The MK and T Missouri, Kansas, & Texas Railway

Interesting map of ‘The Katy’ issued in conjunction with the Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad was organized in 1870 and awarded a federal land grant by the U.S. Government to connect the frontier Army outposts at Fort Riley, Fort Gibson, Fort Scott, and, eventually, Fort Worth. With the exception of the Financial Panic of 1873, the company grew steadily across Texas in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, until its height around 1912.

This map shows the company routes in operation in 1893, with connections stretching from Chicago to Galveston. The timing is notable, as the Windy City held a World’s Fair that year known as the Columbian Exposition, and visitors from all over the country would flock to the event by road and rail. Branches extend to Kansas City, Junction City, St. Louis, Henrietta, Jefferson, and San Marcos, and the lines of the MKT (nicknamed ‘The Katy’) bisect a diminutive Indian Territory. Of note here is the town of Adair, the site of a famous train robbery by the Dalton Gang the year prior to publication.

The left side of the page contains a list of cities, towns, and stations located along Katy lines in Texas, along with their respective counties. The verso provides descriptive text regarding promising cities along the MKT routes, as well as promotional information on the prosperity available to potential settlers in Kansas – ‘The Canaan of the Home Seeker’.

The front panel of the folding brochure includes a view of the Kansas State Building at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. An interesting and ephemeral map covering a period of tremendous migration to Texas. The state’s population would approximately double from 1.5 to 3 million inhabitants between 1880 and 1900. Printed in Chicago by Rand McNally in 1893.

Sources: Texas Migration History (University of Washington); American Rails