The Little Rock & Fort Smith Railway was one of the first
railroads to be planned in Arkansas, and soon became a part of an effort
to parallel the Arkansas River with an all-weather transportation
system, The Arkansas Valley Route. While the railroad took
20 years to build, it quickly attracted the attention of the Gould
interests, who acquired it and made it a core part of the St. Louis,
Iron Mountain & Southern Railway. After rebuilding the railroad
during the first few years of the twentieth century, the
route across western Arkansas became a key component of Missouri
Pacific’s Kansas City to the Gulf Coast transportation system.
Over the more than 150 years since the line’s initial construction,
the Little Rock & Fort Smith served as a conduit for the movement
of agricultural products, timber and lumber, livestock, oil, coal and
minerals, machinery, and the ordinary products needed
by the communities along its route. While much of the railroad has been
completely rebuilt, parts of its early history survive.
This book is written for those who want to know more about Missouri
Pacific’s Little Rock & Fort Smith, today’s Van Buren Subdivision.
It is written as if the reader has left Little Rock and is riding the
line westward, helping to answer the questions
of “Where are we and what once happened here?”
Information on the Little Rock & Fort Smith’s history and
current status, as well as a mile-by-mile route guide, are included.
Enjoy this review of an early part of Missouri Pacific’s and Arkansas’
railroad history.
