Red River Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Red River Railroad, also known as the Ralph Smith Smith Railroad, was the first railroad built west of the Mississippi River
in the United States. An area engineer, Ralph Smith Smith developed the 16-mile-long railroad to connect Smith's Landing at Lecompte, Louisiana
to the docks at Alexandria, Louisiana
, enabling area settlers to have greater opportunity to get their crops to market. Although slow and crudely built, the train was capable of making one round trip daily. Smith Smith also owned three steam boats with which he transported cotton brought to Alexandria on the railroad to New Orleans, making it the second commercial railroad in the United States.
The railroad operated for over twenty years. It was destroyed in 1864 during the Red River Campaign
of the American Civil War
when Union soldiers used rails, cross ties, bridge timbers, and rolling stock from the railroad as material to dump into the Red River in the construction of Bailey's Dam. The car house in Alexandria was burned when the town was destroyed by retreating Union forces.
In 1881, the railroad was sold to the New Orleans Pacific Railway Company.
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
in the United States. An area engineer, Ralph Smith Smith developed the 16-mile-long railroad to connect Smith's Landing at Lecompte, Louisiana
Lecompte, Louisiana
Lecompte is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is part of the Alexandria, Louisiana Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,366 at the 2000 census....
to the docks at Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria, Louisiana
Alexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
, enabling area settlers to have greater opportunity to get their crops to market. Although slow and crudely built, the train was capable of making one round trip daily. Smith Smith also owned three steam boats with which he transported cotton brought to Alexandria on the railroad to New Orleans, making it the second commercial railroad in the United States.
The railroad operated for over twenty years. It was destroyed in 1864 during the Red River Campaign
Red River Campaign
The Red River Campaign or Red River Expedition consisted of a series of battles fought along the Red River in Louisiana during the American Civil War from March 10 to May 22, 1864. The campaign was a Union initiative, fought between approximately 30,000 Union troops under the command of Maj. Gen....
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
when Union soldiers used rails, cross ties, bridge timbers, and rolling stock from the railroad as material to dump into the Red River in the construction of Bailey's Dam. The car house in Alexandria was burned when the town was destroyed by retreating Union forces.
In 1881, the railroad was sold to the New Orleans Pacific Railway Company.
External links
- http://historyhunts.blogspot.com/2010/09/what-happened-to-red-river-railroad.html History Hunts: What Happened to the Red River Railroad
- http://www.libertychapelcemetery.org/files/a_burns.html Alexandria Burns: April 28 - May 13, 1864
- http://alexcenla.wordpress.com/2009/05/18/1835-in-alexandria-la-a-short-story-of-ralph-smith-smith/ 1835 in Alexandria, LA (A Short Story of Ralph Smith Smith)