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Becoming More Powerful-The Railroad Years

Painting shows soldiers laying low behind unfinished rail lines firing at farm workers also carrying firearms. — Defending the Railroad
HFC Commissioned Art Collection, by Hugh Brown. NPS has rights

After the Civil War ended, the nation began to heal and unify. Railroads built across the continent played a major role in tying the country together. Town leaders of Fort Scott saw a railroad line as a means to build prosperity by tapping into the trade of Eastern markets. By 1869, their efforts succeeded as a first railroad reached the city of Fort Scott. As workers laid tracks south of town, they came into conflict with squatters who forcefully opposed the railroad. The military returned and established the Post of Southeast Kansas (1869-73) to protect the railroad workers. This set the stage for a rare instance when U.S. troops took up arms against American citizens to protect the country's business interests.