Lawton, Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway

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The Lawton, Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway was an effort around the time of Oklahoma statehood to build a railroad from Lawton, Oklahoma to Wichita Falls, Texas, about 100 miles. Despite a company being organized and bonds issued, no rails were actually laid.

History

The Lawton, Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway Company (LWF&NW) was incorporated around 1906 under the laws of Oklahoma Territory. [1] [2] The incorporators were J.M. Bellamy of Lawton, Will R. Waller of Oklahoma City, J.L. Conner and G.A. Rodgers of St. Louis, and C.P. Hoffs of Kansas City, with Bellamy as President [2] [1] The stated purpose of the line was to build a railway from Lawton to Wichita Falls, about 100 miles. [2]

Lawton had rail connections almost from the date of its founding in August, 1901. [3] The Oklahoma City and Western Railroad passed through in a northeast-to-southwest orientation on an eventual route between Oklahoma City and Quanah, Texas. [3] [4] And, an Enid and Anadarko Railway line was constructed between Lawton and Waurika, Oklahoma, the latter having a connection with the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway. [3] [5] [6]

However, the town had no direct connection to Wichita Falls, which around the turn of the century was an important transportation and supply center for northwest Texas and southern Oklahoma. [7] The LWF&NW would have created that direct connection over mostly flat grasslands. [1] [2] Towards accomplishing its goal, the company offered up to $800,000 in First Mortgage Gold Bonds, with a date of September 1, 1908. [1] And, the route the line would have taken was determined. [1] However, the effort broke down before rails were laid. [1]

Later, in the 1922-1923 timeframe, the Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railway laid tracks into Waurika, thus completing a fairly compact route connecting Wichita Falls with Lawton via Waurika. [8] Perhaps ironically, the line proved unimportant, and was abandoned by 1942. [8]

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The Beaver, Meade and Englewood Railroad (BM&E) extended from Beaver, Oklahoma to Keyes, Oklahoma in the Oklahoma Panhandle, about 105 miles. It was chartered in 1912, and abandoned in 1972.

The Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railway, together with its affiliate the Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railroad of Oklahoma, built a line from Wichita Falls, Texas to Waurika, Oklahoma in two stages, starting in 1903 and completing in 1923. Results were disappointing, and the line was abandoned in late 1942.

The Oklahoma City and Western Railroad, together with its affiliate the Oklahoma City and Texas Railroad, built a line from Oklahoma City through Lawton, Oklahoma and on to Quanah, Texas in the 1901-1903 timeframe. By the time of its completion, the line was owned by the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway (Frisco), and all assets were absorbed into the Frisco in 1907.

The Texas and Oklahoma Railroad (TXOR), created in 1991, ran between Oklahoma and Texas on rail purchased from the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF). Much of the trackage has since been sold or abandoned; however, the railway continues to exist as a shortline carrier operating between Sweetwater, Texas and Maryneal, Texas.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lawton, Wichita Falls and Northwestern Railway Co". ScriptoMuseum. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Incorporators, Lawton, Wichita Falls & Northwestern". The Railway Age, October 5, 1906, p.427. 1906. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lawton". Cynthia Savage, Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  4. ↑ "The Oklahoma City and Western Railroad Company—Predecessor of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad Company". 1933. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Waurika". Sheridan B. Drowatzky, Oklahoma Historical Society. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  6. ↑ Railroads of Oklahoma, June 6, 1870 to April 1, 1978. State of Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Survey Division. April 1, 1978. pp. 41–43.
  7. ↑ "Wichita Falls, TX". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "Wichita Falls and Oklahoma Railway". Chris Cravens, Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
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