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- Railroad
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- The first step in bringing
rails to Abernathy was the construction of the line from Canyon
to Plainview. The railroad on August I, 1905, contracted with
Major E.B. Stahlman, of Nashville, Tennessee, and C.L. Hallmadge
of Chicago, promoters operating under the name of the Northern
Texas Construction Company of Amarillo, Texas, to secure the
necessary right-of-way and station grounds, and gave them sixty
days to do it in. These gentlemen were to acquire and deliver
clear title without cost to the railway and the Santa Fe agreed
to build a railroad from Canyon to Plainview on or before January
I, 1907.
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- Things began to hum. Mr.
H.T. McGee was appointed Chief Engineer and set up headquarters
at Canyon City to push the rails southwards. The first two bridges
out of Canyon were started in August, 1906, and Plainview was
reached December 29, 1906, by exerting every effort right through
the Christmas holidays.
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- By January 20, 1907, a
daily mixed train went both ways between Plain view and Canyon
City, although the line was not officially opened for business
until February 18, 1907, and people were talking about the rest
of the way to Lubbock.
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- The railway favored the
line through the existing towns, and the line the railway now
follows was laid out and rights-of-way secured.
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- Monroe G. Abernathy, Channing
M. Ward, Robert Alley, Joe Lee Ferguson, and others, associated
as the Southwestern Engineering, and Construction Company, had
the contract to get the right-of-way to build from Plainview
to Lubbock. Mr. Abernathy was to be compensated through bonuses
that he collected from the towns along the proposed route, and
he was instrumental in getting the road located through Abernathy
and Monroe to Lubbock.
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- After a good many delays
in settlements with local communities and what not, the right-of-way
finally was settled, and the line south to Lubbock was started
with grading south from Plainview on May 10, 1909. Track laying
began June 8, 1909, completed in December and the line was placed
in operation January 9, 1910.
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- Some trains besides work
trains, were run over the line before it was completed. This
came about as a result of enthusiasm on the part of those interested
in the development of Hale Center.
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- To help open up the communities
of Hale Center and Abernathy, the new railroad handled freight
in carload lots from Plainview to Hale Center and Abernathy beginning
about the middle of August, handling these cars at Texas Commission
rates and at the owners risk, in trains used to haul construction
materials to the end of the line. With the opening of regular
rail service in January, 1910, the Plains began to boom in earnest.
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- It took vision to build
railroads and towns in those days, and the foresight and drive
of men like Monroe Abernathy and those early Santa Fe railroad
executives with whom he dealt account for the prosperity of the
whole Plains area.
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- As James Marshall points
out in his history of the Santa Fe, the young roads of those
days, including the Santa Fe, were not promoters' dreams or speculative
adventures, as they were in many eastern sections-they were down
to earth projects, financed by men who knew the value of money
and calculated the chances.
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- Marshall also reveals
that out of the lawyers, merchants, and farmers who dreamed,
built, and operated it, the Santa Fe made not a single millionaire.
But, like other grander roads, it created enough wealth out of
almost nothing to make thousands of people wealthy and millions
prosperous.
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- Abernathy was the shipping
center for a large area. Cattle, chickens, and sheep were shipped
in large quantities.
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- Statistics have been found
for 1939 and 1940. In 1939 there were 32,240 head of sheep shipped
from Abernathy. In 1940 there were 34,303 head of sheep shipped
from Abernathy. Cattle were fewer in numbers. In 1939 there were
900 cattle shipped and in 1940 there were 1,900 cattle shipped.
Five cars of sugar beets were shipped.
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- In time, the old steam
locomotive became impractical. Advances in mechanics brought
the diesel engine to the rails. On February 20, 1955, the "Streamliner"
passenger train came to Abernathy. This was a sleek engine.
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- As in other areas of the
country, use of the railroad became less as the years passed.
Keeping the depot open in the little towns in this area was not
practical. A regional office was opened in Lubbock and service
for the area towns was continued from there. Santa Fe closed
the depot here in 1983.
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