Lost with the once common sound of train whistles and train passage, was the inter-connectivity of Southwest Missouri. A century ago, Joplinites who desired to go to Kansas, Oklahoma, or just nearby Carthage, could with the appropriate fare simply board one of the cars of the intercity railroad. While we will bring you more on the wonderful web of rails that brought Southwest Missouri, if not the Four State region together, below is a simple drawing illustrating the spirit of the day. The connection of Joplin to Pittsburg, Kansas, was no small celebration.
Source: Joplin Globe
If you ever come across anything about the cartoonists who did the illustrations in the early newspapers, I’d be very interested. I’ve tried to research them but not found much about them.
They did fantastic work, but unfortunately, we haven’t come across anything yet on the artists, either. It’s certainly something we’d like to attempt to investigate in the future.