Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad

Last updated
Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad
Overview
Headquarters McAlester, Oklahoma
LocaleOklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas
Dates of operation1888 (1888)–1948 (1948)
Successor Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad

The Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (CO&G), known informally as the "Choctaw Route," was an American railroad in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Contents

Origins

The company, originally known as the Choctaw Coal and Railway Company, completed its main line between West Memphis, Arkansas and western Oklahoma by 1900. In 1901 the CO&G chartered a subsidiary company, the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Texas Railroad, to continue construction west into the Texas panhandle, and by 1902 the railroad had extended as far west as Amarillo.

Tecumseh Railway

Following the CO&G's construction from McAlester to Oklahoma City through the town of Shawnee in 1895, [1] [2] the Tecumseh Railway was incorporated under the laws of Oklahoma Territory on August 20, 1896. [3] That same year, the Tecumseh built 5.2 miles of rail from a junction near Shawnee to Tecumseh, Oklahoma, [3] which at that time was acting as the county seat. [2] The Tecumseh Railway never had any other trackage, and on December 12, 1900, it was purchased by the CO&G. [3] [4] In 1902 the CO&G added 20.2 miles to the line, extending it from Tecumseh to Asher, which was a cotton producing area that also experienced a short-lived oil boom starting in the late 1920s. [3] [4] [5] This route, served by faithful vintage locomotive Old Beck, [4] [6] was among the CO&G assets later acquired by the Rock Island; [3] but, the whole line was abandoned February 10, 1942. [6]

Choctaw Northern Railroad

The Watonga and Northwestern Railroad was incorporated in Oklahoma Territory on May 19, 1900. [7] Its name changed to the Choctaw Northern Railroad on March 22, 1901. [7] Though not originally controlled by the CO&G, this railway did in the 1901-1902 timeframe build its main line from a connection with the CO&G at Geary, Oklahoma north toward the Oklahoma-Kansas border, about 106 miles distant. [7] [8] It passed through or created towns along the way such as Greenfield, Watonga and Homestead in Blaine County; [9] [10] [11] [12] Cleo Springs, originally Cleo, in Major County; [13] and, in Alfalfa County, the towns of Aline, Augusta, Lambert, Ingersoll, Driftwood, and Amorita. [14] At the border, it continued about 16 miles north through Waldron, Kansas—where it crossed the line of the Kansas City, Mexico and Orient Railroad—to end at Anthony, Kansas, which had existed at the intersection of the St. Louis-San Francisco Railroad and the Missouri Pacific Railway since at least 1891. [15] [16] [17] This gave it a mainline of about 121 miles. [18] It also built a branch from its line at Ingersoll—a town created by the railroad—west to the Woods County seat of Alva, Oklahoma, about 16 miles. [7] [19] [20] This gave the railway a total trackage of about 137–138 miles. [7] [18]

This railroad was conveyed to the CO&G on May 3, 1902. [7]

Choctaw and Memphis Railroad

An entity called the Choctaw and Memphis Railroad (C&MR), a publicly traded company, on October 25, 1898 purchased at foreclosure the Memphis and Little Rock Railroad. [21] [22] That was a line running 133 miles from Hopefield, Arkansas, which was a ferry crossing point to Memphis, Tennessee across the Mississippi River, and ending in Huntersville, now known as North Little Rock, Arkansas. [21] As the new owner, the C&MR then began building west, including a bridge over the Arkansas River to Little Rock. [23] [24] That bridge later became known as the Rock Island Bridge, and is today the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge at the Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock. [23]

The C&MR was sold to the CO&G in 1900. [21] The CO&G extended its Oklahoma tracks to meet the Little Rock line. [24]

The White and Black River Valley Railway

The White and Black River Valley Railway (W&BRV), previously called the Batesville and Brinkley Railroad, had a line between the towns of Brinkley and Jacksonport, as well as a branch line between Wiville and Gregory, entirely within the State of Arkansas and about 62 miles in total length. [25] On July 1, 1900, the CO&G took up operation of the W&BRV under an 80-year lease. [25]

Western Oklahoma Railroad

The Western Oklahoma Railroad (“WORR”) was incorporated in what was then the Territory of Oklahoma on December 11, 1900. [26] This railway was a CO&G creation from the beginning: the CO&G arranged financing, and agreed to purchase WORR’s trackage once finished. [27] Construction started in March, 1901 and was completed by May 1, 1902 on two different lines. [26] [27] One was a 40.1 mile line from Elk City to the Texas state line near Texola, Oklahoma. [26] [28] The other was a 117.5 mile line from a Branch Junction near Haileyville, Oklahoma off of the Rock Island Memphis-Tucumcari line, through Tishomingo to Ardmore, Oklahoma. [26] [28] [29] The CO&G purchased the lines on May 1, 1902, and operated the tracks from the first day. [26] [27]

Choctaw, Oklahoma and Western Railroad

Originally incorporated as the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad Company under the laws of Oklahoma Territory on January 23, 1902 (and not to be confused with the main CO&G corporate entity), this CO&G subsidiary built a 38.5 mile line between Guthrie, Oklahoma and Chandler, Oklahoma in the 1902-1903 timeframe. [3] It changed its name to the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Western Railroad on May 5, 1902. [3] (This line was abandoned June 1, 1924.) [3]

The Rock Island

The CO&G came under the control of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (the "Rock Island") in 1902, and was formally merged into the Rock Island on January 1, 1948. The Memphis-Amarillo route remained an important main line for the Rock Island, hosting local and transcontinental freight traffic as well as passenger trains such as the Choctaw Rocket from 1940-1964.

The Choctaw Route today

Cover of a 1901 timetable Choctaw Route timetable 1901.jpg
Cover of a 1901 timetable
Preferred share of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf RR company, issued 1901 Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf RR 1901.jpg
Preferred share of the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf RR company, issued 1901

Ownership of the Choctaw Route's railway components were split into numerous pieces as a result of the dissolution of the Rock Island Railroad in 1980. Some segments of the former CO&G were abandoned; others remain in use by the Union Pacific Railroad and various short lines. As of 2014, the former Choctaw Route can be described from east to west as:

The former Choctaw Route passenger depot in Little Rock, Arkansas, is now a component of the William J. Clinton Presidential Center and Park, though the adjoining historic freight depot was razed as part of the Clinton Center's development.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LeFlore County, Oklahoma</span> County in Oklahoma, United States

Le Flore County is a county along the eastern border of the U.S state of Oklahoma. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,129. Its county seat is Poteau. The county is part of the Fort Smith metropolitan area and the name honors a Choctaw family named LeFlore. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma is the federal district court with jurisdiction in LeFlore County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brinkley, Arkansas</span> City in Arkansas, United States

Brinkley is the most populous city in Monroe County, Arkansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,700, down from 3,188 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad</span> Defunct American Class I railway

The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad was an American Class I railroad. It was also known as the Rock Island Line, or, in its final years, The Rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Louis Southwestern Railway</span> Defunct American railway

The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company, known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", is a former Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Texas from 1891 to 1980, when the system added the Rock Island's Golden State Route and operations in Kansas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The Cotton Belt operated as a Southern Pacific subsidiary from 1932 until 1992, when its operation was assumed by Southern Pacific Transportation Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Rock and Western Railway</span>

The Little Rock and Western Railway is a Class III short-line railroad headquartered in Perry, Arkansas, and owned by Genesee & Wyoming Inc.

The Choctaw Rocket was a named passenger train operated by the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad between Memphis, Tennessee, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, and Amarillo. Initially designated as train No. 51 (westbound) and train No. 52 (eastbound), it was the first diesel powered streamliner to operate out of Memphis, Tennessee, as well as the first streamliner service in the state of Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad</span> Class III American rail carrier

The Arkansas–Oklahoma Railroad is a Class III carrier headquartered in Wilburton, OK that operates two segments of the former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRIP) Choctaw Route that originally ran between Memphis Tennessee and Tucumcari, New Mexico. AOK started operations on March 3, 1996 on 73 miles of track then owned by the U.S. state of Oklahoma between Howe and McAlester by assuming the existing lease of the Missouri Pacific, then wholly owned by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). This lease included a purchase option which AOK exercised in April 2016. The line interchanges with the Kansas City Southern Railway at Howe, and with the UP at McAlester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AT&L Railroad</span>

The AT&L Railroad was started in May 1985 by Wheeler Brothers Grain Company operating about 49 miles (79 km) of former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (CRI&P) track in Oklahoma. It replaced the North Central Oklahoma Railway, which operated the track between 1983 and 1985. The ATLT is based in Watonga, Oklahoma. It is owned by Wheeler Brothers Grain Company. The railroad is named for Austin, Todd and Ladd Lafferty, grandsons of E. O. (Gene) Wheeler, who founded the railroad.

The Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas Railroad (OKT) was a railroad operating in its namesake states in the 1980s.

The Muskogee Company was a holding company based in Philadelphia. It was originally founded in Delaware on February 27, 1923. The company owned several railroads, which shipped oil and coal to western regions of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lick Skillet Railroad Work Station Historic District</span> Historic district in Arkansas, United States

The Lick Skillet Railroad Work Station Historic District is a historic district in Brinkley, Arkansas that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

Francis Innes Gowen was an American railroad executive.

The Enid and Anadarko Railway Company' was incorporated on March 9, 1901 under the laws of the territory of Oklahoma by M.A. Low, J.C. Marshall, I.G. Conkling, H.D. Crossley and S.H. Thompson. The Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway purchased the Enid and Anadarko Railway on October 21, 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Choctaw Route Station</span>

The Choctaw Route Station is a historic former railroad station on East 3rd Street in the riverfront area of Little Rock, Arkansas. The building now houses the Clinton School of Public Service, a branch of the University of Arkansas at the Clinton Presidential Center. The station, built in 1899 for the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad, is a single-story brick building with elaborate terra cotta detailing, and is one of the architecturally finest stations in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis and Little Rock Railroad</span>

The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad was chartered in the U.S. state of Arkansas in 1853. The line ran from Hopefield, Arkansas on the east, to Huntersville on the west. The eastern third was completed in 1858 and the western third was built by 1862. During the American Civil War, the Union Army seized control of the line and used the western section to supply its occupation force in Little Rock. The center section was finally completed in 1871. The railroad was subjected to frequent damage from floods and suffered from financial problems. It was sold in 1873, 1877, 1887, 1898, and 1900 before eventually becoming part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

The Kingston and Choctaw Valley Railroad (K&CV) was a short-lived industrial railway serving the lumber industry in the later days of Indian Territory, in what is now Le Flore County in the State of Oklahoma. Twelve miles in length, it ran from Thomasville to rail connections at Howe.

The St. Louis, San Francisco and New Orleans Railroad ran from Hope, Arkansas to a point near Ardmore, Oklahoma, and encompassed about 219 miles of track including a branch line. It existed from 1895 to 1907, when its assets were taken over by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (“Frisco”).

The White and Black River Valley Railway (“W&BRV”), previously called the Batesville and Brinkley Railroad (“B&B”), had a line between the towns of Brinkley and Jacksonport, as well as a branch line between Wiville and Gregory, entirely within the State of Arkansas and about 62 miles in total length. Its predecessor railroad was started in 1879, and the final portion of the line was closed in 1941. The railroad began as a narrow-gauge railway which was modified to become even narrower, but later converted to standard gauge. It was operated under lease by other railroads for much of its lifespan.

Wiville is a populated place in Woodruff County, Arkansas, about 8 miles south of McCrory, 11 miles southeast of Augusta, and 9 miles north of Cotton Plant. It is located along Arkansas Highway 17.

References

  1. ↑ "Rock Island". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Pottawatomie County". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, pp. 40-44". Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978 (accessed on Oklahoma DigitalPrairie). Retrieved November 1, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma--Asher". GenealogyTrails. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Asher". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  6. 1 2 "Old Beck's Last Gasp". The Daily Oklahoman, February 1, 1942, p. 68 (accessed on Newspapers.com). Retrieved March 27, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Choctaw Northern Railroad Company". Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978 (accessed on Oklahoma Digital Prairie), pp. 42-44. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad Company Annual Report". Commercial and Financial Chronicle, January 25, 1902, p.214 (accessed on the Federal Reserve website). Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  9. ↑ "A Town that Enjoys the Well Wishes of Everybody in the County and State—Visit It". The Greenfield Hustler, Vol 1, Number 14, June 5, 1913 (accessed The Gateway to Oklahoma History). Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Piper v. Choctaw Northern Townsite & Improvement Co". Supreme Court of Oklahoma, 85 P. 965, February 14, 1906 (accessed on CaseText). Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad Company, p.14" (PDF). OKNG.ORG. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Homestead, OK". Microsoft Bing. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Cleo Springs". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  14. ↑ "Alfalfa County". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  15. ↑ "History of Waldron". KSGenWeb. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Map of Eagle Township". HistoricMapWorks. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  17. ↑ "Anthony, Kansas: The Town Forgotten By The Railroads". Forgotten Railways, Roads & Places, September 7, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  18. 1 2 "The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway" (PDF). LaBelleModels.com. Retrieved March 11, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Ingersoll, Oklahoma to Alva, Oklahoma". Google Maps. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  20. ↑ "Woods County". Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  21. 1 2 3 "The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad (M&LR)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  22. ↑ "Choctaw and Memphis Railroad Company". Ghosts of Wall Street. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Rock Island Bridge (Little Rock-North Little Rock)". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
  24. 1 2 "Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad Company 1899". Scriptophily.net. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  25. 1 2 "White and Black River Valley Railway". Interstate Commerce Commission, January–March 1929, pp. 848-851; 1062-1066. 1929. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway Company, pp.40-44". Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870-April 1, 1978 (accessed on Oklahoma DigitalPrairie). Retrieved August 16, 2023.
  27. 1 2 3 "Western Oklahoma Railroad Company" (PDF). Railroad Retirement Board, February 13, 1944 (accessed on GovInfo.gov). Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  28. 1 2 "The Rand McNally New Commercial Atlas Map of Oklahoma from 1921 (accessed on OSU Digital Collections)" . Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  29. ↑ "Arkinda and Ardmore Subdivision History". Frisco.org. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "Company History". Archived from the original on 2014-11-03. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  31. 1 2 3 "Short Line Railroads".
  32. ↑ "Short Line Railroads".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.