There’s a story about Henry Flagler in today’s NY Times:
“Unappreciated, With Memorials to Match,” http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/07/national/07flagler.html
If it hadn’t been for Flagler, one could arguably say that Florida would have remained a sleepy southern backwater. Actually, compared to most other railroad pioneers, Flagler seems to have gotten relatively more recognition for his accomplishments.
A few other under-recognized pioneers, IMO:
Alexander Cassatt – even his sister, Mary, is more famous
Theodore Judah – the chief organizer of the Pacific railway
Abe Lincoln – Noted corporate and RR attorney and, hey, he succeeded in passing the legislation authorizing the transcontinental RR and the Homesteading Act, which created business for the UP and CP. He even tried to set the gauge, 6 feet, for the UP.
Imagine what would have been, had Flagler put as much time and money into a mainland port facility at the south end of Florida, and simply forgot about going all the way to Key West by rail!
Henry M. Flagler of Florida East Coast and Henry Huddleston Rogers of Virginian were both executives in the Standard Oil Trust before they became the presidents of their respective railroads.
For unappreciated railroad pioneer, I would nominate Eli Janney, who developed the semi-automatic knuckle coupler.
The “Dixie Flagler” was one of three coach streamliners (the others were the “South Wind” and “City of Miami”) which collectively provided daily service between Chicago and Miami, each running every third day. The “Dixie Flagler’s” route was C&EI-L&N-NC&StL-ACL-FEC.
The “Dixie Flagler’s” equipment was originally the daily “Henry M Flagler” between Jacksonville and Miami.
Elijah McCoy, of the “Real McCoy” fame, invented a full time automatic oiling mechanism for industrial machines… and one for bearings and rod oilers on steam engines, holder of over 50 industrial patents…
George Pullman, who gave us those wonderful cars…and the service that went with them…
Interesting that Frank Sprague designed two competitive but compatible mutliple unit systems, one all-electric for GE and one electro-pneumatic for Westinghouse!
Well, we cannot ignore Asa Packer, the most important figure in the development of the Lehigh Valley Railroad, now can we? Robert H. Sayre (Packer’s Right hand man) or Josiah White and Erskine Hazard of the Lehigh Coal & Navigation Company who invested in the Anthracite business on a larger scale, thus attracting Packer to the idea of an all-season Railroad to get the stone coal to the Delaware River (versus an un reliable canal) to access the Philadelphia market, or across New Jersey, to Metro New York. I guess my preference for the Valley is at work,now, isn’t it?
And of course Otto Mears of the Denver and Rio Grande Southern, the Silverton Northern, the Silverton something and Glastonbury. William Jackson Palmer of the D&RGW. David Moffat. Julian Bamberger. Ike Tigrett. Andrew Culver. August Belmont. Dr. Charles Harvey and his West Side Patent Elevated Railroad, the World’s first rapid transit line.
(1) Bad businessman. Lost control of his own railroad 3 times. He was his own worst enemy. Only thing that saved him was some of the loyal people he surrounded himself with and his underappreciated wife.
(2) Terrible civil engineer (UP/KP couldn’t afford him even though crews under him did build a staggering 70+ miles in a day under him…His KP/ AV Ry. wrote the book on what not to do as a railroad / 1st railroad abandoned in CO)
(3) His loyal lieutenants McMurtrie, DeRiemer, King and others did an awful lot of what was credited to Palmer. Visionary? - Yes, but…
(And yeah, ATSF got the better of him more than once.)
ps - only your town builds a combination monument and traffic hazzard honoring the man in the middle of a busy intersection.[:D]
Jeff Davis – true to his roots he pushed for the southern route, and, of course, lost because he was no longer part of the government, or, for that matter, even with the US when the time to choose came. Give him credit, though, for his foresight to pu***hrough the Gadsden Purchase, vital to the eventual southern route. Lincoln, with no southern contingent to oppose him, eventually chose the middle route. To the victors go the spoils.
George Pullman – too famous. Heck, he had his name plastered on half the nation’s passenger cars. His cars and porters figured in countless movies, plays, and risque jokes, e.g., “Some Like It Hot,” “42nd Street”.
Grenville Dodge – also too famous. Lots written, justly, about his accomplishments. Is there any wild west town more famous than the one named after him?
I have the feeling, unfortunately, that the above names would draw a blank look from a lot of kid’s today.