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St. Louis and Hannibal Railroad was originally incorporated as the St. Louis & Keokuk RR on February 16, 1857. The Civil war and various depressions and recessions prevented its actual construction until 1871. Beginning in its early construction, it was largely financed and (later) owned by John Insley Blair, Blairstown, New Jersey (1802–1899), and Moses Taylor, New York banker (1806–1882). Taylor died in 1882 and his protégé Percy Pyne remained on various boards.
The American Civil War was a war fought in the United States from 1861 to 1865, between the North and the South. The Civil War is the most studied and written about episode in U.S. history. Primarily as a result of the long-standing controversy over the enslavement of black people, war broke out in April 1861 when secessionist forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina shortly after Abraham Lincoln had been inaugurated as the President of the United States. The loyalists of the Union in the North proclaimed support for the Constitution. They faced secessionists of the Confederate States in the South, who advocated for states' rights to uphold slavery.
John Insley Blair was an American entrepreneur, railroad magnate, philanthropist and one of the 19th century's wealthiest men.
Blairstown is a township in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township's population was 5,967 reflecting an increase of 220 (+3.8%) from the 5,747 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in turn increased by 416 (+7.8%) from the 5,331 counted in the 1990 Census.
The railroad was eventually known as "The Short Line".
On February 7, 1884, the St. Louis, Hannibal & Keokuk went into receivership and was sold to Blair on December 8, 1885, for $370,000. At that point it became the St. Louis & Hannibal Railway Co. The Perry Branch was surveyed and graded in the 1870s but was not built until 1891-92. The first train reached Perry July 1892. This was a dual expansion in that track was extended from Oakwood into Hannibal and a brick depot was built at 501 S. Main Street in 1892. This would be the final configuration; Mainline - Hannibal to Gilmore, Missouri, and Branchline - Ralls Jct. (New London, Missouri) to Perry.
New London is a city in Ralls County, Missouri, United States at the intersection of US Route 61 and Missouri Route 19. The population was 974 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Ralls County.
In 1893 the St. Louis, Hannibal and Kansas City (Perry Branchline original name) merged into the StL&HRy.
John Blair died in 1899, at age 97, with an estimated estate of $70–90 million. His son, Dewitt Clinton Blair then assumed control. He died June 3, 1915. In 1917 the St. Louis & Hannibal went into receivership again and was sold to Robert LeRoy on behalf of Blair's grandson, C. Ledyard Blair for $30,000. It then was reorganized into the St. Louis & Hannibal Railroad.
Around November 1919, the "Short Line" was sold to John Ringling (of Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus fame) for approximately $325,000. Between 1919 and 1930 he invested a further similar amount in rebuilding efforts. The depression was not kind to the St. Louis & Hannibal and Ringling. So, in 1932 the lower end of the mainline (below Bowling Green to Gilmore) was abandoned to save the rest of the system. John Ringling died December 2, 1936. His nephew John Ringling North assumed ownership of the railroad and circus interests.
John Nicholas Ringling is the best known of the seven Ringling brothers, five of whom merged the Barnum & Bailey Circus with their own Ringling Bros World's Greatest Shows to create a virtual monopoly of traveling circuses and helped shape the circus into what it is today. In addition to owning and managing many of the largest circuses in the United States, he was also a rancher, a real estate developer and art collector. He was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame in 1987.
Only 5 miles of the southern mainline was saved and it became the St. Louis & Troy Railroad running from Troy to Moscow Mills, Missouri, and operated until October 1, 1960. It served local industries and was connected to the Burlington line by a siding at Moscow Mills. The St. Louis & Troy line was owned largely by local businessmen in cooperation with the Ringling family until 1944 when 25 businessmen solidified their ownership by purchasing it outright.
Moscow Mills is a city in Lincoln County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,509 at the 2010 census.
Beginning in 1933, the StL&HRR began operating four Mack AD model railbuses to bolster passenger service. It also ran dedicated freight trains as well. It helped for a time but eventually the owners and management abandoned the Perry Branch in 1943. The mainline was abandoned as well in 1944. The company was finally dissolved March 12, 1945.
The St. Louis & Troy remained in operation but was finally abandoned February 1, 1961. This was the last remainder of the line which began life in 1857 and construction began in 1871.
The railroad was largely not very profitable during its entire life as it served a remote area with small revenues. The building of hard surface roads (US Hwy 61), the ever-expanding Foster Bus Line routes, growing trucking industry and finally the personal automobile spelled its demise.
Locally, the Short Line is still fondly remembered for its personal service and the kindness shown by owners, management and crews.[ citation needed ]
