Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad

Date: 9 Feb 1853 to 13 Apr 1906
Location: Arkansas, United States
Surnames/tags: united_states_railroad arkansas us_history

The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad was a historic railroad that operated in Arkansas from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. It played a significant role in the economic development of the state, providing transportation for both passengers and goods between the cities of Little Rock and Fort Smith. Despite facing challenges such as financial difficulties and natural disasters, the railroad persevered and became a vital part of Arkansas' transportation infrastructure. Today, while the original railroad no longer exists, its legacy lives on through the Arkansas Railroad Museum and the Arkansas Railroad Heritage Trail.

Contents 1 Early Beginnings 1.1 Arkansas State Financial Crisis 2 Construction of the Railroad 2.1 Labor Strike 3 Bankruptcy 1874 4 Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway 4.1 Indian Territory Land Dispute 5 Expansion 6 Railroad Barron Jay Gould 7 Legacy 8 Sources

Early Beginnings

Lithograph created ca. 1850s; negative created ca. 1900-1909. Courtesy of DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

The ideal for a railroad from Little Rock to Fort Smith (LR&FS) was motivated by the desire to be free from the seasonal ebbs and flow of the Arkansas River, which limited navigation between the cities. Its roots can be traced to two railroad enthusiasts, Jesse Turner of Van Buren, Arkansas, a lawyer, politician, and Joseph H. Haney, a young civil engineer who arrived in Arkansas just before the Civil War to work on the development of the LR&FS railroad. On February 9, 1853, a federal land grant was given for the establishment of a railroad from Little Rock to Fort Smith, Arkansas. Later that next year, a charter was created for the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. Jesse Turner was appointed the first president of the railroad. Both men quickly realized they were facing immediate problem financing.^[1]

Arkansas State Financial Crisis

Arkansas Bank Note

As so often happens, timing is everything, and in this case to the detriment of the LR&FS railroad. About the time they were ready to secure financing to build the railroad, the Arkansas state banking system was in a collapse. The state of Arkansas had invested in infrastructure projects, including the railroads with state issue Holford Bonds, which were backed by the state's credit. In the early 1860s, due to overspeculation of state banks, it led to a suspension of the system, causing the Holford Bonds to lose value and dried up the planned revenue LR&FS had lined up for financing. As a result, they were forced to seek private capital to invest in the railroad.^[1]

That too turned out to be a boondoggle, as private investors did not want to invest until part of the railroad was built, and they could not start building the railroad until they received financial investment. They then turned to the legislature in Washington D.C., where they secured their first significant amount of money, $38,000 in gold. Just when it appeared things were starting to turn around for the company, the Civil War started, and everything was put on hold until the end of the war.^[1]

Construction of the Railroad

Laying Railroad Track

After the war, efforts resumed to build the railroad. The state finally came on board and passed a railroad aid bill in 1867, but Joseph Haney no longer considered it a source of funding and sought the additional capital from northern capitalists. By 1868, things had reached a turning point for the railroad. W. P. Denkla in New York was finalizing negotiations with investors to secure the funding they need to start building. As Denkla took the lead in promoting the railroad, Jesse Turner realized the writing on the wall, and that Denkla would want to be president, resigned in February of 1868. This symbolizes the decline in local men who play a major role in building the railroad.^[1]

As a few investors signed on to the investment, more capitalists saw an opportunity, and the monies began to flow toward the project. Denkla and J. P. Johnson, both of New York, continued to actively promote the project. Asa P. Robinson^[2] represented a major investor, Josiah P. Caldwell, and the contractor selected to build the railroad Warren Fisher Jr. both from Boston and participated in the efforts. In addition to the northern capitalist, Congressman Logan H. Roots^[3] of Little Rock, helped obtain federal financing from the Speaker of the House Representative, James Gillespie Blaine. The railroad company was well under its way. No longer a local project, but in the hands of northern capitalists eager to reap the rewards of investments.^[1]

As preparations were being made to start construction, Asa P. Robinson was the chief engineer in charge. Haney on paper remained the chief engineer, but it was Asa who with the authority of the investors and contractor had full authority to act on his own to gather everything needed to build the railroad.^[1]

In August of 1869, LR&FS began laying track, founding the rail yard soon called the "Fort Smith Crossing". A point where the Cairo and Fulton Railroad would meet LR&FS tracks. As construction began, they averaged two miles of track per day. Almost immediately, it was apparent there was a labor shortage, and additional labor was needed if the rail road was to be built. To fill the labor shortage, men were recruited from Chicago, Illinois. They were transported from Chicago to Memphis at their own expense, and from there to Little Rock. On the final leg of the trip, they were given $3.50 per man, but it was later taken out of their wages. The effort called for five hundred men to be recruited. By October 25, 1860, about three hundred Danes and Irishmen had been hired to work on the rails. Each worker was paid $2 per day plus room and board. While labor was a problem, it was not the only factor. The difficulty getting materials and equipment to the job site was just as frustrating. The Arkansas River was still the only means of moving goods across the state.^[1]

On January 1870, thirty-three miles of track had been laid, and additional track almost reached Cadron, Conway County, Arkansas, a distant of two miles beyond that point. On September 29, 1870, the rail line opened for passenger service from Little Rock to Fort Smith. Passengers had to cross the Huntersville River to reach the railroad. They then traveled fifty miles to the town of Lewisburg, Arkansas. The trip took three and one half hours. In Lewisburg, they had to take a stage coach the rest of the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas.^[1]

On January 1870, thirty-three miles of track had been laid, and additional track almost reached Cadron, Conway County, Arkansas, a distant of two miles beyond this point. In September 29, trains were able to run thirty-seven miles. On November 21, 1870, the rail line opened with passenger service from Little Rock to Fort Smith. A person at Little Rock had to cross the Huntersville River to get to the train station. From there, the rail ran to Lewisburg in Conway County a distant of fifty miles, which took three and one half hours. The passengers then took a stage connection from Lewisburg to Fort Smith.^[1]

It was then that the investors ran out of money and could no longer write checks to continue the funding. The railroad was under the control of the state treasurer. The engineer Robinson stayed in Arkansas and settled in Conway in Conway County, and became a founding father of the town.^[1]

Labor Strike

Gillam, “Phryne Before the Chicago Tribunal,” DeGolyer Library Exhibits

When the investors defaulted on the bonds they had sold in 1869, there was no more money left to pay the railroad works. In March of 1871, they went on strike, crippling the railroad. The Arkansas Gazette ran news articles claiming the "citizens of Arkansas were robbed". The scandal eventually reached the U.S. Representative of Maine and Speaker of the House, James Gillespie Blaine. He was accused of corruption for his involvement in receiving LR&FS bonds for free or at a low price, and then turning around and selling them to other investors at a highly inflated price, while pocketing the profits. He was never convicted of any crime, but resigned from the House and was forever thought of as a corrupt politician. The nickname "The Continental Liar from the State of Maine" was used to describe him.^[4]

Bankruptcy 1874

On December 10, 1874, the LR&FS Railroad was foreclosed, and nine days later, on December 19, 1874, a new group of eastern investors reopened the company, keeping the name Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad. Six months later, on June 12, 1875, the name of the railroad was changed to the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway.^[4]

After the company restarted under new management, there was an influx of German immigrants who worked for the railroad and were given land grants to settle in the area. Many of these immigrants would settle near Altus in Franklin County, where they spawned the wine industry in the area.^[4]

Little Rock and Fort Smith Railway

Union Depot in Little Rock (Pulaski County); circa 1890.

The line built 65.86 miles of additional road, giving it 166.51 miles of single-track, standard gauge steam railroad line, all in Arkansas.^[5] On January 30, 1879, the LR&FS finally reached Van Buren, Crawford County.^[4] Upon arriving at the Arkansas River across from Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Indian Territory Land Dispute

The Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad should have been completed on Myy 13, 1877. The railroad was fully completed from Little Rock to a point on the Arkansas River, opposite Fort Smith, prior to August 1876, but a small portion of the road about 1.92 miles was found within the Indian Territory. The department declined to accept the railroad, and the Commissioner of Indian Affairs subsequently required the company to remove the tracks from the Territory. As a result, the company had to lay 5.73 miles of new track. This delay meant the railroad was not completed as required in its charter. As a result, the Department of Interior refused to grant a land patent for the sale of land to emigrants, who were promised land grants for their work on the railroad if it was completed on time. Congress intervened and deemed the company had indeed met the time requirements, and directed the land grants to be issued.^[6]

Expansion

Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad became the main line north-south from Cario, Illinois, into Arkansas, and eventually expanded to nearby small coal towns through Hackett, Hartford, Mansfield and further south. The east and west line ran from Memphis, through Little Rock, Clarksville, Ozark and into Fort Smith.^[7]

Railroad Barron Jay Gould

Wall Street financier Jay Gould acquired the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern for $2 million in1882, and visited Arkansas shortly thereafter to inspect his new line and investigate the possibilities of further expanding his southwestern transportation empire. Later in the year, Gould bought the Little Rock and Fort Smith line and added it to the Iron Mountain system, making it the largest railroad system in Arkansas.^[5]

In the 1890s, they expanded from Fort Smith, Charelston and Paris. The first train arrived in Paris, Arkansas in 1898. The expansion of these lines enabled farms to sell to international markets and transport high grade coal from the entire region.^[7]

LR&FS survived to April 13, 1906, when its assets were sold to its parent, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway.^[5]

Legacy

Obeerholizter, in the History of the United States Since the Civil War, referred to the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad as "a little 'stumptail' railroad in a Southern state, which came from nowhere and led no whither." His contempt for the railroad was at the time of the scandal involving James G. Blaine, Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Congress.^[1]

James G Blaine, who ran for president of the United States against Grover Cleveland after the scandal, used the phrase "stumptail" throughout his campaign in 1876, saying about the scandal that drove him out of Congress, "All this for a 'stumptail' Railroad!". Well, he lost the race, and in the end, the Arkansas and Little Rock Railroad proved to be no stumptail railroad. It greatly expanded the resources of the state, spun new towns, and established wine country settled by immigrants. Its construction spawned a new era for the state and enabled expansion of the railroads across America.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11} Thompson, George H. “Asa P. Robinson and the Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad.” The Arkansas Historical Quarterly, vol. 39, no. 1, 1980, pp. 3–20. JSTOR, "Asa P. Robinson and Fort Smith Railroad." Accessed 12 Feb. 2023.
2. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. "[Wikipedia:Asa_P._Robinson Asa P. Robinson]." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 12 Feb 2023.
3. ↑ Wikipedia contributors. "[Wikipedia:Logan_H._Roots Logan H. Roots]." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 12 Feb 2023.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} LeMasters, Larry. “LeMasters' Antique News Service.” CALS Encyclopedia of Arkansas. "Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad." Accessed 12 Feb 2023
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Wikipedia contributors. "Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed 12 Feb 2023.
6. ↑ H.R. Rep. No. 1205, 47th Cong., 1st Sess. (1882). "Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad Lands." Accessed 12 Feb 2023
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Varnell, Curtis. Times Record, Timepiece: Train tracks to nowhere, Published 22 Dec 2021. "Timepiece: Train tracks to nowhere." Accessed 12 Feb 2023.