September 2020 Volume 34, No. 1 page 1

Official publication of the -BOSTON MOUNTAINS CHAPTER, NATIONAL RAILWAY HISTORICAL SOCIETY   Chapter No. 188 founded in 1987

Far-Southeastern Railroad History - Part 1

The Saint Louis ferried rail cars for the Iron Mountain between Belmont, Mo. and Columbus, Ky. –Courtesy of Columbus-Belmont State Park, Department of Parks

In this issue: page(s) The President’s Observation ...... 2 Chapter and General News, Upcoming Events ...... 3 - 4 New Orleans Public Belt; A-OK new lease; abandonment woes In Memorium: Charlene Sheffield Mooty Stark...... 4 Chapter Meeting Minutes ...... 5 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts ...... 6 - 20

Due to coronavirus pandemic, the next chapter meeting is scheduled online for Thur., Sept 17, 7 pm. See page 3 for details. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 2 Volume 34, No. 1 - September 2020 The President’s Observation THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER - Gary McCullah is published monthly by the First off, did everyone see the August 4 article in Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter the Democrat-Gazette about the gentleman in Russia (of the National Railway Historical who built his own backyard steam railroad? It is less Society, Inc.), PO Box 1303, Spring- than a quarter mile in length, and it took ten years to build, but it dale, Arkansas 72765-1303. provides many hours of enjoyment. Opinions expressed herein may not I follow a YouTube channel called “Toy Man Television“. He re- reflect the official position of the Chapter or the NRHS. cently posted videos of a 7-1/2 inch gauge backyard railroad with Editor ………..…… J. L. Gattis ten miles of track. The owner has two or three helpers, but has [email protected] done a lot of the work by himself. It must be nice to have the Circulation ……… Mike Sypult wherewithal to do that. [email protected] Also, Michael Hibblen reported that the Perry, AR Rock Island Every effort is made to provide ac- depot has a new roof. True, it was moved somewhat away from the curate and complete information in railroad, but it is being preserved. That is the important part, as a THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER news- lot of the wooden Rock Island depots have been razed in the last letters. Please send corrections to forty or so years. Only a few brick depots remain. the editor. Currently I am the custodian of the chapter’s map inventory, as Contributing to THE ARKANSAS well as the chapter’s notebook computer and digital projector. Do SCRAMBLER: We welcome your we need to keep the computer and projector? Please submit your input! Send content (articles, stories, input on this subject so that we can determine the best usage of photos) for the SCRAMBLER to the this equipment. Also, if anyone is interested in being the map custo- editor. dian, please let me know. DEADLINE for the SCRAMBLER is the 1st day of each month. The editor Visitors are welcome to chapter meetings; business session reserves the right to edit, hold, or followed by a railroad presentation. omit material at his discretion. Space In-person Chapter meetings are temporarily suspended during the for longer articles may already be virus pandemic, but we are meeting online. SEE PAGE 3 committed months in advance. WELCOME ABOARD all new and renewing members! The Arkansas-Boston Mountains MEMBERSHIP: Local chapter membership is $12 per year. Chapter of the National Railway Please make checks payable to ABMT NRHS. Historical Society, Inc. is a non- National Railway Historical Society Individual membership is $50 per profit, 501(c)(3) educational organi- year, and Family membership is $57 per year. zation incorporated under the laws Please refer to the NRHS website www.nrhs.com for complete details. of the State of Arkansas. DIRECTORY OF 2020 OFFICERS President ...... Gary McCullah Vice President ...... Larry Cain Secretary ...... Malcolm Cleaveland Treasurer ...... Rose Ann Hofer Membership ...... Malcolm Cleaveland Program Director ...... Hugh Harris Dist.7 National Director ...... Ken Eddy National Representative ..... Jim Gattis Visit our website at: Website Manager ...... Mike Sypult www.arkrailfan.com Editor ...... Jim Gattis THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 3

Chapter & General News

Due to the corona virus pandemic, for now, in-person Chapter meetings are cancelled. But we are meeting online with Zoom. If you have any business items, please bring them up on the Chapter’s [email protected] listserv. To join the listserv, contact Mitch Marmel [email protected] September 17 7 pm Chapter meeting: The Return of The Flying Scotsman, by Mitch Marmel September 26 noon Saturday NRHS Annual Meeting https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/816364413 To install GoToMeeting in advance: https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/816364413 October 15 7 pm Chapter meeting: Five KCS Depots in , by Bob Stark

1. Southeastern Missouri Late-September Festival with Rail History The Iron Horse Festival will commemorate the 110th anniversary of the Poplar Bluff Iron Mountain/ Missouri Pacific depot on September 26, 2020, starting at 10 am. Plans are to open the old waiting room section to the public. The event also includes an old car cruise on Friday evening, and on Satur- day a kids’ zone, and food and craft vendors. Since this is on a Saturday, the MoArk Museum, a couple of blocks to the west, also will be open from 10 am to 4 pm. For more information (and given how the virus pandemic has been affecting events, to check closer to the event date that it is still ”on”), contact Downtown Poplar Bluff at 573-714-1993. The website is https://www.downtownpoplarbluff.org/ironhorsefestival

2. How to Join the Thursday Evening Online Zoom Chapter Meeting To join chapter meetings now being held online, download the FREE Zoom app on a computer, smart phone, or tablet that has a microphone and camera. Do this at least one day in advance.  If using a computer, then download the Zoom Cloud Meetings App at https://zoom.us/download  If using a smart phone or tablet, then go to the app store, search for Zoom Cloud Meetings To test it in advance of the meeting or to ask questions, contact Mike Sypult at [email protected] HINT: Early in the day, set an alarm for 5 minutes before the meeting starts, so you can login in time. At meeting time, go to: https://zoom.us/j/3593844541?pwd=Z0V2OUFXRlRyV0lWOUt4a1dqK2NNQT09 Depending upon your device, you may also need: Meeting ID: 359 384 4541 Password: 1Ru4np REMEMBER: If your television or radio is on, or other people in the dwelling are having conversations, it will be carried over your microphone and make it difficult for everyone else to hear the program. Please, put your telephone ringer on silent and close the door to your room if other people are around or if the TV is on in a nearby room. If you can hear background noise where you are sitting, then eve- ryone else on the Zoom meeting can also hear it.

3. Region Railroad News: Change from Municipal to State Oversight On August 11, the Port of New Orleans’ New Orleans Public Belt Railroad Commission filed to legally acquire and operate the New Orleans Public Belt Railroad’s 30-ish route miles and other assets, in- cluding the Huey P. Long bridge, which opened in 1935. The Railroad Commission is a recently- formed political subdivision of the State of Louisiana. The railroad had been overseen by the City of New Orleans’ Public Belt Railroad Commission, formed in 1908. The Surface Transportation Board granted approval in late August. - continues next page - THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 4 Chapter and General News (continued) 4. Region Railroad News: STB Allows Arkansas-Oklahoma RR New Lease The Surface Transportation Board’s July 31 decision allowed the Arkansas-Oklahoma Railroad to en- ter a new, extended lease of Union Pacific’s 37-mile Shawnee Branch. This former Rock Island line is east of Oklahoma City.

5. Region Railroad News: Some Abandoned Railroad Lines Just Won’t Go Away Central Kansas Railway obtained approval in 1996 to abandon rails in sparsely-populated Comanche and Clarke Counties, in southwestern Kansas bordering Oklahoma. An interim trail-use agreement was reached in 1997, allowing another party to convert the right-of-way into a trail, with the caveat that the rails could be restored in the future. In 2001, parent OmniTrax sold CKR assets to , who renamed them Kansas & Oklahoma. CKR remained a OmniTrax holding until it was dissolved in 2009. The trail rights apparently changed hands a couple of times. Present trail sponsor Sunflower Rail- Trails Conservancy (SRTC) has decided to terminate its trail sponsorship and vacate the notice of in- terim trail use. This has generated a flurry of filings with the Surface Transportation Board, with SRTC not sure whom to give it to, and both Watco and OmniTrax claiming “it’s not mine, I don’t want it”.

IN MEMORIAM

The Chapter members wish to extend our sympathy in this time of bereavement. Charlene Sheffield Mooty Stark, 87, passed away on Wednesday, August 12, 2020 at Washington Re- gional Medical Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Charlene served much of her life in education, including from 1978-1997 at the University of Arkansas. She was born in Inverness, and grew up in Lake Village, Arkansas. She received her bache- lors degree from Judson College in Marion, Alabama, and her masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She was head of the home economics department at Judson College, later moving to Fayetteville, Ar- kansas where she worked in the home economics department at the University of Arkansas. She eventu- ally became associate dean of the College of at Arkansas, the first woman to hold that posi- tion. She was preceded in death by her parents, Charles Conrad and Wilene Gilliam Sheffield, a sister, Jose- phine Smithey, and a brother, Will Sheffield. She is survived by her husband, Bob Stark, her children: Will (Carolyn) Mooty of Auburn, Alabama, Dean (Dee) Mooty of Montgomery, Alabama, Dawn Mooty (Jimmy Chambliss) of Austin, Texas, and Kyle Mooty of Eufaula, Alabama. She also had six grandchildren and sev- en great-grandchildren. She is also survived by stepchildren Susan (Jeff) Ray of Lavaca, Arkansas, and Robert (Caroline) Stark of Rogers, Arkansas, and two step-grandchildren. Charlene was a member of Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In lieu of flow- ers, donations can be made to Community Suppers at Central United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the New Life Ranch Camper Scholarship Fund in Colcord, Oklahoma, or the Dr. Charlene Mooty Scholarship fund at the University of Arkansas. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 5 ABMT NRHS Chapter Meeting Minutes ̶ August 20, 2020 Address: ABMT Chapter, Nat. Railway Historical Soc., PO Box 1303, Springdale, AR 72765-1303 Due to the corona virus pandemic, the Arkansas-Boston Mountains Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society meeting at the J. Reilly McCarren Transportation Museum, A&M Depot, Springdale, AR, was cancelled. Instead, the chapter met online. The meeting was hosted by Mike Sypult, and commenced 7 pm. In virtual attendance were 25 people participating on 24 connections, including Mike Condren.  NRHS. Director Ken Eddy reported the elections are ongoing and mailings have gone out.  Treasurer. Rose Ann Hofer said that we recently renewed a CD and that we have $3627.67 in the checking account. Maintaining the website now costs $448 per year.  Storing chapter equipment.. Gary dispensed with the business meeting aside from saying that he is not centrally located and feels that perhaps someone else more centrally located might take over equipment storage.  Officers for 2021. Gary said that he would welcome someone taking over some of the functions of president. Any volunteers? Chuck Girard gave a presentation on “Depots of Ft. Smith”. It was saddening to see some of the histori- cal structures that were casually demolished, losing a great deal of local history. There was discussion of scheduling an upcoming Chapter business meeting. Mike Sypult said see you next month online using Zoom; watch your email for the invitation link. Malcolm Cleaveland, Secretary, ABMT Chapter, Nat. Railway Historical Society

Ed. - I apologize if I failed to grab “you” in the growing group of attendees. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 6

by J. L. Gattis Southeastern Missouri is at the north end of the Century, the merger of Union Pacific (UP), St Louis Alluvial Plain, that flat land area Southwestern (SSW), and Missouri Pacific (MP) more commonly called “the Delta”. This land is also made Dexter a significant spot. This is because with known as the epicenter of the New Madrid 1811- control over both the SSW and the parallel MP, UP 1812 , among the strongest in recorded instituted predominately-directional running US history. And it has also been the locus of seismic across Arkansas. Southbound on the former Cotton shifts in railroad routings. Belt through Pine Bluff, northbound on the old MP When railroads initially developed in southeast- through Little Rock. At Dexter, both streams merge ern Missouri, the town that drew the high card to into one line, forming a single conduit that extends become the center of railroad activity was Poplar over the bridge joining Scott City, Missouri with Bluff. The first train arrived in 1872. There, the Thebes, Illinois, and continues across a straight and original Cairo & Fulton was to join the railroad flat alignment to Dupo and the East St Louis, Illinois pushing south from St Louis, and the town became area, for junctions with other roads in all directions. a division point on the Missouri Pacific System. The graphics on the following pages present the As far as the railroads were concerned, Dexter incremental changes over the decades that culmi- initially was insignificant, just one more trackside nated in Dexter’s rise as an important rail junction. stop. It took the construction of a railroad in Illinois The development of the three major systems in far- along the east side of the Mississippi River and a southeastern Missouri was to a great degree a four bridge across the Mississippi River at the beginning act play. The first on the stage was what eventually of the 20th Century to make Dexter somewhat became Missouri Pacific, followed by the Cotton stand out from the rest. Near the end of the 20th Belt. The bridge was Act III. Frisco had the finale.

Act I: Initial System in Southeastern Missouri souri section in 1854. About 20 miles of Missouri Much in the same way that strong magnets can line was constructed in the mid-1850s. The Civil attract and even bend strips of ferrous metals, the War wreaked havoc on it, as was the case with established river ports of the time seemed to have many railroads that lay in the paths of conflict. exerted a pull on the routings of railroads proposed Seized by the state when it defaulted, private inter- in the mid-1800s in the mid-section of the country. ests then acquired it and eventually incorporated it Many were enticed to attempt a railroad from the as Cairo, Arkansas & Texas in 1872. mid-section into Texas. When one the initial efforts By this time, perspectives about which places was launched, the proposed endpoints were Cairo, were more or less important for a railroad were Illinois and Fulton, Arkansas. sometimes changing. Authorized in 1851, St Louis & Cairo is at the confluence of the Ohio and the Iron Mountain had built southward from St Louis, Mississippi Rivers. In the 1850’s, the north-south ending at Pilot Knob in 1858. Later, with a fork at Illinois Central Railroad, spanning its namesake Bismarck, a line was completed to Belmont on the state, reached Cairo. The locale’s strategic economic Mississippi in 1869. In the early 1870s, the SL&IM importance was matched by its strategic military listed two steam transfer boats connecting Belmont importance during the Civil War, with major Union and Columbus, Kentucky, which had been reached bases established there. Fulton sat upstream of by Mobile & Ohio rails from the south in 1861. Shreveport, at the Big Bend of the Red River. SL&IM formed the Arkansas Branch to extend The Cairo & Fulton came in two parts. Arkansas’ from Pilot Knob and tie into the Arkansas version of portion of the C&F incorporated in 1853, the Mis- the C&F in the early 1870s. The CA&T would soon - text continues on page 9- THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 7 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued)

A notice for SL&IM service as far south as Pilot Knob. Back when only short pieces of track were completed, the railroads had to team-up with steamboat and stagecoach lines to offer through ser- vice. Currently, when in response to dimin- ished ridership during the virus pandemic, Amtrak is proposing to re- duce service on most long-distance trains to three days a week, this 160- year old ad is par- ticularly timely. Reading near the bottom of the page, some of the stagecoach and steamboat services into Arkansas and beyond also ran only two or three times per week. A traveler might have to endure a day or two at what passed for over- night lodging on the frontier before making the next connection. -Courtesy Springfield-Greene Co. (Mo.) Library THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 8 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) The 1872 Asher & Adams map showed the extent of railroad construction. The St Louis & Iron Mountain routes south from Bismarck toward Arkansas, and to Belmont (across the Missis- sippi River from Columbus and the Mobile & Ohio), were shown as in place. The Arkansas Branch, from Pilot Knob to the Arkansas line, was shown. Tracks from across the river opposite Cairo on to Charleston were shown, but the Cairo, Arkansas & Texas line westward to Poplar Bluff was indicated as proposed. A few miles of the Cape Girardeau & State Line were shown near Cape Girardeau. Another map from the 1870s shows an Illinois, Missouri & Texas Railway on a similar alignment, but passing through Doniphan, southwest of Poplar Bluff. -Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 9 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) stretch from Birds Point, across the river from Cairo, to Poplar Bluff. Most of these lines were finished just before the effects were felt of the Panic of 1873, which bankrupted many roads and slowed construction. The remaining puzzle piece, the Arkansas C&F, was completed in 1874. The St Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern absorbed these five-foot gauge lines in the same year. In this new combination, the emphasis came to be on the St Louis−to−Arkansas route, while the Cairo line became a branch. At the southwest end, the termi- nus was no longer the river port, Fulton, but instead a new town on the Texas state line, Texarkana. In the early 1880s, Jay Gould and his Missouri Pacific gained ownership of the stock and control over the SLIM&S. - text continues on page 11-

 An 1874 map showed the routes that became the St Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern in southeastern Missouri.

 Initially, Dexter had no special significance on the Cairo, Arkansas & Texas line from Cairo to Poplar Bluff. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 10 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued)

 Even though it was still months in the future, the combined January 1874 timetable hinted that a merger was in the works. –Source: M. P. Hist. Soc.

With the dashed lines, an 1888 Iron Mountain map  showed an intention to construct from the corner of Arkansas northeastward to near the Mississippi River, then follow the river toward St Louis. The part along the river was eventually built by Frisco affiliates. What the map showed as Parmly, Ark., is Paragould.

 By 1910, two pairs of passenger trains ran between Bismarck and Charleston, but only one pair proceeded on to the ferry and Columbus, Ky. The schedule al- lowed approximately 1/2 hour to ford the River. The tracks be- tween Charleston and Belmont, and the ferry to Columbus would not be around much long- er. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 11 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) Act II: Then Along Came the Cotton Belt Cotton interests led by James Paramore in St Louis used an existing short line in northeastern Texas, begun in the 1870s, as a springboard to greater things: they incorporated the Texas &St Louis in 1879. The concept of a feeder line to the Iron Mountain at Texarkana grew to become a narrow gauge line from Texarkana to Birds Point, across from Cairo, in 1883. An impetus for this ex- pansion was Gould gaining control of the SLIM&S, and no longer offering a friendly connection at Texarkana. Even before completion, through traf- fic agreements were secured with two roads at Cairo to access both St Louis and Chicago. Just as the Iron Mountain did at Birds Point, the Cotton Belt ferried cars across the Mississippi to connect with roads to the north and east. Until the bridge at Memphis opened in 1892, there were no rail- road bridges across the River south of St Louis. On the Missouri end, the little Little River Valley & Arkansas, based in New Madrid, had opened in 1878. It was added into the T&SL in 1881. In less than a decade, the road was reorganized twice, first as the St Louis, Arkansas & Texas Rwy., next as St Louis Southwestern (SSW). Long before then, it had become known as the Cotton Belt Route. It converted to standard gauge in 1886-87. In early 1889, the SSW opened a new line in southeastern Missouri. Diverging from its original main at Malden, it continued north to Delta, where there was a junction with the Iron Mountain’s Bis- marck to Belmont‒Columbus branch. This SSW line to Delta crossed the former Cairo, Arkansas & Texas at Dexter. This made Dexter a junction town with two railroads; it was no longer a one-horse (or one railroad) town. - continues next page - Above left - The Texas & St Louis map showed the original incarnation of the Cotton Belt alignment in northeastern Arkansas and southeastern Missouri. In an egregious distortion of geography even by railroad map “standards”, Cairo was definitely not on the west side of the Mississippi River!

Left - A Cotton Belt timetable after service had ex- tended from Malden north to Delta. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 12 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) Right - The 1915 St Louis Southwestern map depicted the extension northward from Malden, and how the SSW interfaced with the SLIM&S lines. Later, SSW added a branch south from Malden into Arkansas. Act III: Big Doings In Store A combination of events involving dispar- ate players set the stage for reshaping rail- road routings in southeastern Missouri. The Gray’s Point Terminal RR extended the new SSW line from Delta up to Grays Point on the Mississippi River, a few miles south of Cape Girardeau. This was turned over to the SSW in 1898. Meanwhile, on the east bank of the river, the Chicago & Texas, an Illinois Cen- tral lease, extended its tracks south to oppo- site of Grays Point. This enabled SSW to ferry cars across the river to other railroads. The ad on the following page shows a pairing that resulted, between the SSW and Chicago & Eastern Illinois. Also on the east side of the Mississippi, the St Louis Valley Railway was projected from East St Louis, Illinois southward to Cairo. By mid-1902, it had reached Gale, Illinois, across the river from Grays Point. In the flat terrain on the River’s east side, it was stated that the line had no grades, and “but one curve of one degree”. An August 1902 trade publication pro- claimed that the St Louis Southwestern “is said to have secured control” of the St Louis Valley road. However, in an about face the next month, it printed that the line was to be “taken over by the Missouri Pacific” as soon as details could be settled. The completion of the acquisition was announced in 1903. Pacific’s Iron Mountain and its St Louis Valley, and But the game-changer came in 1905, when the St Louis Southwestern were bridge users and re- & Missouri Bridge Company sponsible for the bonds. opened the new double-track span over the Missis- In exchange for allowing MP-IM to use the Cot- sippi downstream of Cape Girardeau, between ton Belt tracks between Paragould, Arkansas and Thebes on the Illinois side and Illmo on the Mis- the River bridge, MP allowed the Cotton Belt to run souri side. (Today, Illmo is in Scott City.) The rails trains between the new bridge and East St Louis. at Gale were stretched another couple of miles With these events, Dexter was not only a rail junc- southward to access this 3807 foot bridge. The Chi- tion, but a junction on one of the few routings with cago & Eastern Illinois, Illinois Central, Missouri a bridge crossing the Mississippi. - text continues on page 15- THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 13 THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 14 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued)

Previous page - For a time after the completion of the rails to the Grays Point fer- ry, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois paired with the Cotton Belt to promote what in combination they could do for a traveler.

Right - A splicing of two maps of the bridge area at Illmo − Thebes from the 1920s and ‘30s, showing tracks of the MP, SSW, and SL-SF on the west side of the river, with C&EI, IC, MP, and SSW on the east side. Ed. - pure speculation, but the unimproved road under the dotted orange line ap- pears as if it may have been the former railroad path to the Grays Point ferry. Note that this road drops down to the low ground, below the bluffs to the northwest.

Below - A period photo of the new bridge crossing the Mississippi at Thebes, re- placing the ferry between Grays Point and Gale. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 15 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) Act IV: The Frisco Fills In  This 1910 map displayed the Frisco’s coverage of The St Louis & San Francisco was not so much southeastern Missouri and northeastern Arkansas. involved in seismic shifts of routings, but it did Later, even more branch lines would come under eventually own a spider web of branch lines that Frisco control. At this time, the Chicago & Eastern blanketed southeastern Missouri. Also in contrast Illinois was part of the Frisco System. to Missouri Pacific and Cotton Belt, the SL-SF was not so much influenced by what went on across the river in Illinois as it was by what went on in north- eastern Arkansas. The eventual spine of the SL-SF in these areas was a line southward from St Louis to what is now Turrell, Arkansas. At Turrell, it proceeded on to Memphis via the Frisco’s Kansas City, Ft Scott & Memphis. The tracks sometimes hugged and were seldom far from the west bank of the Mississippi River. The many secondary and branch lines of what came to be the River Division pulled in locally produced freight, such as timber and cotton, for shipment. Much of this spine and associated lines had been built in pieces under various names. A few seg- ments that became Frisco date to the 1880s, but a lot of them were built from 1900 through 1904. Some pieces had been combined into the St Louis & Gulf by Louis Houck, a Cape Girardeau entrepre- neur. The publication of the former Frisco Railroad controlled both the SLIM&S and the SSW. Museum quoted John F. Jones as saying “Houck Many of the tracks were aggregated under the St formed the Gulf company and arranged for its sale Louis, Memphis & Southeastern, which existed be- to the Frisco in an attempt to prevent the ... Iron tween 1902 and 1907. From the get go, there was a Mountain and St Louis Southwestern lines from close relationship with the Frisco. The Frisco soon gaining a monopoly in the region”. For a time, Gould - continues next page -

 The SLM&SE extended from Missouri southward to Luxora, Arkansas, where it met up with rails already in place. B. F. Yoakum was listed as the line’s president. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 16 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) came to own all of the stock of the SLM&SE and the From old maps, it appears that it was not long until SL&G, and in 1903 and 1904 consummated leases the connection at Deckerville was superseded by a of both. The SL&G became part of the SLM&SE, then slightly more direct and much straighter routing to the Frisco became the combined lines’ owner in what then was shown as Big Creek. 1907. Additions continued into the 1920s, with Frisco In late 1902, the SLM&SE extended south to Lux- taking charge of the Jonesboro, Lake City & Eastern ora, Arkansas, where it met the former Deckerville, and the Butler County RR. Osceola & Northern to create a through route. Branching off the Kansas City―Birmingham line of the Kansas City, Fort Scott & Memphis at Decker- ville, the DO&N had reached Luxora in late 1899. (Deckerville was between Tyronza and Gilmore.) The KCFS&M bought the DO&N about the same time as the Frisco acquired the KCFS&M. For a time, the KCFS&M schedules listed it as the “Osceola Branch”. After coming under Frisco control, SLM&SE train service continued southward under the Frisco  This 1940 map showed the abandoned DO&N, and name and with different train numbers on the the fading remnant of Deckerville on the Frisco. “Deckerville & Luxora” segment to Deckerville. - text continues on page 18-

 The main lines as they eventually gelled in the early 1900s, plus some of the major branches. C&EI: Chicago & Eastern Illinois IC: Illinois Central MP: Missouri Pa- cific M&O: Mobile & Ohio SLSF: St Louis-San Francisco SSW: St Louis Southwestern THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 17 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued)

MP to St Louis

SLSF to Cape Girardeau

MP to Dexter SLSF bridge SLSF depot

SLSF to Hoxie MP depot SLSF, former Butler MP to Hoxie, County RR, across Little Rock the northeastern tip of Arkansas to Ken- nett

 The 1935 USGS map showed the layouts of the Frisco and the MoPac in Poplar Bluff. Frisco’s rails no longer run through downtown, but its bridge across the Black River is still west of the intersection of Magnolia and Riverview.

 Many a depot portrait was preserved by the picture postcards of this type that gained popularity in the early 1900s. The dark-roof building in the back- ground was the YMCA, a haven for railroad workers. At the right edge was a hotel. Be- tween these two build- ings was and still is a staircase the rises from “depot level” up to “Main Street level”. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 18 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) Epilogue: What Remains Most of the Frisco’s area network is gone. The When viewed with a little imagination, MP’s BNSF still calls the subdivision “River”, but it’s three original southeastern Missouri lines formed a pared down to the St Louis―near Memphis route. triangle (1. Bismarck― Poplar Bluff―Arkansas; 2. Of the big three, the SSW had the fewest route Bismarck―Belmont; 3. Poplar Bluff―Cairo). The miles in the area, and had the greatest percentage first to jettison were the ferry to Columbus and the survive. The line to Thebes and the branch from tracks from Belmont back to Charleston. The next Malden to near New Madrid are still on the UP map. to trim was the Cairo branch, also back to Charles- The MP’s St Louis―Poplar Bluff line is no longer ton. What remains on the Union Pacific today are the area’s flagship line. Now, the workhorse is the the St Louis line through Bismarck into Arkansas, SSW main through Dexter to the Thebes bridge. and a line from Poplar Bluff to east of Dexter. - text continues on page 20-

SSW to Delta and Thebes bridge

MP depot MP (former CA&T) to Cairo, then cut back to Charleston

SSW depot

MP (former CA&T) SSW to Malden to Poplar Bluff

 A 1963 USGS map showed Dexter area rails and depots, most of which have survived. Much of Dexter sits atop Crowley’s Ridge, but the SSW line was built in the flatlands down below. THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 19 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued)

Two 1939 USGS maps pieced together to present the Belmont, Mo. and Columbus, Ky. area. Although the Iron Mountain ferry and rails leading to it had vanished years before, the maps showed remnants which hint at the former layout. The 1927 floods devastated Columbus, leading to relocating much of the town up on the bluffs.

Abandoned Projection of RR line abandoned SLIM&S RR line; i.e., guessed location

M&O RR

Brown contour lines closely spaced indi- cate steep elevation change, i.e., bluff

Part of town atop the bluff

Abandoned Part of town RR to ferry below the bluff, vulnerable to Gap in the bluff, allowed former floods rails to descend to river level

M&O wye, led to ferry THE ARKANSAS SCRAMBLER September 2020 Page 20 Southeastern Missouri Seismic Shifts (continued) Far-southeastern Missouri was crisscrossed by tated by the 1927 floods, the town’s population has rail lines. Many of the initial routes were like the shrunk to under 200. The former rails in the area cowboy drifters that were staples of mid-1900s en- have been abandoned; it’s now about five miles to tertainment: they were just passing through, on the nearest railroad. their way to somewhere else. As for the towns that  Cairo, Illinois: For a time, Cairo was a prime desti- initially were the prime objectives of those rails nation for a number of railroads in the country’s constructed across the area, many did not fare so mid-section. Its population hovered around 15,000 well. in the early 1900s, but has declined to a little over  Belmont, Missouri: Today, the place where the 2000 today. The construction of railroad bridges Iron Mountain once had a ferry operation across across the Mississippi at Thebes and at Memphis the River from Columbus is just a rural spot on the adversely affected Cairo, as traffic that had been map. There is a dock at which to tie up a few barges. ferried across the River from Birds Point found an  Columbus, Kentucky: A destination chosen by the easier way. The Chicago-to-New Orleans rails of the Mobile & Ohio − the M&O had shops there − and the former Illinois Central, now Canadian National, original Iron Mountain was a major western Ken- cross the Ohio River at the north edge of town. tucky city in that era. (Its 1860 population of 963  Fulton, Arkansas: Any hope for prominence evap- would have been less than ten people short of the orated when railroads decided to converge at Tex- sixth largest town in Arkansas at that time.) The arkana instead of Fulton. Long before Amtrak, the SLIM&S abandoned its terminal tracks in Columbus MP passenger train schedules had dropped Fulton and terminated the ferry in the early 1910s. Devas- as a stop. Current population, perhaps 200.

When Big Railroads Cared About Small Shippers In the February 2002 Arkansas Railroader, P. B. Wooldridge reminisced about his rail- road working days in the Missouri Bootheel and northeastern Arkansas. He recalled that to prepare for the “annual fall rushʺ (harvest time) in the mid-1900s, starting in late August, the railroad would bring in all the empty boxcars it could muster. Sidings on the Cotton Belt branch from Malden down to Trumann, Ark. would be filled with empties. One of his duties was to determine the suitability of each car for loading cer- tain types of products. For instance, soy- beans required a “very tight car”.

Acknowledgments: Assistance from the following people made the far-southeastern Missouri issues possible.  Cindy Lynch, Manager, Columbus-Belmont State Park, Kentucky Department of Parks  Morgan McIntosh, Executive Director, Downtown Poplar Bluff  David Silverberg, MoArk Regional Railroad Museum

 Next month: Far-Southeastern Missouri Railroad History Preservation