Little Rock and Memphis Railroad Co. - 1889-90's dated Arkansas Railway Partially Issued Stock Certificate

Little Rock and Memphis Railroad Company. Lithograph by Homer Lee Bank Note Co., NY. Slightly affected by dampness. A Scarce State!

The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad was chartered in the U.S. state of Arkansas in 1853. The line ran from Hopefield (now West Memphis, Arkansas) on the east to Huntersville (now North Little Rock, Arkansas) on the west. The eastern third was completed in 1858 and the western third was built by 1862. During the American Civil War, the Union Army seized control of the line and used the western section to supply its occupation force in Little Rock. The center section was finally completed in 1871. The railroad was subjected to frequent damage from floods and suffered from financial problems. It was sold in 1873, 1877, 1887, 1898, and 1900 before eventually becoming part of the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad.

The Memphis and Little Rock Railroad (M&LR) was chartered by the State of Arkansas on January 10, 1853. Construction of the 5 ft 6 in (1.676 m) gauge railroad was estimated to cost $3.2 million. John H. Bradley & Company won the contract to build the line. The survey work began in 1854, but the first track was only laid in 1856 at Hopefield, across the Mississippi River from Memphis, Tennessee. By November 1858, the eastern third of the line was completed from Hopefield to Madison, Arkansas on the St. Francis River. Construction on the western section began in 1861 at Huntersville, across the Arkansas River from Little Rock. By 1862, the western third was completed as far as DeValls Bluff on the White River. The railroad, though incomplete in its central section, allowed travelers to go from Little Rock to Memphis an entire day faster than by steamboat alone. Read more at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memphis_and_Little_Rock_Railroad