St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway
The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (St. L., I. M. & S.), commonly known as the Iron Mountain,[a] was an American railway company that operated from 1856 until 1917 when it was merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad.
 No. 635, seen here in 2016 after preservation. | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St. Louis, Missouri |
| Locale | United States |
| Dates of operation | 1856–1917 |
| Successor | Missouri Pacific Railroad |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Other | |
| Website | slimrr |
History
editThe Iron Mountain was initially established to deliver iron ore from Iron Mountain to St. Louis, Missouri. Once owned by Henry Gudon Marquand and his brother, Frederick Marquand. They were forced out through Jay Gould's railroad monopoly.[1][2] In 1883 the railway was acquired by Jay Gould, becoming part of a 9,547-mile (15,364 km) system. On May 12, 1917, the company was officially merged into the Missouri Pacific Railroad, which in turn was merged into the Union Pacific Railroad between 1982 and 1997. It was robbed twice, once by the James-Younger Gang, on January 31, 1874, at Gad's Hill,[3] and once by the "One-Time Train Robbery Gang", on November 3, 1893, at Olyphant, Arkansas.[4]
Heritage railroad
editA heritage railroad by the same name, based in Jackson, Missouri operates about 6 miles (9.7 km) of shortline in Cape Girardeau County.
Notes
edit- ^ The railway is famous for giving its name to the Iron Mountain Baby, and the railroad is reported to have paid for the child's education.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "D.L. Phillips Collection: Henry G. Marquand". Arkansas State Archives Images Collection, 1830s-current. 2020-06-01.
- ^ Rogal, Samuel J. (2002). The Rushton M. Dorman, Esq. Library Sale Catalogue (1886): The Study of the Dispersal of a Nineteenth-century American Private Library. Edwin Mellen Press. ISBN 978-0-7734-7379-9.
- ^ Hipp, Joe Wreford (1996). Legacy of a Robbery on the Iron Mountain Railroad. Little Rock, Arkansas: Renegade Press. ISBN 9781884469091. OL 12153582M.
- ^ Mansker, Dennis (2022). "Albert Mansker: Last of the Arkansas Train Robbers". The Mansker Chronicles. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
External links
edit
- Official website
- Corporate history at the Missouri Pacific Historical Society
- Texas Short Line. St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Company, 1878 at Cartography Associates
