Killer Take All

IS THE C&FL RAILROAD A FRAUD?

There was universal approval and celebration when it was announced that the Poindexter Railroad and Maritime Corporation would be building a railroad from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie. A railroad would mean much for Chugwater and the citizens of the Chugwater valley, and so great was our appreciation of the coming of a railroad that the bacchanalia seemed appropriate.

But this newspaper would like to point out to all our readers that so far not one rail of track has been laid, not so much as one hundred feet of roadbed has been cleared. In fact the Chinese construction crew that the C&FL brought for the task was left abandoned outside of town, languishing without pay, even without food until Duff MacCallister offered them shelter, food, and employment at Sky Meadow Ranch.

So far not so much as one mile of right-of-way has been surveyed. And it is this, the lack of survey of the route, which has raised a question as to the actual intent and purpose of the railroad.

The relationship between the C&FL and citizens of Chugwater began on a high note, with the reception and gala where we met Jacob Poindexter. There, we listened to his promise of a golden future of mutual growth for the railroad and those whom it would serve. He is the son of the founder of the company, so one would think that we could not be better represented. So, what have Mr. Poindexter and the others been doing? They have been acquiring land.

“Oh,” you might say. “What is so unusual about that? Will they not require land before the building can begin?”

What is so unusual about it, my friends, is the type and locations of the land they have acquired, all without benefit of a route survey.

Here are a few examples. They have confiscated rich and well-watered grazing land from the Goodwin Ranch and the Davis Ranch, as well as from the Pitchfork, Mountain Shadow, and Trail Back ranches. They have also recently made their first grab of land by use of eminent domain. I do not use the term grab loosely, for they have taken, by such maneuver, that part of the JP Ranch that abuts Bear Creek. This creek not only provides the JP with water it needs, it also furnishes water to Mountain Shadow, which is the ranch adjacent to the JP. Mountain Shadow is able to benefit from the creek because Jonas Perkins, being a good neighbor, has always seen to it that the creek is free of any debris that would obstruct its free flow.

Ah, but it doesn’t stop there. Land has also been acquired from the Snowy Mountain Range and the Laramie Mountains, both areas known to be rich in mineral deposits.

Discerning readers will notice, right away, that the locations of these tracts of land are in no way contiguous, but are in fact separated from each other by no small distance. In the case of the Snowy and Laramie Mountain Ranges, the two parcels of land are separated by almost 100 miles.

In order for a railroad to qualify for free land under the provisions of the Land Grant Act of 1864, the railroad must pass over the land thus acquired. The distance from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie by the most direct and obvious route is 110 miles. If the C&FL Railroad actually utilizes the land it has so recently acquired, the same law that enabled them to acquire the land will also dictate that the tracks must be laid across or immediately adjacent to the granted land.

Such an irregular route would add 437 miles to the trip from Cheyenne to Fort Laramie.

It therefore should be obvious that the C&FL has something in mind other than building a railroad for the citizens of Chugwater Valley. To that end, I suggest that the name of the C&FL be changed from the Cheyenne and Fort Laramie Railroad to the Cheaters and Fraud Lies.

There should be an investigation launched, and soon.