Little Indians

The song may not be as popular as it used to be, but the KC Matchgirl remembers learning to count to the tune of "Ten Little Indians".  Each chubby little finger represented an "Indian boy" to be counted and there was nothing politically incorrect about it.

While we're reminiscing about the American Indian, er, Native American, let's take a look back at this matchbook for the Santa Fe Railroad, featuring little Chico.  As we can plainly see, this cute little fellow is representing the American Indian, even though his name is Spanish for "boy".  For some reason, the Santa Fe  Railroad company borrowed a little from both cultures, mixing Mexican and Native American nomenclature at any whim, like with the popular Super Chief and El Capitan routes.

First known as the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (ATSF), the rail line had humble beginnings in 1854,  heading west from Atchison, Kansas, through Colorado, and eventually southward to New Mexico.  At first there was no direct line to Santa Fe; travelers had to switch to a branch line for their final destination.  Eventually, the direct line was completed, the ATSF merged with another line , and the new Santa Fe rail line ran from Chicago to Santa Fe, then on to California by 1899.

As the only rail line traveling through the Southwest, the Santa Fe Railroad capitalized on the unique American landscape and the exposure to Indian and Mexican cultures found there.  Along with the slogan, "Santa Fe All The Way", images of Native Americans were featured in advertising, often commissioned by acclaimed artists.

By the early 1960's the more artistic images had switched to a cartoon style, and thus Chico was born.  As the icon for passenger service, Chico appeared in national ads along with menus, matchbooks, notepads, ashtrays, and other promotional items, even buttons for his "fan club".

As passenger service came to an end, Chico carried on a few more years, promoting shipping services. In this matchcover from a few years later, Chico looks a bit older, now "piggy-backing" a younger brother, most likely a nod to the term for transporting semi-trailers on rail cars.

In 1993, Burlington Northern and Santa Fe began a merger that was completed in 1998, creating BNSF.  Owned by Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, 49% of US shipping service is carried by BNSF.

Amtrak purchased the passenger service in 1971, and has operated the Chicago to California route, the Southwest Chief, ever since.

Timeline:  Both matchbooks are backstrikes, though the saddle on the older one reads "Travel- Ship Santa Fe".  The saddle on the other only reads "Ship Santa Fe", as the passenger service had ceased by that time.