The Missouri and North Arkansas was a railroad in

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

and

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 Osage ...

from 1906 to 1946.

History

The railroad began as the Eureka Springs Railway in 1883 as a line from the

St. Louis–San Francisco Railway The St. Louis–San Francisco Railway , commonly known as the "Frisco", was a railroad that operated in the Midwest and South Central United States from 1876 to April 17, 1980. At the end of 1970, it operated of road on of track, not includi ...

in Seligman, MO, reaching the

resort town A resort town, often called a resort city or resort destination, is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding ...

of Eureka Springs, AR in 1883. The railroad was extended east, reaching

Harrison, AR Harrison is a city and the county seat of Boone County, Arkansas, United States. It is named after General Marcus LaRue Harrison, a surveyor who laid out the city along Crooked Creek at Stifler Springs. According to 2019 Census Bureau estimate ...

in 1901, including a branch from Freeman to Berryville, AR. Leslie, AR was reached in 1903, Kensett, AR in 1908, and on to Helena, AR in 1909. In addition, the railroad was extended northwest from Wayne, MO to

Neosho, MO Neosho (; originally or ) is the most populous city in Newton County, Missouri, United States, which it serves as the county seat. With a population of 12,590 as of the 2020 census, the city is a part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Stat ...

in 1908. This section was reached using

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 con ...

from the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway between Seligman and Wayne, Missouri.

Joplin, MO Joplin is a city in Jasper and Newton counties in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Missouri. The bulk of the city is in Jasper County, while the southern portion is in Newton County. Joplin is the largest city located within both Jas ...

was reached using trackage rights via 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 ...

(KCS) from Neosho, Missouri. In August 1914, a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

owned by the KCS collided with a M&NA doodlebug, killing thirty-eight passengers and five crew members. In March 1918, the

Arkansas Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Arkansas is the highest court in the state judiciary of Arkansas. It has ultimate and largely discretionary appellate jurisdiction over all state court cases that involve a point of state law, and original jurisdiction o ...

ruled that the KCS and MN&A should share liability and pay their own costs.Fair, pp. 123.

References

* American companies established in 1906 Defunct Arkansas railroads Defunct Missouri railroads Joplin, Missouri Railway companies disestablished in 1946 Railway companies established in 1906 Standard gauge railways in the United States Transportation in Barry County, Missouri Transportation in Boone County, Arkansas Transportation in Monroe County, Arkansas Transportation in Newton County, Missouri Transportation in Phillips County, Arkansas Transportation in Searcy County, Arkansas Transportation in White County, Arkansas Transportation in Woodruff County, Arkansas {{US-rail-transport-stub

History

See also

References