St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway

St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway

Company type	Railway company
Industry	Rail transport
Founded	1856
Defunct	1917
Fate	Consolidated with Missouri Pacific Railroad
Headquarters	St. Louis , United States
Area served	Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Kansas, Oklahoma, Tennessee
Key people	Henry Gudon Marquand, Frederick Marquand, Jay Gould

The St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway (abbreviated as St. L., I. M. & S.), widely recognized as the Iron Mountain, was in operation from 1856 until its consolidation with the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1917.

History

The railway was initially created to haul iron ore from Iron Mountain to St. Louis, Missouri. Early ownership included Henry Gudon Marquand and Frederick Marquand, before it was purchased by railroad tycoon Jay Gould during his period of expanding his railroad empire. By 1883, this line had been incorporated into Gould’s vast rail network. Its 1917 merger with the Missouri Pacific Railroad further connected it to a significant transportation system, which eventually became part of the Union Pacific Railroad between 1982 and 1997.

Two notable train robberies occurred on this railway: the first by the James-Younger Gang on January 31, 1874, near Gad's Hill, Missouri, and the second by the "One-Time Train Robbery Gang" on November 3, 1893, in Olyphant, Arkansas.

Heritage railroad

A heritage railroad bearing the same name operates approximately of shortline railroad within Cape Girardeau County, with its base located in Jackson, Missouri.

See also

• St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway 5
• St. Louis Southwestern Railway
• Dardanelle and Russellville Railroad
• Mississippian Railway
• Little Rock and Fort Smith Railroad

External links

• Corporate history at the Missouri Pacific Historical Society
• Texas Short Line. St. Louis, Iron Mountain, and Southern Railway Company, 1878 at Cartography Associates