USA > Missouri > History of southeast Missouri : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 68
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The Iron Mountain company later con- structed a line from Poplar Bluff to Doni- phan, in Ripley county, by way of Naylor, in the same county. This road is now oper- ated as a part of the Cairo branch, through trains being run from Bird's Point to Doni- phan.
Close relations have always existed be- tween the Iron Mountain System and the St. Louis Southwestern, or Cotton Belt, as they are both owned in large part by members of
the Gould family. The Iron Mountain Sys- tem, about 1900, constructed a line called the Valley line, from East St. Louis to Gale, Illinois, opposite Gray's Point, the northern terminus of the Cotton Belt. On the con- struction of the Thebes bridge these roads formed a continuous line from Texas and Arkansas points to St. Louis. It also pro- vided connection with the main line and branches of the Iron Mountain. The Cotton Belt connects with the Belmont branch at Delta, with the Cairo branch at Dexter, and with the main line of the Iron Mountain at Paragould, Arkansas. 'A traffic agreement was entered into between these roads by which Cotton Belt trains entered St. Louis over the tracks of the Valley line, and Iron Mountain trains used the tracks of the Cot- ton Belt from Dexter to Thebes. This last arrangement was made because the Cotton Belt and Valley lines afford what is prac- tically a water-level route to St. Louis, while the Iron Mountain above Poplar Bluff passes through a hilly country. Much of the freight from Arkansas and Texas is diverted at Pop- lar Bluff over the Cairo branch to Dexter, then by way of the Cotton Belt and Valley lines to St. Louis. The immense importance of the Thebes bridge is made apparent. by this arrangement.
Plans are under way at this time provid- ing for the double tracking of much of the main lines of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern and the St. Louis Southwestern. The Iron Mountain continues to be, as it has been since its construction, one of the most important factors in the development of southeast Missouri. Its main line provides unrivaled transportation facilities for the western tier of counties and its various branches serve much of the remainder of the territory.
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In 1859 the Cape Girardeau, Pilot Knob & Belmont Railroad Company was organized to construet a road from Pilot Knob to Bel- mont, by way of Cape Girardeau. William C. Ranney was made president of the com- pany, arrangements were perfected and a large private subscription obtained for the stoek of the company. The county of Cape Girardeau voted to take two hundred thou- sand dollars worth of the company's stock. It seemed that the railroad would be built and it probably would have been but for the breaking out of the Civil war. Nothing was done during that period, but after the close of the war the matter was taken up again. A company was organized, known as the Cape Girardeau & State Line Railroad Com- pany, with intention to build a road from Cape Girardeau to some point on the Ar- kansas line. The company was organized April 27th, 1869, with the following direc- tors : G. C. Thilenius, John Albert, T. J. Rod- ney, Robert Sturdivant, John Ivers, A. B. Dorman, M. Dittlinger, L. F. Klostermann, William Woeleke, F. Hanny, M. M. Kimmel}, A. D. Leech, II. Bader, C. Hirsch, William Regenhardt, William Hamilton, J. Vaster- ling and Casper Uhl. G. C. Thilenius was made president, John Ivers, vice-president, and S. G. Kitchen, manager.
The company started off with very flatter- ing prospects, there was a large private sub- scription to the bonds and the city of Cape Girardeau voted to take a hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth and the township of Cape Girardeau the same amount. The bonds were sold and with the money the work of construction was begun. Through bad management, however, the funds were ex- hausted before a single mile of the road was finished. It was then determined to build the road by contract. Accordingly an agree-
ment was entered into with Governor Fletcher and his associates to build the road, and for their services they were to receive a deed to the roadbed, provided they completed twenty-five miles by December 1, 1871.
Governor Fletcher then proceeded to or- ganize a company known as the Illinois. Mis- souri & Texas Railway Company and issued bonds to the amount of $1,500,000 seenred by mortgage on the property of both com- panies. The bonds found no sale however, and it became impossible to secure funds. The project of building the road was aban- doned for ten years. A considerable amount of work had been done in building bridges and in laying ties and throwing up a road- bed; all these suffered very materially dur- ing the years when nothing was done, the wood work decayed and the roadbed was washed away by the rain and grew up in brush.
In 1880 a man became interested in the railroad whose name is associated with most of the successful railroads built in Southeast Missouri, Louis Ilouck. He entered into a contract with the Cape Girardeau & State Line Company, which still controlled the old roadbed, by the terms of which he was to complete the road from Cape Girardeau to Delta by January 1, 1881, and was then to receive a title to all the property of the old company. He was successful in carrying out his agreement and the Cape Girardeau & State Line Company transferred to him the title to the road. By August, 1881, he had extended the road to Lakeville, in Stoddard county, and in 1882 it reached Brownwood. In this year the name of the company was changed to the Cape Girardeau & South- western Railway Company. In 1883 it was built to Idlewild; in 1884 it reached Wappa-
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pello, in Wayne county, a distance of fifty- one miles from Cape Girardeau. In 1886 the road acquired by lease the Brownwood & Northwestern Railroad, which extended from Brownwood to Zalma, a distance of nine miles. This Brownwood & Northwestern had been built by William Brown. In 1887 the road was extended from Wappapello to Chaonia, a distance of seven miles.
In 1891 Mr. Houck became interested in a railroad that had been built from Camp- bell, on the Cotton Belt, to the county seat of Dunklin county. This road had been con- structed by E. S. McCarthy and associates. Mr. Houck acquired a controlling interest in this road, reconstructed it, and continued its operation. In 1893-1894 he built a railroad from Kennett to Caruthersville, in Pemiscot county, a distance of 25 miles, giving the people of the southern part of Dunklin county a more direct outlet to the Mississippi river than they had had before. In 1896-1897 he constructed a railroad from Kennett, by way of Senath, to Leechville, in Arkansas, opening up a country before distant from railroads and a country among the most fertile and valuable in Southeast Missouri.
In 1898 he built a railroad from Brown- wood to Bloomfield, in Stoddard county. Up to this time Bloomfield had been a purely inland town having no railroad connections at all. This brought connection with the Cape Girardeau & Southwestern which, with its connections, formed a trunk line through southern Missouri. In the same year the road from Bloomfield to Zeta, in Stoddard county, on the Cotton Belt, was rebuilt.
In 1894 Mr. Houck began the construction of one of the most important of his railroads. It was known as Houck's Missouri & Arkan- sas Railroad, and was to extend from Cape Girardeau to a connection with the St. Louis,
Kennett & Southern at Gibson, in Dunklin county, a distance of 100 miles. This enter- prise required until 1900 for its completion. This link made the railroads owned by Mr. Houck into a system, since all of them were now connected.
This system of railroads covered part of Southeast Missouri south of Cape Girardeau. In 1905 a railroad was constructed from West Chester, on the Mississippi river, to Perryville, the county seat of Perry county. In 1898 a road connecting St. Mary's and Ste. Genevieve was built. These were the beginnings of a system north of Cape Girardeau, but for a time were left uncon- nected. In 1902 all of Mr. Houck's railroads south of Cape Girardeau were consolidated under the name of the St. Louis & Gulf. They embraced the lines running to Hunter and from Cape Girardeau to Kennett, Caruthersville, and a stretch of railroad eight miles in length from Pascola to Deer- ing, which had been built in 1901.
Shortly after the consolidation of these various railroads the ownership of them was transferred from Mr. Houck and his asso- ciates to the St. Louis & San Francisco Rail- road Company, but Mr. Houck's activity in railroad building did not cease with this transfer. He had parted with the control and ownership of most of his railroad prop- erty, but still owned the road from West Chester to Perryville and that from St. Mary's to Ste. Genevieve. It was his inten- tion to make these the beginnings of a new system to cover the country north of Cape Girardeau which was without railroad facil- ities. It is rather remarkable that the coun- ties of Ste. Genevieve, Perry and St. Fran- cois, among the old counties of the state, were among the last to secure adequate railroad facilities. Carrying out his purpose, in 1904
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he formed a company known as the Cape Girardcau & Chester Railroad Company and built a railroad from Cape Girardeau, by way of Jackson, to Perryville, connecting with the road from West Chester at the latter point. This system of railroads extending from Cape Girardeau to West Chester was about 65 miles in length. In 1906 the Saline Val- ley Railroad was incorporated and work be- gun on the line from Saline Junction, where the Cape Girardeau & Chester crossed Saline creek, to Farmington, in St. Francois county. This is a distance of 35 miles and the rail- road was completed into Farmington in 1912,
The Cape Girardeau & Thebes Bridge Terminal Railway Company was incorpor- ated in 1907 and constructed a line from Cape Girardeau to Kelso, on the main line of the St. Louis Southwestern, a short distance from the Thebes bridge; this line is seven miles in length. At the present time all the lines owned by Mr. Houck are being con- solidated under one management into a road extending from the Thebes bridge to Farm- ington, in St. Francois county, a distance of about 110 miles. In addition to this line there is a branch from Saline Junction to West Chester. It is evident that the system of railroads here indicated is destined to form an important link in a north and south line probably from St. Louis to Thebes, or even further south.
It is difficult for us to give a just idea of the importance of the work of Louis Houck in Southeast Missouri. At a time when many localities in the section had absolutely no railroad facilities, at a time when people did not appreciate the importance of railroads in the destiny of the country, when capital was scarce and difficult to obtain for railroad purposes, Mr. Houck, who was then a lawyer with no great amount of capital, but with a
vision which extended into the future and saw the development of Southeast Missouri and the part which railroads were destincd to play in their development, began the con- struction of railroads. Through his efforts railroads have been built in Cape Girardeau, Scott, Stoddard, Bollinger, Dunklin, Pemi- scot, Perry, Ste. Genevieve and St. Francois counties. In many of these counties the Houck railroad was the first constructed. The advantages which were accrued to the section from these railroads are immeasure- able. A study of the tables of population and surplus products establishes conclusively the importance of these lines. The benefits the country derived from their building was not confined to the railroads themselves, the very evident fact that they were building up the country and that they were carrying great quantities of freight and large num- bers of passengers was inducement for other railroad owners to extend their systems into southeast Missouri. When these enterprises were begun the section was touched by but two railroads, the Belmont branch of the Iron Mountain and the Cairo & Fulton; all the other railroads have been built subse- quently to the beginnings made by Louis Houck.
One of the two great trunk lines of South- east Missouri is the St. Louis & San Fran- cisco system. It acquired by purchase the system known as the St. Louis & Gulf, which had been built by Louis Houck. The lines of this system extended south from Cape Girardeau through the counties of Scott, New Madrid, Dunklin and Pemiscot, to Caruthers- ville, on the Mississippi. The principal towns on the main line of the road were Commerce. Benton, Morley, Morehouse, Parma, Clarkton, Holcomb, Kennett, Hayti
.
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and Caruthersville. In addition to the main line there were several branches. One of these ran from Clarkton to Malden. Another extended from Gibson north to Campbell and Caligoa. A third branch extended south from Kennett to Leechville, Arkansas, pass- ing through Senath and near Cardwell. A fourth extended eight miles from Pascola to Deering.
When the 'Frisco took over the ownership and operation of these roads it proceeded to improve the main lines with heavier steel, taking up the branch running north from Campbell to Caligoa and rebuilding it to Bloomfield to connect with the line from Brownwood.
The 'Frisco acquired at the same time the Houck lines running southwest from Cape Girardeau to Hunter, in Carter county, where connection was had with the Current River Railroad. A branch from this line ex- tended from Zalma, in Bollinger county, to Bloomfield, in Stoddard county, crossing the main line at Brownwood. There was also a line from Bloomfield to the St. Louis South- western at Zeta, in Stoddard county.
The 'Frisco improved these lines also. The Zeta branch was extended to Vanduser, in Scott county, and a new line was built from Mingo, near Puxico. through Poplar Bluff, Naylor and Pocahontas, Arkansas, to a con- nection with the 'Frisco's Memphis and Kansas City line at Hoxie. This line is at present being greatly improved and will be- come one of the most important branches of the system.
The great work of the new system was the construction of an entirely new line. This was called the St. Louis, Memphis & South- eastern and extends from St. Louis to Mem- phis. This line passes to the west of the Iron Mountain south of St. Louis until itreaches
the river at Crystal City. From this point it follows the river to Cape Girardeau. It diverges at the latter place from the river and follows the Sikeston ridge after crossing "Nigger Wool" swamp. This road reaches some of the important towns in the eastern tier of counties. It was the first railroad in Ste. Genevieve and greatly stimulated activ- ity and growth in that town. It gave the first direct rail connection that Cape Girard- eau had with St. Louis and Memphis and the great prosperity of the town dates from this time. South of Cape Girardeau, Sikeston, Portageville, Lilbourn, Hayti and Caruthers- ville are served by this line. and through its numerous branches, it is of great importance to many other towns.
The 'Frisco system also secured the eu- trance of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, an allied railroad, into Southeast Missouri. This road crosses the Mississippi at Thebes and runs trains into Cape Girardeau from Chi- cago.
The 'Frisco has always adopted a liberal policy toward Southeast Missouri and has aided all the forward movements in its terri- tory. It has provided good service in the main and its presence in this territory has meant much for the people. It now reaches by main line or branches nearly every one of the twenty counties in Southeast Missouri and provides transportation facilities for much of the region.
One of the enterprises of Southeast Mis- souri about which there has been considerable controversy was the proposed plan of build- ing a plank road from Point Pleasant, in New Madrid county, to Clarkton, in Dunklin county. Just before the war a company was organized for this purpose, known as the Blanton Plank Road Company, and it
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scenred from New Madrid county a large grant of land. The company did consider- able work and opened up the road, but it was destroyed during the war and nothing was done toward rebuilding it by that company. In 1875 Oscar Kochtitzky, the registrar of the land office, George B. Clark, state all- ditor, and A. M. Shead, who was the agent of the Glasgow Ship Building Company, ob- tained the charter and franchise of the Blan- ton Road Company. It was their intention to rebuild this plank road and to secure a confirmation of the land grant from New Madrid county to themselves. After secur- ing the charter, however, they determined to build a narrow-gauge railroad and applied to New Madrid county for a transfer of the land for this purpose. The county court of New Madrid county assented and the com- pany proceeded to build the railroad. It was begun in October, 1876, and in February, 1878, it was completed between New Madrid and Malden. After being operated for a short time as a narrow-gauge railroad, it was rebuilt as a standard gauge and extended to Cairo. Shortly after this was done it came under the control of a group of capitalists headed by S. W. Fordyce, of St. Louis, and was reorganized as the St. Louis, Arkansas & Texas Railroad and extended to Texar- kana, on the line between Arkansas and Texas. Through trains were run between Cairo and Texarkana in 1882. It soon be- came a part of the Gould system and in 1888 a branch was built from Malden to Delta. This branch was afterwards extended to Gray's Point, on the river, and later to the Thebes bridge. It is now operated as the main line of the system and the company is known as the St. Louis Southwestern Rail- road Company.
One of the great movements in this part of the state in railroad matters was the build- ing of a bridge across the Mississippi river at Thebes. In 1900 a corporation called the Southern Illinois & Missouri Bridge Com- pany was organized for the purpose of con- structing such a bridge. It was composed of men representing the Illinois Central Railroad, the St. Louis Southwestern, the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern, the St. Louis & San Francisco, and the Chicago & Eastern Illinois. Charles G. Warner was president of the company. Myron J. Carpen- ter vice-president, and Charles N. Hillard secretary.
It was determined to build a bridge at Thebes. The location was determined by a number of considerations. The St. Louis Southwestern had failed to secure an en- trance to Cape Girardeau and had located its northern terminus at Gray's Point, near Thebes. The Missouri Pacific and Iron Mountain, also part of the Gould system, had built the Valley line from St. Louis south along the Illinois side of the river to connect with the St. Louis Southwestern. The other roads indicated, had interests in the same territory. These facts had something to do with the selection of the site. The determin- ing factor, however, was the character of the river banks. At Thebes the river is narrow and the bluffs are at the water's edge on both sides. This afforded an opportunity to build a bridge without the necessity for long ap- proaches. The character of the soil was such as to provide a firm foundation, as native rock is found at comparatively shallow depths both in the river itself and on either side. These two features make the site chosen an ideal one. In fact it is one of the best if not the best point for a bridge to be
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found on the entire river. This site was violence of the river floods, or attacks of ice. chosen and the company proceeded to erect here a double track cantilever bridge of mas- sive proportions.
There are five spans. The center or canti- lever span is 671 feet long, each of the other spans is 521 feet. The approaches are built of concrete, one of these concrete arches hav- ing a span of 100 feet. The entire length of the bridge including approaches is 3,910 feet. It is 65 feet above high water mark and 108
It forms a link in one of the most important highways of travel from southwest to north and east. The volume of traffic carried across it is already enormous and is constantly in- creasing.
The Mississippi River & Bonne Terre Rail- way possesses an unusual interest owing to the way in which the road was constructed. It was built to provide transportation facil-
MISSISSIPPI RIVER BRIDGE, THEBES
feet above low water mark. From the lowest point of the pier foundations, which reach to bed-rock, to the topmost chord is 231 feet.
The bridge was designed and constructed by the engineering firm of Noble & Modjeski. It was dedicated with appropriate ceremonies on May 25, 1900, in presence of a large num- ber of railroad officials and other persons. The strength of the bridge was tested by running upon it a string of locomotives. It has been in constant use since that time and has never been affected by heavy traffic, the
ities for the products and supplies of the St. Joseph Lead Company at Bonne Terre. Up till 1880 this company, which operated one of the largest lead mines in the world, depended upon wagons for hauling between their mines and the St. Louis & Iron Mountain Railway. In that year the St. Joseph Lead Company and the DesLoge Lead Company built a narrow-guage railway thirteen and a half miles long between the mines and Sum- mit, a point on the St. Louis & Iron Moun- tain. The cost of construction was divided
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between the two lead companies, the St. Joseph Lead Company paying two-thirds and the DesLoge one-third. The business of the ead companies increased very greatly so that the narrow-guage railway no longer provided sufficient facilities for transportation. It was determined to construct another road, and n 1888 a charter was granted to the Missis- sippi River & Bonne Terre Railway Com- pany. It was to extend from Riverside, on the Mississippi river twenty-five miles below St. Louis, to Bonne Terre and later to Des- Loge. The line was completed in March, 1890, and the Summit railway was aban- loned. The road was changed to standard guage in 1894. Later an extension was built rom Bonne Terre to Doe Run, crossing the Belmont branch of the Iron Mountain at Doe Run Junction. The road is at present forty- even miles in length, and while it is an in- dependent line, having no connection with other roads, its road-bed and equipment are qual to most trunk lines, and it carries an normous business considering the length of he road.
In 1894, the Holliday-Klotz Land and Cumber Company, a corporation owning rast bodies of timber and operating exten- ive mills in Wayne county, undertook the construction of a railroad from the Iron Mountain at Williamsville to Greenville, the county seat of Wayne county and the site of their mills. The road was a costly one as he country is very hilly. It was built, how- ver, and served the purpose for which it vas constructed. Upon the practical exhaus- ion of the pine timber about Greenville, the nills were closed down there and the road xtended further into the county to open Lew bodies of timber. The present terminus s Cascade, thirty-five miles from Williams-
ville. The road serves a large part of Wayne county.
The St. Louis, Kennett & Southeastern was built in 1906 from Campbell, on the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad in Dunklin county, to the county seat, Kennett. Later Piggott, Arkansas, was made the northern terminus. The road was built by a group of Dunklin county capitalists. Among them were R. H. Jones, Virgil MeKay, J. B. Blake- more, W. D. Lasswell and D. B. Panker. It was built to develop large bodies of timber lands owned by these and other men. The land when stripped of its timber is very valuable farming land and the road aids in opening it up for settlement. Railroad bridges have been constructed across Varner and St. Francois rivers and the road is being put into condition to handle the large traffic originating in its territory.
In 1911 a road was completed from Mar- ston, in New Madrid county, to New Madrid. the county seat. It was built principally by capitalists of the latter place under the leadership of E. S. McCarthy, a well-known railroad promoter and builder. Among the men interested were L. A. Lewis, Mr. Garan- flo, A. B. and Lee Hunter and Murray Phillips. It provides a connection for New Madrid with the 'Frisco main line. Formerly the town had depended entirely upon the St. Louis Southwestern system which has a branch from Lilbourn. The new road is called the St. Louis & Missouri Southern. It is eight miles in length and is one of the best built roads in this part of the state. It operates what is probably the only parlor car in the state for which no extra charge is made. The unusual character of the road leads to the belief that it is meant to form a
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