Oklahoma & Rich Mountain Railroad

Last updated
Oklahoma & Rich Mountain Railroad
Overview
Locale Oklahoma
Dates of operation19261942
Technical
Track gauge 4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Length17 miles (27 km)

The Oklahoma & Rich Mountain Railroad was a logging railway running from Page, Oklahoma to Pine Valley, Oklahoma, about 17 miles. It began in 1926 and was abandoned in 1942.

History

A place called Muse, having been established in Indian Territory on October 1, 1896, became a logging company town renamed Pine Valley on December 16, 1926. [1] (A new town called Muse was established on May 11, 1927, at a slightly different location.) [1] The logging enterprise, called the Pine Valley Lumber Company, a subsidiary of Dierks Lumber & Coal Company, [2] ran a railway that same year from Page, Oklahoma into Pine Valley, about 17 miles, said line being located in the area of a long ridge across parts of Oklahoma and Arkansas known as Rich Mountain. [2] [3] [4] Operationally, the railroad carried mostly wood products; however, it was a common carrier, so it did also provide passenger service. [2] It interconnected with the Kansas City Southern Railway at Page. [2]

At its peak, Pine Valley had a population of about 1,500. [2] However, over time the depletion of the forests started to dry up both operations in the town and traffic for the railroad. [2] In 1942, the railroad was abandoned, and Pine Valley became essentially a ghost town soon after. [2] (Muse continues to exist, with a population of several hundred.) [5]

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References

  1. 1 2 Shirk, George H. Oklahoma Place Names (Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1965), p. 146.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Pine Valley and the Oklahoma & Rich Mountain Railroad". Forgotten Railways, Roads and Places. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  3. "Rich Mountain". USGS. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  4. "Oklahoma & Rich Mountain Railroad Company (Okla.), map showing route in 1931". Texas Transportation Archive. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
  5. "About Muse, OK". Places.US.com. Retrieved January 10, 2022.