Muskogee Southern Railroad

The Muskogee Southern Railroad, which existed from 1902 to 1904, constructed only one line in its history. It built south from Muskogee, Oklahoma to the Canadian River, a distance of approximately 37 miles.

Muskogee Southern Railroad
Overview
LocaleOklahoma
Dates of operation1902–1904
Technical
Track gauge4 ft 8+12 in (1,435 mm)
Length37 mi (60 km)

History

edit

The Muskogee Southern Railroad, starting in 1902, built south from Muskogee in the 1902-1903 timeframe through the towns of Warner and Porum to a point on the Canadian River.[1] There, construction stopped due to lack of funding for a bridge.[2] A map shows this distance as about 37 miles.[3]

Meanwhile, the Midland Valley Railroad, chartered in 1903, built from Hartford, Arkansas into Oklahoma, getting to Bokoshe by 1904.[2][4] That railway then decided it needed to reach Muskogee in order to exchange with the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad.[2] So, it completed its rails to the opposite bank of the Canadian River, acquired the Muskogee Southern assets, and built the missing bridge, allowing it to then run to Muskogee over the former Muskogee Southern trackage, arriving before the end of 1904.[2][4]

Modern railroad maps do not show this trackage as still existing.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Three Forks History: Muskogee once served by five railroads". Jonita Mullins, Muskogee Phoenix, November 28, 2015. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved September 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Muskogee Depot and Freight District, National Register of Historic Places Registration Form". National Park Service. Archived from the original on September 28, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  3. ^ "Muskogee Oklahoma to Warner Oklahoma, et al". Google Maps. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Midland Valley Railroad Company". Railroads of Oklahoma, p.50. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Oklahoma 2018-2020 State Railroad Map" (PDF). Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2022.