From Kansas to Mexico: Arthur Stilwell’s story comes to life in San Angelo

SAN ANGELO, Texas. Arthur Stilwell is best known for building railroads in the western United States during his adult life in the early 1900s.

His influence can even be seen in San Angelo, where he was determined to build a railroad from Kansas through Texas to Mexico.

From March 23-25, Arthur Stilwell’s Steam Dream returns to the San Angelo Railroad Museum, 703 S. Chadbourne Street, to tell the story of a historical figure for the second year in a row.

Playwright and Railroad Museum Board Volunteer Linda Bond explains Stilwell’s impact on the Concho Valley and how his legacy lives on today.

“He was a major railroad worker and felt he could help the farmers by building a large, inexpensive route across America,” she said.

The play itself is about the opening of the railroad center, as told by the mayor, Stilwell and his wife, and the governor of the state of Chihuahua, Pancho Villa.

“Once we start a game like this, they [attendees] going from room to room with different guides,” said Bond.

“And even the guides are people who lived in 1910 in San Angelo,” she added.

The performance will begin at 7:00 pm on March 23-25, with an afternoon performance on March 26 at 2:30 pm.

To write the play, Bond spent a lot of time researching through the books available in the museum.

She was inspired by Stilwell’s ambition and his tenacity to achieve his goals, saying, “He was a man with a huge dream … and he didn’t just dream, he heard voices.”

According to Bonds’ research, Stilwell often listened to the voices that told him where to go, which influenced his decision to build in San Angelo.

Bond also recently wrote a book called San Angelo and Arthur Stilwell’s dream of coupleswhich can be found in local bookstores as well as online.

What was once a functioning train station now lives on thanks to Stilwell’s history and his ability to dream.

“Part of what I think is important is to acknowledge the dream that people have,” Bond said. “…This is the man who said, ‘I’ll do it,’ and I admire that.”

Tickets cost $25 each or $20 for groups of eight or more and can be found online at the sanangelorailway website.