The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (St. L., I. M. & S.), commonly known as the Iron Mountain, was an American railway company that operated from 1874 until 1917 when it was merged into the
Missouri Pacific Railroad.
History
The Iron Mountain was initially established to deliver
iron ore
Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in color from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the fo ...
from
Iron Mountain to
St. Louis,
Missouri. In 1883 the railway was acquired by
Jay Gould, becoming part of a system. On May 12, 1917, the company was officially merged into the
Missouri Pacific Railroad, which in turn was merged into the
Union Pacific Railroad in 1982. It was robbed twice, once by the
James-Younger Gang, on January 31, 1874, at
Gad's Hill
Gads Hill Place in Higham, Kent, sometimes spelt Gadshill Place and Gad's Hill Place, was the country home of Charles Dickens, the most successful British author of the Victorian era. Today the building is the independent Gad's Hill School.
...
, and once by the "One-Time Train Robbery Gang", on November 3, 1893, at Olyphant,
Arkansas.
Heritage railroad
A
heritage railroad by the same name, based in
Jackson, Missouri operates about of
shortline in
Cape Girardeau County
Cape Girardeau County is located in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Missouri; its eastern border is formed by the Mississippi River. At the 2020 census, the population was 81,710. The county seat is Jackson, the first city in the US ...
.
Notes
See also
*
St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway 5
St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway #5 is a 2-4-2 "Columbian" type steam locomotive. It was originally built by H.K. Porter, Inc. in 1946 as a saddle tank engine for the Central Illinois Public Service Company. In 1963, the locomotive wa ...
*
St. Louis Southwestern Railway
The St. Louis Southwestern Railway Company , known by its nickname of "The Cotton Belt Route" or simply "Cotton Belt", is a former Class I railroad that operated between St. Louis, Missouri, and various points in the U.S. states of Arkansas, Ten ...
*
Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad
*
Mississippian Railway
References
External links
*
Corporate historyat the Missouri Pacific Historical Society
at Cartography Associates
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Louis, Iron Mountain And Southern Railway
1874 mergers and acquisitions
1917 mergers and acquisitions
American companies established in 1874
American companies disestablished in 1917
Companies based in St. Louis
Defunct Arkansas railroads
Defunct Illinois railroads
Defunct Louisiana railroads
Defunct Kansas railroads
Defunct Oklahoma railroads
Defunct Tennessee railroads
Former Class I railroads in the United States
Heritage railroads in Missouri
Railway companies established in 1874
Railway companies disestablished in 1917
Standard gauge railways in the United States
Tourist attractions in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri