A.H. Rogers built a mule-drawn streetcar line from Webb City to Carterville in 1889, predeccessor of the South West Missouri Electric Railway. Established in 1893, it was expanded in the 1900s to a vast interurban system.

The power house and main offices and shops of the Southwest Missouri ElectricRailway were located in Webb City, serving the surrounding area and providing a recreational center at Lakeside in the early 1900s. The railway passed over the principal streets, reaching all the railroad depots, and furnished quick and convenient transportation to Joplin and Galena on the west and to Carterville, Prosperity and Carthage on the east.

The Webb City Chamber of Commerce is housed in the stone depot of the Electric Railway located at King Jack Park. The Clubhouse which was an employee gathering place is now the home to the Historical Society, and a large shop across the street from The Clubhouse is now occupied by the Skate Center.