The New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad (NOO&GW) was chartered in 1852. Construction began at

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, across the Mississippi River from

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, in late 1852. By 1857, the track had reached Brashear (now Morgan City) on

Berwick Bay Berwick Bay is the section of the Lower Atchafalaya River in Louisiana from Morgan City north to Sixmile Lake. U.S. Route 90 crosses Berwick Bay connecting the town of Berwick on the west bank of the Atchafalaya to Morgan City on the east ban ...

, and this remained the end of the line for over 20 years. The NOO&GW was built to the " Texas gauge" of , the only such railroad in the New Orleans area to use that gauge; the line was

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

to in 1872. In 1869, steamship operator Charles Morgan bought the NOO&GW and began operating it as owner. In 1878 he organized his railroad property as Morgan's Louisiana and Texas Railroad and Steamship Company,Warren, p. xix, 30, 46, and 48. and it eventually became part of the Southern Pacific Company's main line. The line is currently owned and operated by

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Leadership

From the establishment of the company in 1852 until 1862,

Benjamin Flanders Benjamin Franklin Flanders (January 26, 1816 – March 13, 1896) was a teacher, politician and planter in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1867, he was appointed by the military commander as the 21st Governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction, ...

(later

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Governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

and Mayor of New Orleans) was the Secretary and Treasurer of the line. In 1869, the company was bought by Charles Morgan.

History

Planning for the railroad began in 1851. The company was organized as the New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad company to run from Algiers to

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and Opelousas. The start date was likely October 1852 with an optimistic completion date set for January 1855. Bad weather, heavy rains, periodic flooding, and a

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epidemic delayed the rail reaching Boutte in late 1853 and another six months to reach Des Allemands. A bridge was required to cross Bayou Des Allemands. When the rail did not reach Lafourche Crossing until November 1854 it was already clear the completion date was overly optimistic. A 10 mile stretch of land referred to as "trembling prairie" meant piling and trestles had to be used on the rail bed almost the entire distance. At Bayou Lafourche a unique draw bridge had to be constructed.

References

External links

New Orleans, Opelousas and Great Western Railroad
a
The Historic New Orleans Collection
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Orleans Opelousas Great Western Railroad Defunct Louisiana railroads Rail lines receiving land grants Predecessors of the Southern Pacific Transportation Company Railway companies established in 1852 Railway companies disestablished in 1869 5 ft 6 in gauge railways in the United States 1852 establishments in Louisiana