The Little Rock & Fort Smith Railway: History Through the Miles Paperback – February 3, 2026

The Little Rock & Fort Smith Railway was one of the first railroads to be planned in Arkansas, and soon became a part of an effort to parallel the Arkansas River with an all-weather transportation system, The Arkansas Valley Route. While the railroad took 20 years to build, it quickly attracted the attention of the Gould interests, who acquired it and made it a core part of the St. Louis, Iron Mountain & Southern Railway. After rebuilding the railroad during the first few years of the twentieth century, the route across western Arkansas became a key component of Missouri Pacific’s Kansas City to the Gulf Coast transportation system.Over the more than 150 years since the line’s initial construction, the Little Rock & Fort Smith served as a conduit for the movement of agricultural products, timber and lumber, livestock, oil, coal and minerals, machinery, and the ordinary products needed by the communities along its route. While much of the railroad has been completely rebuilt, parts of its early history survive.This book is written for those who want to know more about Missouri Pacific’s Little Rock & Fort Smith, today’s Van Buren Subdivision. It is written as if the reader has left Little Rock and is riding the line westward, helping to answer the questions of “Where are we and what once happened here?”Information on the Little Rock & Fort Smith’s history and current status, as well as a mile-by-mile route guide, are included. Enjoy this review of an early part of Missouri Pacific’s and Arkansas’ railroad history. Read more