“First Cow Town and the end of the railroad.”
Waterville began in 1867 when the Atchison and Pike’s Peak Railroad line picked the site exactly 100 miles west of Atchison and named it after the superintendent’s hometown of Waterville, Maine. As a pioneer town at the end of the railroad and along the Little Blue River, Waterville served as a supply center for the area by shipping livestock, grinding wheat, and accommodating travelers in several hotels. As churches and schools were built, this rowdy cowtown took on a more serene and gracious tone. Soon settlers began to build Victorian homes and start many businesses.rn
