The Railroad

The Factitious Story Generated For Decades

• As Morris Parker wrote: “In 1902, the final spike was driven, but White Oaks was left off to one side, high and dry … all because the leading citizens of the town refused to cooperate. Had they been less unreasonable, had they foreseen the results of their stubbornness, Carrizozo would not exist, and White Oaks would now be a center of trade and industry.”

• From Wikipedia: Local business interests refused to make concessions to lure the railroad to town. Instead they attempted to charge premium prices for right-of-way properties, convinced that the railroads would compete for the privilege. As a result, the railroad chose to run twelve miles to the west, through Carrizozo, New Mexico, and by the late 1890s the mines had become exhausted and the population dwindled.

• From the Albuquerque Journal So certain were the business leaders of White Oaks that the railroad had no choice but to come pushing around Baxter Mountain, that they decided to play a high-stakes game. They sharply raised their land prices and smugly waited for the railroad to accept their terms. Eddy, however, was not a man to be pushed to the wall — he took his project elsewhere. It was a fatal blow to White Oaks.

• New Mexico related Website: Prominent businessmen in town were so certain of a bidding war for the privilege of a railroad’s being allowed to enter their town that they asked outrageous prices for the right-of-way. White Oaks might not be the somnolent ghost town it now is were it not for its former residents’ own greed.

• Another New Mexico Site:The second largest city in New Mexico, it was surpassed only by Santa Fe. White Oaks died when the local fathers tried to sell the right of way to the expanding railroad (they said, “No, thank you.”) and the gold was mined out.

As of 2021 every online resource and published literature regarding this subject that we have examined (and that is everything we could find). All agree almost to verbatim. The greedy and short sighted town leaders tried to make the railroad pay them exorbitant rights fees to build the north bound railroad through white oaks and the railroad simply said no way and built it thru Carrizozo and on to ancho bypassing White Oaks.

Note: The authors of this site is not attacking the 5 listed sites above, but merely listing them as references to this widely spread misconception over 100 years. We wish to straighten out this long held undocumented opinion

“There simply is no period correct documentation to support this claim”

It is a case of being told over and over until it is assumed to be fact this happens often when historians are either lazy ,don’t care about facts don’t know how to find the truth etc. Not one article provides any proof whatsoever to support this version which, to this date impugn the reputations of long dead defenseless town leaders.

For the first time that we are aware of now the true story can be told complete with irrefutable period correct documentation. What kind reader will see here is as far from the non documented and incorrect version currently out there, as it can be.

The Meeting in Dec 5th 1892

A meeting was held in the White Oaks Opera House Monday evening Dec 5 1892. The chief engineer “Mr. Horace Ropes” and the right of way agent “Frank R Gammon” for Jay Gould organization presented the requirements Gould stipulated were needed to induce him to build the Railroad through White Oaks:

A “subscription ” fee of $50,000 in the form of bonds payable to Gould from the town of White Oaks was the bottom line. If this was not provided the Railroad would not come to White Oaks. This demand is over $1,407, 000 in 2019 dollars No small amount indeed. The Railroad representatives explained the  fee was small considering it would secure the towns future. See Article Here

From a larger view over $300,000 in subscription  fees would be demanded from the towns the Railroads would pass through thus providing Gould with a free and clear construction of the Railroads lines. Over $8,400 000 In 2019 dollars

Obviously Gould did not care which route the Railroad took as long as he got paid by any town it did pass through. 8 miles had been completed going North  from El Paso and 13 additional miles of  Railroad bed construction had also been completed.

The Meeting Dec 6th 1892

A meeting was held on the following evening of Tuesday Dec 6th 1892 In Bonnell hall. Over 200 people attended. Committees were set up ,land was donated for the depot to be constructed East of town. It had to be a euphoric scene. Even though gold production had decreased each year after 1888 and no new significant discovery had been made the arrival of the railroad to the largest city in the area offset any and all negative occurrences.

The leading citizens stepped up to meet the outrageous demands placed upon them by Gould. The unified community came together in a way rarely seen anywhere in an effort to secure their own interests and moreover the entire community interests long term. The following schedule of bond pledges shows a commitment to the future that can hardly be understood in today’s world

But the fact is  they did it. (See Article Above)

The newspaper reported they were confident the rest would be raised. A great feeling of  relief, happiness, confidence in the future and general well being must have existed in every household in town. Col Jewitt offers up to $4,000 is necessary. Donations of land by: Captain Gallagher and Parker

The News

Sometime between Tuesday Dec 6 1892 and Saturday Dec 10 1892 word was received of Jay Gould’s death of tuberculosis in NY on Dec 2 1892. It is unknown if the Railroad representatives knew this on the Dec 5th presentation.

The Slam

On Saturday Dec 10 1892 William Caffrey the editor of the Lincoln County Leader newspaper in White Oaks revealed the true feelings towards Jay Gould in the article posted below announcing Gould’s death. See Link: Jay Gould Dead See full Article Here

“Jay Gould dead”, “Expunged from the list of life“, “His name here is now no more than a pauper”, “He was envied in the past at present no one will sit on his couch”, and “He is gone now where titles are unknown.”

One can assume this article made it’s way back to Gould’s family whom controlled all his assets upon his death . One can easily see his families response would be something like, ” to hell with the people in whatever that towns name is.“

Read Authors:  thoughts about Newspaper Article

William Caffrey Obit (1893)

His obit of Dec 4 1893 states he had a habit of overindulgence in intoxicating beverages that shortened his life . This most likely was in response to his article published in Dec 1892 deriding the reputation of Jay Gould upon his death . The article ensured no Railroad would ever come through White Oaks. The newspaper decided to belittle Caffrey after he was dead and could not respond to the accusations. 

The Seven Year Wait

In fact, it took 7 more years for the railroad to arrive in Carrizozo under the control of Charles Eddy from Alamogordo whom had no ties or interest in White Oaks. In the meantime, White Oaks still “Hung-On” with Hope.

• The Hope of 1894:News from White Oaks Eagle See the full Story Here
• The Hope of 1895 : News from White Oaks Eagle
• The Hope of 1896 : News from White Oaks Eagle The Full Story Here
• The Hope of 1897: News from White Oaks Eagle The Full Story Here
• The Hope of 1898: News from White Oaks Eagle
• The Hope of 1899: News from White Oaks Eagle
• The Hope of 1900: News from White Oaks Eagle The Full Story Here

The Flybye

When the people of White Oaks saw the railroad bed construction approach what would become Carrizozo and continue north they all knew the jig was up.

• June 1901 Grading of Carrizozo

Nail in the Coffin

Imagine the look on the faces of White Oaks Townspeople seeing the grading continuing North of Carrizozo. In September of 1899, the first delinquent taxes were listed on a full page of the White Oaks Eagle and continued in: 1901 and 1902 and 1903 tax years almost every lot not built on had been repossessed for unpaid property taxes. (Press dates above to see taxes) Also of interest, the 1900 Eagle doesn’t list any delinquent taxes for the entire year. Maybe because of false hope of the Rock Island Railroad plans..

Conclusion

One may consider what might have happened if the disparaging newspaper article on Gould’s death had not been written. The article reflected the locals opinions regarding Gould and there was no such thing as “political correctness” back then. If they had thought it through and wrote an article along the vein of, “Oh my goodness the great man has left us.” It is highly likely the Railroad might have passed through White Oaks after all because they had the following already in place:

• The route survey had been completed
• The engineering for that route had been completed
• The land for the Depot had been secured at no cost to the Railroad
• The right of way had been secured
• Permits and other Governmental issues had been resolved for this route
• The subscription fee was being raised

In any case, it definitely WAS NOT because: ” the leading citizens of the town refused to cooperate,” OR “they charged premium prices for right-of-way properties“, OR “they sharply raised their land prices” If anything was to blame on White Oaks townspeople, it was how they reacted upon Jay Gould’s death mocking him!

In hindsight the case can be made that both Jay Gould and the city of White Oaks both died Dec 2 1892.

Please note the publishers of this site will be contacting all known historical sources that are involved in White Oaks history offering the true version of the railroad and White Oaks, with period correct documentation in an attempt to correct the issue across the board. We trust the long gone city leaders can rest easier now they are not simply greedy short sighted buffoons.

Authors Interjection

• White Oaks becomes the county seat for Lincoln
• White Oaks  becomes the regional banking and commercial center
• The White Oaks Academy becomes one of  the oldest place if higher education in the State.
• Carrizozo never happens nor Ancho 

Railroad Links

• Railroad Survey Crew 1898
• Rock Island 1900 Proposed Map

Note: to add Koch photos requests at bottom of page