Which 1883 railroad route was famous for linking Chicago, Kansas City, and the American Southwest?

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was the 1883 railroad route famous for linking Chicago, Kansas City, and the American Southwest.

The company was chartered in Kansas in 1859 and gradually expanded west and south. In 1883, the Santa Fe reached the Pacific at San Diego through a connection with the California Southern Railway, helping create a major route from the Midwest toward Southern California and the Southwest. Its tracks also reached important destinations such as Albuquerque, New Mexico, and El Paso, Texas.

The railway played a major role in settlement, freight transport, tourism, and the movement of cattle and manufactured goods. Its advertising helped popularize images of the Southwest across the United States. The railroad is often called the Santa Fe, although its route did not run directly through the city of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The company merged into the Burlington Northern Santa Fe system in 1996.