Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway
Encyclopedia
The Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway was the Texas subsidiary of the Kansas City Southern Railway
, operating railroad lines in the states of Arkansas
and Texas
, with headquarters at Texarkana, Texas
.
On June 18, 1885, the Texarkana and Northern Railway, organized by William. L. Whitaker, a lumberman and railroad contractor in Texarkana, was charter
ed by the state of Texas, and built a ten-mile line from Texarkana north to Whitaker's timber lands along the Red River. On July 9, 1889, the charter was amended, changing the name to Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway, and granting authority to extend the line all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas
.
By 1892, when the T&FS had built another 16 miles north from the Red River to Wilton, Arkansas
, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
gained control of the railway and set about using the TF&S as the Texas link in its planned route between Kansas City
and the Gulf of Mexico
. At that time, Article X of the Texas Constitution
required all railroads operating in the state to be headquartered in Texas.
By 1897, the T&FS had extended its rails 85 miles from Wilton north to Mena, Arkansas
, as well as 29 miles southward from Texarkana to the Arkansas-Louisiana border, where it joined KCP&G rails leading to Shreveport. South of Shreveport, the T&FS also constructed a line from the Louisiana-Texas border on the Sabine River southward to Beaumont
and Port Arthur, Texas
, a new city created as the marine terminus of the route. The entire KCP&G route opened from Kansas City to the Gulf on November 1, 1897, with the T&FS operating 105 miles of the main line in Arkansas and 79 miles in Texas.
In the wake of a financial crisis, the KCP&G was reorganized as the Kansas City Southern Railway on April 1, 1900. In 1934, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld an Interstate Commerce Commission
ruling that overrode the Texas law requiring in-state railroad headquarters. Subsequently, the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway was leased to the Kansas City Southern in 1934 and merged on December 31, 1943.
Kansas City Southern Railway
The Kansas City Southern Railway , owned by Kansas City Southern Industries, is the smallest and second-oldest Class I railroad company still in operation. KCS was founded in 1887 and is currently operating in a region consisting of ten central U.S. states...
, operating railroad lines in the states of Arkansas
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...
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, with headquarters at Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana, Texas
Texarkana is a city in Bowie County, Texas, United States. It effectively functions as one half of a city which crosses a state line — the other half, the city of Texarkana, Arkansas, lies on the other side of State Line Avenue...
.
On June 18, 1885, the Texarkana and Northern Railway, organized by William. L. Whitaker, a lumberman and railroad contractor in Texarkana, was charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
ed by the state of Texas, and built a ten-mile line from Texarkana north to Whitaker's timber lands along the Red River. On July 9, 1889, the charter was amended, changing the name to Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway, and granting authority to extend the line all the way to Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
.
By 1892, when the T&FS had built another 16 miles north from the Red River to Wilton, Arkansas
Wilton, Arkansas
Wilton is a town in Little River County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 439 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Wilton is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , all land.-Demographics:...
, the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad
The Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad was a predecessor to the Kansas City Southern Railway that was started by Arthur Stilwell in 1897....
gained control of the railway and set about using the TF&S as the Texas link in its planned route between Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. At that time, Article X of the Texas Constitution
Article X of the Texas Constitution
Article X of the Texas Constitution of 1876 covers railroad companies. The federal government later created the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate railroads, and eight of the nine sections of Article X were repealed in 1969 as "deadwood".-Sections:Section 1 gave companies the right to...
required all railroads operating in the state to be headquartered in Texas.
By 1897, the T&FS had extended its rails 85 miles from Wilton north to Mena, Arkansas
Mena, Arkansas
Mena is a city in Polk County, Arkansas, United States. It is also the county seat of Polk County.It was founded by Arthur Edward Stilwell during the building of the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad . It was Stilwell who decided Mena would be the name of this new town along the route to...
, as well as 29 miles southward from Texarkana to the Arkansas-Louisiana border, where it joined KCP&G rails leading to Shreveport. South of Shreveport, the T&FS also constructed a line from the Louisiana-Texas border on the Sabine River southward to Beaumont
Beaumont
-Canada:* Beaumont, Alberta* Lushes Bight – Beaumont – Beaumont North, Newfoundland and Labrador* Beaumont, Quebec- France :The following communes:* Beaumont, Ardèche* Beaumont, Corrèze* Beaumont, Gers* Beaumont, Haute-Loire* Beaumont, Meurthe-et-Moselle...
and Port Arthur, Texas
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
, a new city created as the marine terminus of the route. The entire KCP&G route opened from Kansas City to the Gulf on November 1, 1897, with the T&FS operating 105 miles of the main line in Arkansas and 79 miles in Texas.
In the wake of a financial crisis, the KCP&G was reorganized as the Kansas City Southern Railway on April 1, 1900. In 1934, in a landmark decision, the Supreme Court upheld an Interstate Commerce Commission
Interstate Commerce Commission
The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...
ruling that overrode the Texas law requiring in-state railroad headquarters. Subsequently, the Texarkana and Fort Smith Railway was leased to the Kansas City Southern in 1934 and merged on December 31, 1943.