The Poteau Valley Railroad was a
shortline running from
Calhoun, Oklahoma
Calhoun, originally called Sutter, is an unincorporated community in Le Flore County in the State of Oklahoma, approximately 7 miles northwest of Poteau, the county seat. Located about 6.5 driving miles west-southwest of Shady Point, Oklahoma, C ...
to
Shady Point, Oklahoma
Shady Point, sometimes referred to as Shadypoint, is a town in Le Flore County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,026 at the 2010 census, a 21.0 percent in ...
, encompassing of track. It began in 1900 and was abandoned in 1926.
History
The small settlement of Shady Valley, Oklahoma had been relocated from its original site to be on the proposed route of the
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
The Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad was a railway company that began operations in the 1890s and owned a main-line between Kansas City, Missouri, and Port Arthur, Texas. It was led by Arthur Stilwell before being thrown into receivership ...
, which line actually reached the town during 1895–1896.
That line was purchased in 1900 by 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”).
[ Shady Valley prospered as a shipping point for coal, which came to the KCS from mines at the nearby town of what was then Sutter, becoming Calhoun in 1914.][
Against that backdrop, the Poteau Valley Railroad was incorporated October 19, 1900.]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 ...
via Shady Point, Sutter and McAlester to Guthrie in what was then Indian Territory
The Indian Territory and the Indian Territories are terms that generally described an evolving land area set aside by the Federal government of the United States, United States Government for the relocation of Native Americans in the United St ...
.[ However, the immediate goal for its owner, the Choctaw Coal & Mining Company, was to run the line from a connection with the KCS at Shady Point west-southwest to the mines at Sutter, across what was then ]Skullyville County, Choctaw Nation
Skullyville County was a political subdivision of the Choctaw Nation of Indian Territory, prior to Oklahoma being admitted as a state. The county formed part of the Nation's Moshulatubbee District, or First District, one of three administrative su ...
, Indian Territory.[ The stock of the railroad was purchased March 2, 1912 by the KCS, but the line continued to be operated separately.][
Headquarters of the railway was in Sutter, changing in 1913 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 ...
.[ Haulage of coal was the chief occupation of the road, constituting 6 to 10 carloads per day, most of said coal being used by the KCS itself.][ Two passenger trains ran in each direction every day except Sunday.][ Such trains were timed to make a connection with the KCS train to or from Poteau.][ The road had only one locomotive and one passenger car, both purchased second-hand from the KCS.][ The locomotive dated from 1897.][
As the coal industry waned, so did the railroad.][ The line was finally abandoned in 1926.][
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Poteau Valley Railroad
Oklahoma railroads
Defunct Oklahoma railroads
1900 establishments
1926 disestablishments