Muskogee Company

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Muskogee Company although a Philadelphia company, was founded in Feb. 27, 1923 in Delaware. The company officers were brothers C. Jared Ingersoll, industrialist, as president, and John H.W. Ingersoll, attorney and industrialist, as vice president and treasurer. The Muskogee Company owned large interests in the coal mining industries of Northeastern Indian Territory, later Oklahoma and large interests and later control of several of the region's railroads.

Coal shipments from company owned mines to colder western regions of the United States via the Muskogee Company owned Midland Valley was the original plan for profit. Oil discoveries in Oklahoma later produced lucrative revenues for the Muskogee Company railroads that were strategically located in high production areas of the state.

The railroads that fell under the control and common management of the Muskogee Company commonly were referred to as the Muskogee Roads. The Muskogee Roads were made up of the Midland Valley Railroad, Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway, and the Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway. C. Jared Ingersoll was a majority owner of the Midland Valley since its beginning on February 1, 1903. The Kansas Oklahoma & Gulf in receivership was acquired by Ingersoll and then merged with the Midland Valley on May 1, 1926. Finally the Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Railway was purchased in April 1929. The Muskogee Company assets were sold to the Missouri Pacific Railroad in 1964.