Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad

Last updated
Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad
Overview
Headquarters Buffalo, Oklahoma
Locale Oklahoma
Dates of operation1919–1920
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Length52 mi (84 km)

The Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad was a railway extending from Waynoka, Oklahoma to Buffalo, Oklahoma, passing through Freedom, Oklahoma. About 52 miles in length, [1] the line was completed in May, 1920 and sold to another railroad in June, 1920.

History

When citizens of Harper County decided to link their county seat of Buffalo with the railroads, [2] Waynoka was an appealing destination: that locale had been founded in 1888 on the rail line of a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF), and by 1908 it had the largest railyards in Oklahoma. [3] Accordingly, the Buffalo and Northwestern Railway Company was incorporated in Oklahoma on April 10, 1916. [4] However, that company was subsequently reorganized, and in its place the Buffalo and Northwestern Railroad Company was incorporated in Oklahoma on July 18, 1919. [4] Work was pursued on a line from Waynoka, passing through Woods and Woodward countries and into Harper, with the task completed in May, 1920 when the trackage reached Buffalo. [1] [5] The line was about 52 miles in length. [1]

The town of Freedom was bypassed by the tracks. [6] However, so important was the railroad that the town relocated to be on the line. [6]

The railroad’s independent existence was short-lived. The line was purchased by the AT&SF on July 1, 1920. [5] Much later, the AT&SF filed for abandonment of 51 miles of the line, doing so on November 15, 1982. [1] This has left Buffalo with no rail service. [7]

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Buffalo District". AbandonedRails.com. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Harper County, Oklahoma, County History". GenealogyTrails. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Waynoka". Sandra Barker Olson, Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978, p.34". Oklahoma Department of Transportation, April 1, 1978. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Buffalo". Maxine Bamburg, Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  6. 1 2 "75th Anniversary Cimarron Cowboys Association" (PDF). Doyle Wardrop and Kay Decker, Ed.D. (accessed on Northwestern Oklahoma State University website). Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
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