The Fort Smith and Western Railway was a
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
that operated in the states of
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
and
Oklahoma.
The railroad's main line extended from
Coal Creek, Oklahoma (about 7 miles east of
Bokoshe, Oklahoma
Bokoshe ( ) is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma metropolitan statistical area. ''Bokoshe'' is a Choctaw word meaning "little creek". The population was 512 at the 2010 census, a 13. ...
)
to
Guthrie, Oklahoma, with an additional of trackage rights over the
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
between
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...
and Coal Creek. Guthrie was the territorial capital of Oklahoma, and a junction point with the
Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often referred to as the Santa Fe or AT&SF, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The railroad was chartered in February 1859 to serve the cities of Atchison and Topeka, Kansas, and ...
. The Fort Smith and Western owned a subsidiary,
St. Louis, El Reno and Western Railway, which began operating between Guthrie and
El Reno, Oklahoma
El Reno is a city in and county seat of Canadian County, Oklahoma, Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 16,989, marking a change of 1.55% from 16,729, recorded in the ...
in June 1904.
History
The Fort Smith and Western Railroad was incorporated in
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
in 1899 and began construction westward through
Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans who held aboriginal title to their land as a sovereign ...
and
Oklahoma Territory. On November 1, 1903, the railroad was opened between
Fort Smith and
Guthrie. The capital of
Oklahoma was moved from Guthrie to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
in 1910, and in 1915, the FS&W acquired of
trackage rights
Railway companies can interact with and control others in many ways. These relationships can be complicated by bankruptcies.
Operating
Often, when a railroad first opens, it is only a short spur of a main line. The owner of the spur line may ...
over the
Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad from
Fallis, Oklahoma
''For people with the surname, see Fallis (surname).''
Fallis is a town in Lincoln County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 27 at the 2010 census, a decline of 3.6 percent from the figure of 28 in 2000.
Geography
Fallis is located a ...
to
Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
.
The U.S. District Court in
Fort Smith placed the Fort Smith and Western Railroad in receivership on October 9, 1915, on petition by the
Superior Savings & Trust Company of
Cleveland, Ohio. The company emerged from receivership as the Fort Smith and Western ''Railway'' on February 1, 1923, only to re-enter receivership on June 1, 1931. The Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad withdrew trackage rights between Fallis and Oklahoma City in January 1939 after the FS&W defaulted on rental fees, and the FS&W ceased operations on February 9, 1939.
The route of the FS&W served no major population centers, but did serve major coal mining operations in eastern Oklahoma at (from east to west) Coal Creek,
Bokoshe
Bokoshe ( ) is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma metropolitan statistical area. ''Bokoshe'' is a Choctaw word meaning "little creek". The population was 512 at the 2010 census, a 13. ...
, and
McCurtain. Continuing west, other towns served included
Crowder,
Hanna,
Weleetka,
Okemah,
Boley,
Paden,
Prague
Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...
, and
Meridian before reaching Guthrie. A major portion of the road's freight traffic was metallurgical-grade coal from San Bois Coal Company mines near McCurtain. As coal traffic declined, an oil discovery near Okemah brought additional traffic, which postponed the abandonment of the railroad.
After the FS&W ceased operation, the trackage between Coal Creek and McCurtain was purchased by the
Fort Smith and Van Buren Railway, a subsidiary of the
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway Company is an American Class I railroad. Founded in 1887, it operates in 10 midwestern and southeastern U.S. states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and ...
.
References
*''Poor's Manual of Railroads - 1919'', Poor's Publishing Co.,
New York, New York.
*Drury, George H. (1985) ''Historical Guide to North American Railroads'', Kalmbach Publishing Co.,
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
,
WI.
*Hull, Clifton E. (1988) ''Shortline Railroads of Arkansas'', UCA Press,
Conway,
AR.
*Hofsommer, Donovan L. (1982) ''Railroads of Oklahoma'', Oklahoma Historical Society,
Oklahoma City, OK
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
.
External links
Fort Smith and Western vs. Mills, 253 U.S. 206 (1920)
*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20121024013411/http://www.library.okstate.edu/okmaps/ Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Smith Western Railway
Defunct Arkansas railroads
Defunct Oklahoma railroads
Former Class I railroads in the United States
Railway companies disestablished in 1939
American companies established in 1899
Railway companies established in 1899
1899 establishments in Arkansas
1939 disestablishments in Arkansas