The good people of Smithville were understandly displeased when the Monon completed their new line between Clear Creek and Harrodsburg, effectively making the old line through Smithville a long passing track, and when a head-on collision occurred on the new line near Ketchem's Mill on May 14, 1909. article attached, the Smithville News siezed on the opportunity to excoriate the Monon for bypassing their town. Our thanks to Martha Fox for making this article available to us.
For those of you who are not familiar with Martha, she is the great-neice of the Monon's famed photographer Joe Bennett, and has been wonderful about sharing photographs and newspaper articles with us. Her most recent contribution is the rare and beautiful centerfold photo in the latest issue of the THL showing the EMC diesel demonstrators passing the depot in Bloomington, the first diesels to ever run on the Monon, and the rarest Monon picture we've ever found. Our thanks also to Steve and Gary Dolzall who wrote the excellent article. / Ron
