Looking Glass Ouachita Magazine - June 2018
M a n o f V i s i o n : A r t h u r S t i lw e l l
Compiled by Michael Cate, Editor
Arthur Edward Stilwell was the dreamer who envisioned a railroad from Kansas City to the Gulf of Mexico. He was also the imaginative force that established the town of Mena. Stilwell was born at Rochester, NY on October 21, 1859. His inspiration for railroading came from his grandfather, Hamblin Stilwell who was one of the founders of the New York Central Railroad and also helped establish the Erie Canal. A close friend asked young Arthur what he intended to do with his life. His reply, “I’m going West to build a railroad.” As a young man, Stilwell ran away from home to discover his fortunes. He landed in St. Louis where he worked as a cashier, then as head of a mailing department. His wages were $9 per week. He returned to New York and worked at a floor walker, (manager) in a department store for a while. He then made his way home to Rochester where he poured his savings into a printing business and was soon hired by a stationery firm as a traveling salesman. In his travel, he noticed rail schedules were not printed or distributed except in the immediate New York City area where they also contained advertising. Stilwell arranged contracts with the major railroads in the
Arthur E. and Jennie Wood Stilwell Eastern U.S. to print and distribute their schedules free of charge. He retained exclusive rights to sell advertising on them and he negotiated a personal pass to travel on any of their passenger cars. This became his first real success. He was all of 19 years old with a monthly income exceeding $2,000. When he was 15, he had announced to his parents that he intended to marry Miss Jennie A. Wood some day. Four years later, he put a ring on her finger. As he rode from city to city, he made numerous contacts and enjoyed many freedoms other passengers were not allowed. For example, he could walk atop freight cars, visit in the cab with engineers and even loiter on the caboose as he chatted with brakemen. From these conversations he learned the mechanics of railPage 4
roading, the cost of rail ties and the service life of steel rails. Soon, he had friends from Kansas City to Chicago, Philadelphia, New York, and north to Rhode Island. Stilwell joined Travelers Insurance Company for two years. He invented and copyrighted new insurance products including the coupon annuity, the endowment accident and the annuity draft. Here too, he first met in casual conversation, a man named John Gates. Next, Stilwell moved to Hartford, Connecticut where he became an agent serving Rhode Island and Connecticut. After accumulating $25,000 in savings, he resigned and announced he was going to build railroads. His first goal was to build a rail from Kansas City to the Gulf of Mexico. This rail would save
