Kansas State Capitol - Online tour - Arrival of the Railroad
Arrival of the Railroad by David H. Overmyer, first floor rotunda, northwest corner
The Santa Fe and Oregon-California trails gave way to the state's railroads. Survey parties laid out the route of the railroads across Kansas. A military presence was established to protect workers along the routes. The first section of railroad was the Union Pacific, Eastern Division, opening between Topeka and Leavenworth in 1866. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway was organized in 1863. Late in 1868 the first tracks were laid in Topeka and by 1872 the Santa Fe track reached the western Kansas border.
