Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas Railway Company

Product Details

Beautifully engraved antique stock certificate from the Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas Railway Company dating back to the 1880's. This document, which is signed by the company President and Treasurer, was printed by the American Bank Note Company and measures approximately 10 1/2" (w) by 7" (h).

This certificate features a trio of vignettes - the Arkansas State Seal flanked by a cotton farming scene to the left and a train the right.

Scarce piece!

Images

You will receive the exact certificate pictured.

Historical Context

The Mississippi, Ouachita and Red River Railroad Company (MO&RR) was the first railroad to begin construction in Arkansas. Chartered in 1852 by John Dockery of Columbia County, the railroad began at Eunice (Chicot County), south of Arkansas City (Desha County), in 1854. At the onset of the Civil War, the railroad was incomplete, extending approximately seven miles south and west from the Mississippi River. Completion of construction and actual operation of the railroad did not occur until well after the Civil War. The road never made a profit and was merged with the Little Rock, Pine Bluff and New Orleans Railroad in 1873.

The new company was named the Texas, Mississippi, and Northwestern Railroad Corporation. The merger of the two railroads slowed but did not alleviate the financial distress. Following a lawsuit brought on behalf of bond holders for nonpayment, the Texas, Mississippi and Northwestern was ordered sold at foreclosure by the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas. On December 16, 1874, the Texas, Mississippi and Northwestern was sold to Jay Gould’s interests and reorganized as the Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas. What soon followed was an unusual legal maneuver on Gould’s part.

Gould sued to have the Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas, which he owned, foreclosed. This was so that he could re-purchase the railroad free of any outstanding debts. Again, under orders of the U.S. Circuit Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, the railroad was sold in foreclosure on January 28, 1887. Gould re-purchased the railroad and deeded it to the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway on February 1, 1887.

Ultimately, the railroad was completed no farther west than Warren, where it connected with the Warren and Ouachita Valley, a subsidiary of the Rock Island. The MO&RR operated approximately sixty miles of railroad beginning at Arkansas City, and the railroad ran through Trippe Junction (Desha County), Dermott (Chicot County), Collins (Drew County), and Monticello. The railroad was operated for a number of years as the Warren Subdivision of the Missouri Pacific Railroad. Though it no longer runs to Arkansas City, thirty-nine miles of the railroad remain in operation between Warren and Dermott, operated by the Arkansas Midland Railroad (AKMD).