Recognized as one of the top 25 Notable Kansans, Cyrus K. Holliday and his claim to 
fame may be less well known to most Kansans than his counterparts also honored on the list. Cyrus Kurtz Holliday (1826-1900) was one of the founders of city of Topeka and the first president of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The success of Holliday's railroad ventures is evident in the newspapers published during that period. The Iola Register called Holliday "a conspicuous figure in Kansas business and politics for nearly forty years."
Newspapers regularly featured advertisements for trips on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The Santa Fe Route, which ran along the Santa Fe Trail, was advertised as the "coolest route to Los Angeles, and many hours shorter than any other." Possible stops on the route included Denver, the Grand Canyon, and San Francisco.
Timetables were often printed daily in the Wichita Eagle and included other railroads, such as the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway, and provide great insight for researchers studying the development and efficiency of train travel across the United States. You can search Chronicling America for newspapers from states in which the railway passed through, including Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and explore the far-reaching influence of Cyrus K. Holliday.