“The Doodle-bug:” the Missouri Pacific Railroad in Harvey Co

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by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

The railroad is a huge part of daily life in Harvey County, from waiting at a crossing or hearing the long whistle, trains are a fact of life. The AT&SF Railroad has a strong history in Newton and Harvey County, but it was not the only railroad to provide much needed connections to the rest of the U.S.. The Missouri Pacific Railroad also has a long history in Harvey County. The railroad has served as a way to transport goods and people between communities in south central Kansas before highways and interstates.

In the spring of 1886, the St. Louis, Fort Scott & Wichita Railroad began building a line northwest from  El Dorado.  By summer, the tracks had reached Newton. The line was completed on 19 November 1886 in McPherson.

Missouri Pacific Depot, Hesston, ca. 1900, HCHM Photo Archives.

Missouri Pacific Depot, Hesston, ca. 1900, HCHM Photo Archives.

This 62 mile railroad became a part of the Missouri, Pacific Line with stations east of El Dorado, as well as in El Dorado.  Additional stations were located in Butler County at Oil Hill, Hopkins, Potwin, Brainerd, and Whitewater. In Harvey County, Annelly, McLain,  Newton, Trousdale (later Zimmerdale), and Hesston each had a Missouri Pacific Depot.

Missouri Pacific Depot, Hesston, 1920. Photo taken by Lawrence E. Hauck, HCHM Photo Archives.

Missouri Pacific Depot, Hesston, 1920. Photo taken by Lawrence E. Hauck, HCHM Photo Archives.

The McPherson County towns of  Moundridge, and Elyria were stops with the line and ending in McPherson.

Missouri Pacific Railroad Map, drawn by S. Hackney, 3/1988. HCHM Archives Flat Files, 14-6-A.

Missouri Pacific Railroad Map, drawn by S. Hackney, 3/1988. HCHM Archives Flat Files, 14-6-A.

In Newton, the depot was located along N. Kansas Ave at east 6th, which was about a half a mile east of the Santa Fe Depot on Main Street. A circular wooden water tower was located just north of the depot until the late 1920s. The tower was relocated south of east 1st due to increased automobile traffic.

Missouri Pacific Depot, east 6th, Newton, 1919. Note Water Tower in the background. Building torn down in 1987.

Missouri Pacific Depot, east 6th, Newton, 1919. Note Water Tower in the background. Building torn down in 1987.

The “Mop” (Missouri Pacific) branch passenger train used original equipment through the late 1910s which included a small brooks steam locomotive with a high smokestack, a single combination U.S. Mail and baggage car and one passenger coach.  In the cab of the locomotive, the engineer and the fireman could barely see each other over the boiler head.  The switch to a diesel engine was made in the late 1940s.

G.E. Miller, train engineer "on the Doo-bug" (doodlebug). HCHM Photos

G.E. Miller, train engineer “on the Doo-bug” (doodlebug). HCHM Photos

The cars were made of wood and of the “open vestibule variety” and passengers had to “hang on for dear life” when the train was moving.

The “Mop” freight locomotive usually had low steam pressure at the stop in Newton.  As a result, the wet exhaust often “put nasty spots on nearby clothes lines” frustrating those that lived nearby.

Mop "mixed train daily" No. 756 at the Kansas Ave and 4th St. intersection, 1920. Photo by Lawrence E. Hauck, HCHM Photos.

Mop “mixed train daily” No. 756 at the Kansas Ave and 4th St. intersection, 1920. Photo by Lawrence E. Hauck, HCHM Photos.

In 1924, the updated passenger Train No. 741 went from Newton to McPherson. At McPherson, travelers could board “the Doodlebug,” a Union Pacific branch McKeen  gasoline powered rail car, and continue to Lindsburg, Assaria and Salina.  At the time, this was the most efficient way to travel from Newton to Salina.

Missouri Pacific Passenger Train No. 742 crossing east 4th St., Newton, summer 1920. Photo by Lawrence E. Hauck.

Missouri Pacific Passenger Train No. 742 crossing east 4th St., Newton, summer 1920. Photo by Lawrence E. Hauck.

The “doodlebug” left Newton daily at 10:23 and arrived in McPherson at 11:35 in the morning.  In the afternoon, the return trip started at 1:50 and arrived in Newton at 3:09. The Missouri Pacific passenger train continued to operate into the 1930s.

With improved highways and the increased use of cars, passenger service on the doodlebug became obsolete. By the 1950s, the route was “freight only.” Since then, the “modest railroad segment” has been an important mover of crude oil, grain, flour, lumber and other commodities for the businesses in the communities along the route.

The Missouri Pacific officially merged with the Union Pacific Railroad on 1 January 1997.

Sources

“Now is the Time to Build: Court House Needed”

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by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Following the Bretch Building, the courthouse was once again housed in the Masonic Building at the corner of Broadway and Main, Newton.

Masonic Building, 700 N. Main, Newton, c. 1897. Postcard, with large flags added. This building housed the Harvey County Counthouse in 1880-1888 and again in 1896-1906.

Masonic Building, 700 N. Main, Newton, c. 1897. Postcard, with large flags added. This building housed the Harvey County Counthouse in 1880-1888 and again in 1896-1906.

According to several in the community, this building was less than ideal for a courthouse. The Evening Kansan Republican published a letter on June 9, 1904, written by Newton lawyer, J.S. Henderson in which he “calls attention to a few facts” regarding the need for a courthouse building.

Main Street, Newton, looking north. Presbyterian Church and St. Mary's Church on the right, Methodist Church on the left. ca. 1905.

Main Street, Newton, looking north. Presbyterian Church and St. Mary’s Church on the right, Methodist Church on the left. ca. 1905.

The present building at Broadway and  Main had several drawbacks according to Henderson.  It was “undesirable, inconvenient, insecure, small and does not furnish the conveniences or the proper accommodations for . . . the business of the county.”  He gave the example of the jury rooms where the conditions ranged from “a sweat-box in summer to a refrigerator in winter.” The vaults that store the important documents of the county were small, dark and gloomy. He noted that the “present vaults would not withstand a fire.”

By this time, both McPherson and Reno counties had beautiful new courthouses “built by the people there-of without any oppressive or noticeable burden on them.”  According to Henderson, the cost would be minimal  and would come to roughly $3 a year for five years for Harvey County residents. He also noted that the annual rent the county was paying for the current location was $1250. If they acted soon, “the railroad, telegraph and telephone companies would pay one fourth of the cost of the building.”

Finally, he appealed to a sense of pride in the county.  He compared the county to a family and noted that the county family “should own and maintain a home . . . a building to which each and every individual of the county could point with pride and say ‘our court house’.”

It would be two more years before Harvey County had its own courthouse.  Architect,  James C. Holland was hired.  Holland was a well known architect in Kansas, working on many public buildings including schools, churches and the Marion County Courthouse.

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Blueprint, Harvey County Courthouse, 1906, James C. Holland. HCHM Archives, Newton, Ks

 

A common feature of courthouses designed by Holland was the symmetry of the building around a central Gothic tower.

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Building the courthouse, ca. 1905. Harvey County Jail is the limestone building in the background.

 

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Postcard of Catholic Church, Court House and Presbyterian Church, shortly after the courthouse was completed. Note the hole for the clock. ca. 1907.

 

The stately new courthouse building was indeed  “a building to which each and every individual of the county could point with pride and say ‘our court house’.”

Parade in front of Harvey County Courthouse, 1917. Lucile Mitchell Miller Collection HCHM Photos.

Parade in front of Harvey County Courthouse, 1917. Lucile Mitchell Miller Collection HCHM Photos.

Other blog posts related to the Harvey County Courthouse:

Sources:

  • Henderson, J.S. “Court House Needed,” letter to the editor.  Evening Kansan Republican, 9 June 1904, p. 1.
  • “J.S. Henderson Called By Death,” Evening Kansan Republican 15 April 1947, p. 1.
  • Blueprints for the Harvey County Courthouse by J.C. Holland, 1905-06, HCHM Archives.
  • “James C. Holland” at http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/james-c-holland/16802.
  • “National and State Register of Historic Places – Kansas Historical Society” at http://www.kshs.org/natreg/natreg_listings/search/prop:/city:/county:/arch:holland.
  • “Courthouses Designed by J.C. Holland” at http://jameshollandrealestate.wordpress.com/2011/07/11

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Our new exhibit, 50 years of Service: the Harvey County Courthouse is open during museum hours.  Admission is free. Coming soon to our web site, an on-line exhibit featuring the courthouse.

What is it? An Object From the Harvey County Courthouse

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by Kristine Schmucker, HCHM Curator

Our exhibit, 50 Years of Service: the Harvey County Courthouse will open on Saturday, March 21, 2015. Although this exhibit has a lot of photos, it was really difficult to find actual objects to include.

We did find a few, and the photo below is a detail of one of the objects in the exhibit. It looks like  some sort of animal devouring something. It is metal and very heavy.

Detail of Harvey County District Court Seal, ca. 1906. HCHM Collection

Detail of Harvey County District Court Seal, ca. 1906. HCHM Collection.

 

Harvey County District Seal, ca. 1906. HCHM Collection.

Harvey County District Seal, ca. 1906. HCHM Collection.

This seal would have been used on official District Court documents.

 

Imprint from the Harvey County District Court Seal.

Imprint from the Harvey County District Court Seal.

 

To read more about Harvey County Courthouses see,  https://hchm.org/courthouse1888/ and watch for future posts.

The exhibit, on-line exhibit and oral histories are funded in part by a grant from the Kansas Humanities Council, a non-profit cultural organization promoting understanding of the history, traditions, and ideas that shape our lives and build community.