Franklin & Pacific
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Chartered in 1849 to connect St. Louis with the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Railroad led to the 1852 founding of Franklin by William C. Inks, in anticipation of the railroad’s arrival. That same year, Captain John C. Fremont envisioned the Southwest Branch, diverging at Franklin towards Springfield and the U.S. Southwest.
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By 1853, the railroad reached Franklin, soon to be renamed Pacific in 1859 to avoid postal confusion with the Southwest Branch extending to Rolla by the Civil War. Pacific thrived for 70 years on the back of regular rail services, until the 1922 National Railroad Shopmen’s Strike caused the Missouri Pacific Railroad to shut its local repair shops. This ended its economic surge, positioning Pacific as a farming hub until the introduction of US Route 66.