spanish: Guerras Ferroviarias para niños
