Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Picture Courtesy of Jim Kuntz

Railroads Encouraged Industry
At the end of the Civil War, the nearest railroad lay 35 miles northeast at Sedalia. Towns along the rails prospered. Others either voted for railroad bonds or faced decline. Henry County first entered the competition in 1867 when it contributed $400,000 toward the construction of the Tebo & Neosho Railroad. The Tebo was to be built from Sedalia to Fort Scott, Kan., by way of Clinton. Three years later the line was sold to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railway Co. (MKT or Katy).

The first train rolled into Clinton with great fanfare on the morning of Aug. 23, 1870. Many in attendance had never seen a train before. Within the first 10 years of rail service, Clinton's population grew 450 percent. Other railroads developed connections through Clinton. The Kansas City & Southern RR (later the Frisco) made its first run out of Clinton on May 6, 1883. The Kansas City, Clinton & Springfield RR began scheduled passenger service on Nov. 27, 1885.

In the heyday of Clinton's railroads (1870-1945), local industries exported enormous quantities of coal, pottery, flour, beer and baby chicks. From its humble beginnings in 1912, Royal Booth developed the first modern hatchery business in the U.S. Booth made poultry breeding a specialized industry by entirely systemizing the hatchery. From the 1920s to 1940s, the company advertised itself as the largest hatchery in the country with over one million eggs in incubation at a time. Clinton still takes pride in another of its nicknames: Baby Chick Capital of the World.

[Upper Photo: The Clinton Street Railway Company operated horse-drawn trolleys from downtown to Artesian Park in 1888-1903.]
Used by permission, Henry County Historical Society.

[Bottom Photo: Royal Booth revolutionized the hatchery business that gave Clinton the nickname Baby Chick Capital of the World.]
Photo courtesy of Terence Jean Booth.

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