6C71235\-166

The Lawrence and Carbondale, during it's many named existence, served many

a varied interest along it's 30 odd mile right of way. In Carbon Hill, it served

the Kansas Carbon Co. and at one time was the shipper of some thirty carloads

of coal per day. Since the railroads dissaperance, the depot has served a variety
of functions and is now a barn for hay on the Garcia farm. The railroad also
created new communities as in the case of Glenwood to which the Ridgeway Post
Office and later name were moved. A similar happening occurred in Belvoir when
the Belvoir Post Office was moved — junction with the rail line, creating

an Old an a New fewodu . The railroad connected the larger town of Lawrence

with the Wakarusa Valley inhabitants and allowed people to attend the Sigel-
Harvest Home picnic who lived in Lawrence. Richland became a large grain shipping
point partly due to the presence of the Lawrence and Carbondale Railroad and
later the Missouri Pacific. After the L&C was torn out, the depot was still

used as a barber shop and court house. So, despite it's relatively short lived
history, the "Jerkwater" provide these small communities with a much needed
connection to the outside world over the old stage coach run to Emporia.

In closing, I feel that it's appropriate to relate in a brief fashion how
the "Jerkwater' received it's name. The winter after the Lawrence to Carbondale
branch was completed in 1872 was the time and the railroad tank at Camp creek,
near Richland, was the place. Before a windmill was erected over the creek, the
water was forced up by a two-man pump. Through varied circumstances, the tank
was out of water and the pump had frozen solid. When the engine approached the
tank for filling, there was no water to fill it with. The maintainers of the
tank, the train crew and the passengers then used buckets and hats to fill the
engines. tank with water. Afterwords, the engineer laughingly declared that his
engineer could be called "jerkwater" after the fashion of people jerking the

water out of the creak to fill the engine. 'Jerkwater" was born...