Kiowa, Chickasha and Fort Smith Railway
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Locale | Oklahoma |
| Dates of operation | 1899–1904 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Length | 24.2 mi (38.9 km) |
The Kiowa, Chickasha and Fort Smith Railway (KC&FS) came about when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) and the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad (Rock Island) decided to build an interchange linking their systems at a point halfway between the towns of Chickasha and Pauls Valley in what is now the State of Oklahoma.[1] Toward that goal, the AT&SF incorporated The Kiowa, Chickasha and Fort Smith Railway Company in Kansas on July 13, 1899, which then built a line from Pauls Valley to what became the town of Lindsay, a distance of 24.2 miles, in the 1901-1903 timeframe.[2] The line’s first operation was in December of 1903.[2]
The new railway, operated by another AT&SF affiliate, the Gulf, Colorado and Santa Fe Railway, joined the Rock Island line built about 1903 from Chickasha to Lindsay, 24.8 miles.[2][3] The AT&SF trains from Pauls Valley turned around at Lindsay, and the Rock Island trains from Chickasha did the same.[4]
The town of Lindsay was established because of the impending railroad junction in January, 1902.[1] And, the town of Beef Creek was relocated a mile north to be alongside the tracks.[5] When that town’s post office relocated in September of 1902, it changed its name to Maysville.[5]
Following approval by act of Congress on March 11, 1904,[6] the line was sold to another AT&SF affiliate, the Eastern Oklahoma Railway, on March 14, 1904.[2] In subsequent history, the Eastern Oklahoma Railway was sold to the AT&SF on June 20, 1907.[2] Both the Rock Island and AT&SF portions of the line between Chickasha and Pauls Valley were abandoned in 1942.[7][3]