Cache Valley Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Cache Valley Railroad is a defunct Arkansas
narrow gauge
railroad which was built in the late 19th century. There is some dispute as to whether the railroad was built in 1885 or 1892 but most historians believe that the line was constructed in 1892. The railroad was a spur line of fifteen miles from the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway in what is now Sedgwick, Arkansas
.
of Greene County, Arkansas. In 1867 the two brothers formed the Jackson & Company mercantile business.
In 1882, Jackson became a land agent
for the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway
. As his business prospered, Jackson was able to acquire large tracts of timber
in the Cache River
bottoms. Jackson's timing was fortunate as the timber industry was just beginning in Greene County in the early 1880s. Jackson formed the Jackson Tie and Timber Company and held a contract with the Iron Mountain Railroad
to produce ties and heavy bridge timbers. To better facilitate the transportation of the harvested timber from the bottomlands, Jackson, with the assistance of a St. Louis
businessman named C. F. Collins, had the Cache Valley Railroad built through southwestern Greene County.
branch with the Helena
branch of the Iron Mountain never materialized although the true purpose of the line was fulfilled and a great fortune in timber was transported by this small spur. Parts of the line were taken up as early as 1897.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
railroad which was built in the late 19th century. There is some dispute as to whether the railroad was built in 1885 or 1892 but most historians believe that the line was constructed in 1892. The railroad was a spur line of fifteen miles from the Kansas City, Fort Scott and Memphis Railway in what is now Sedgwick, Arkansas
Sedgwick, Arkansas
Sedgwick is a town in Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 112 at the 2000 census.-History:Sedgwick was named after John Sedgwick, who was a Major General in the Union Army during the American Civil War.-Demographics:...
.
History
Richard Jackson and his older brother James Jackson moved to Gainesville which at the time was the county seatCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Greene County, Arkansas. In 1867 the two brothers formed the Jackson & Company mercantile business.
In 1882, Jackson became a land agent
Land agent
Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts.Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large landed estate for a member of the landed gentry of the United Kingdom, supervising the farming of the property by farm labourers and/or...
for the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway
St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway
The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway was a historic railroad that operated in Missouri, and Arkansas during the late 19th and early 20th centuries....
. As his business prospered, Jackson was able to acquire large tracts of timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
in the Cache River
Cache River (Arkansas)
The Cache River is a tributary of the White River, 213 mi long, in northeastern Arkansas in the United States. Its headwaters also drain a small portion of southeastern Missouri...
bottoms. Jackson's timing was fortunate as the timber industry was just beginning in Greene County in the early 1880s. Jackson formed the Jackson Tie and Timber Company and held a contract with the Iron Mountain Railroad
Iron Mountain Railroad
Iron Mountain Railroad could refer to:*Iron Mountain Railroad , 1855-1859, predecessor of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway**Iron Mountain Railway , 1855-1857, predecessor of the above...
to produce ties and heavy bridge timbers. To better facilitate the transportation of the harvested timber from the bottomlands, Jackson, with the assistance of a St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
businessman named C. F. Collins, had the Cache Valley Railroad built through southwestern Greene County.
Planned extension
Plans to connect the Cache ValleyCache Valley
The Cache Valley is an agricultural valley of northern Utah and southeast Idaho that includes the Logan metropolitan area. The valley was used by 19th century mountain men and was the site of the 1863 Bear River Massacre.-History:...
branch with the Helena
Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas. As of the 2000 census, this portion of the city population was 6,323. Helena was the county seat of Phillips County until January 1, 2006, when it merged its government and city limits with...
branch of the Iron Mountain never materialized although the true purpose of the line was fulfilled and a great fortune in timber was transported by this small spur. Parts of the line were taken up as early as 1897.