Muskogee Roads

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Muskogee Roads
Muskogee Roads map
Reporting marks	none
Locale	Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas
Dates of operation	1903–1964
Successor line	Texas and Pacific
Track gauge	4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) (standard gauge)
Headquarters	Muskogee, Oklahoma

The title Muskogee Roads was used to describe the system of railroads under common management headquartered in Muskogee, Oklahoma and controlled by the Muskogee Company of Philadelphia. The Muskogee Roads was the only class 1 railroad to be headquartered in Oklahoma and had a major impact on the development and livelihood of the region.

The railroads of the Muskogee Roads were the Midland Valley Railroad, Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway, and the Oklahoma, Ada, Atoka Railway. The Muskogee Company also controlled the Osage Railway.

The Midland Valley was a 325 mile railroad connecting Wichita, Kansas and Fort Smith, Arkansas founded in 1903 and majority owned by C. Jared Ingersoll, one of the founders of the Muskogee Company. Upon the creation of the Muskogee Company in 1923, the Midland Valley became part of the Muskogee Roads.

The Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf was born as a successor to the bankrupt Missouri, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railway. Baxter Springs, Kansas serves as the most northern point on the railroad with Denison, Texas to the south and 308 miles between. The Muskogee Company acquired ninety-five percent of KO&G stock and merged it with the Midland Valley in 1926. Bridge traffic from the Missouri Pacific Railroad handled by the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Gulf route was a major source of revenue for the Muskogee Roads.