the Doniphan Branch Railway
"Tie Capital of the World"
Doniphan, Missouri.

I'm always looking for information and photos on the places, industries, and people that lived and worked along this branch line.   To tell the story of the branch I need to tell the story of the industries it served which gave reason for building the branch in the first place.  

If your family did business with the RR whether it be in timber, cattle, dairy, farming, horses and mules, gravel or in any fashion, I'd like to hear about it.  

Please feel free to let me know what you remember so that this information can be preserved for the future.   That way others interested and perhaps having additional information can read and add to it.   More is better.

If you have a relative that worked for the Railroad whether on this branch or anywhere on the system at any time, feel free to tell what you know in the DBRy Forum.  

A list of Reference Resources on this area.

These are notes on the Doniphan Branch Railway, can you add any details to these?
Route: Neelyville, Missouri to Doniphan, Missouri on Current River.
Length: 20.50 miles
Timeline:

Built in 1883 by the Doniphan Branch Railway.
December 26, 1883 - sale of the Doniphan Branch Railway to the St Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway Company.
May 2, 1917 - Acquired by Missouri Pacific.
Abandoned 1982 due to a wash out about a mile west of Naylor.

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Just north of Neelyville is Harviell, Missouri.   There's some information on Harviell in the DBRy Forum notes.

Stations and sidings: Heading West.

Neelyville - Formerly known as Black River and Neely's. Junction with main Iron Mountain/Missouri Pacific line from Little Rock, Arkansas to Poplar Bluff, Missouri.

Prospect News May 6, 1915 "Gus Williams, spare brakeman on the Missouri Branch fell under the wheels at Neelyvile 11:15 AM Thursday. One leg was cut off near his hip. Died in Poplar Bluff hospital 5 PM that day. Friend of Jim Lovelace of the Doniphan Branch crew." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News October 7, 1915"Franklin Snodgrass of 10 miles east of Corning was in Neelyville and got into a card game with two negros. Later found run over and badly mangled by a train. A native of Ripley County, he was about 35. Leaves a wife and several children. A bro-in-law of J M Ward of Bradley." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Hubbells Switch - located in Butler County just west of US 67 and north of MO 142.

Naylor - Formerly known as Barfield, crossing with Frisco Hoxie Branch. Horton Land and Lumber Co., mill officials suggested the name for Wm. A. Naylor, their land surveyor, who was a Federal captain from Indiana. (--Place Names.) Most of downtown burnt in 1945.

Prospect News August 9, 1906 "A Sad Accident. John W Young, one of the popluar brakemen on the Doniphan Branch train , met with an accident last Monday afternoon which will make him a cripple for life."

"The train left here (Doniphan) Monday afternoon at the usual hour, 2:30 o'clock and had arrived at Naylor, where some switching was being done. Mr Young, as had always been his custom during switching, was riding on a box car, holding to the side of the car with his hands and resting his feet or one of them on the boxing of the wheel, when his right foot slipped off its resting place, and in a second had been crushed to a pulp between the car wheeling and the steel railing. Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News March 11, 1915 "Edgar Hampton was killed 6 miles south of Naylor near Glenn, on Sunday night, when he tried to outrun a Frisco passenger train going north bound across a small trestle. Horribly mangled, undertaker R R Reid went to the site on Monday to prepare the remains for burial. Inquest was held Monday." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News May 13, 1915 "Naylor has electric lights." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Sheehan - located south of MO 142 at the top of the hill east of Oxly.

On the maps it shows a family of Shahan that had a farm just north of the location.   Probably a tie loading siding with perhaps a mill located there.   No records with any facts on this spot found yet. A switch on the Doniphan R. R., established about 1910 near the old site of Borth, for loading timber. Named for James A. Sheehan, a farmer living near. (--Place Names.)

Oxly - Formerly known as Martinsburg, Oakdale, Varner, R. R. surveyors gave the name for Daniel Varner, who had a store and the Oakdale post-office (q.v.). Mr. Varner, who was also a large land owner, gave the right-of-way for the R. R. (--Place Names.), also spelled Oxely

Prospect News June 7, 1917 "Ed Hudson, Iron Mountain Agent at Oxly died suddenly Wednesday afternoon. Taken to home near Bismark (MO) for burial." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Tyspur - located east of Pulaski about a mile.

This is believed to be another mill/tie loading siding.   No records with information found yet.

Pulaski - Named for Casimir Pulaski (1748-1779), the Polish count who served in the American Revolution. Also known as Mullen or Mullen's Switch. Named for Michael Mullen, a land owner and farmer there, who operated a lumber mill. (--Place Names.)

Prospect News May 6, 1915 "Rev. Huscik of Pulaski Roman Catholic Church succeeds Father Schiel at St Benedict's Church in Doniphan." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Brinkerhoff Spur - An abandoned timber station 3 1/2 miles southeast of Doniphan on the railroad. Established in 1907 for loading ties, lumber, and piling during the thriving timber days. Named by railroad officials for S. L. Brinkerhoff, who came from Ohio and operated saw mills in this vicinity. (--Place Names.)

Skelly - Propane gas siding looking East

the Skelly siding looking east. The grey strip in the distance is today's "old" highway 142.

Owenmont - Named for George Owen, a lumberman who lived there. (--Place Names.) Located at the southwest corner of the Hood Industrial Park.

This was another local stop where milk, fruit, merchandise and passengers were loaded and unloaded.

from the Doniphan Prospector Ad from the Prospect News A partial print of a photo donated by Art and Faye Meyers

an Owenmont Whistle Post

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Doniphan - Terminus

Prospect News August 26, 1892 "Hungerford Bros & Harmon planning mill burnt Wednesday morning." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News April 28, 1893 "The Doniphan Lumber Company have about completed another log drive. Of 2500 logs put into the river, 1800 have reached here. Owing to a rise in the river, the remainder of the logs are "pocketed" and cannot be brought down until the riverr is down." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News April 1, 1896 "Steamer Current View had come up river and would be hauling iron rail for the Doniphan Lumber Company tramway." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News August 31, 1905 "W H Greenleaf and W H Vann, traveling accountants for the Iron Mountain system, were on the branch last week checking up the agents of the several stations. While in Doniphan they were treated to a ride on our beautiful Current River by Agent Symons and they were delighted with it."

"The Iron Mountain railroad company is putting in a roundhouse at Paragould and will make that place a division point."

"Lee, Williams and Butler shipped 3 car loads of sheep to the St Louis market Monday. Messers Williams and Butler went along with the stock. "

"W S Doherty of Ponder was a pleasant caller at the P N office Monday. He said his son, Herman, who was hurt in a wreck on the Branch road recently, received $125 damages from the railroad company for the injuries sustained."

"W H Murdock drove a nice lot of cattle over from his Ponder farm Tuesday with the intention of shipping them to St Louis, but after he had them loaded, Bob Lee gave him his price for the stock and he let him have them. Mr Murdock honored the P N office with a pleasant call while here."

"Mrs T J Bennett gave her Sunday school class, numbering 17 boys and girls, a picnic and outing down the Branch road, at Brinkerhoff, yesterday."

Prospect News February 8, 1906 "A new train card went into effect on the Doniphan Branch last Monday morning. Under the new order of things, the first train leaves this station at 7:00 o'clock and arrives on it's return at 9:45 AM. The second train of the day leaves at 10:00 AM and gets in at 4:00 PM. The early departure of the second train makes it impossible or nearly so to mail a reply to a letter the same day it is received." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News September 20, 1906 "Four carloads of cattle which were shipped from this station on Wednesday of last week by Elmer Cunningham of Mexico, MO., were condemned on reaching St Louis by a State Live Stock Inspector because he found Texas ticks on them. As a result of the actions of the Inspector, the yards here have been closed against stock during the past week and no shipment has been made. Station Agent Simon has had the pens throughly fumigated and cleaned and as soon as the inspector arrives here to inspect them (probably today) they will again be open to stockmen to make shipments as usual. There are several ideas advanced as to how the fever producing tick got here, one is that they were brought in by western horses and dropped in the pens and another that they were brought across the Missouri - Arkansas line on cattle." Retrieved from the paper by Ray Burson.

Prospect News April 19, 1917 "Died at 9:30am Friday the 13th at Dr Lewis Hospital in Council Grove, Kansas, Fred M Johnston. Injured Thursday afternoon on the MoPac at Council Grove where he was a railroad telegrapher. He was riding a railroad motor car when he ran into a freight. He was 24. Remains returned here and funeral held at home of brother, E B Johnston. Rev. J W Worsnop of the Methodist church officiated. A Mason and home was at Leeper, MO." Retrieved from the paper by Thelma McManus.

Prospect News Sept 7, 1933 Joesph A (Joe) Crosson, (11-22-1859 to 8-31-1933) a well known and well respected resident of Fairdealing, died in the Missouri Pacific Hospital in St Louis last Friday where he had been taken a few days before. He had been in poor health for a long time and his death was not unexpected. He was 73 years old.

Mr Crosson, who had followed railroading for the greater part of his life, was a resident of Doniphan for many years where he had a run on the Doniphan Branch of the Missouri Pacific and had many friends here. He retired from the railroad service several years ago and moved to his country home near Fairdealing where he has since resided.

The body was returned to his home and the funeral held at Fairdealing, Sunday afternoon, which despite the incliment weather, was attended by a large crowd. Rev Sam Pullium of Oxly conducted the funeral service. Retrieved from the paper by Elvin Klepzig.

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RCHS stands for the Ripley County Historical Society collection which are used here with permission.

Here are some photos of the abandoned Right-of-Way starting on the west bank of Harris Creek at Oxly heading west or start at the Skelly siding on old 142E into Doniphan.