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St. Louis Southwestern

"Cotton Belt"

Britton Gravel Plant

Note: The letter below is written on the back of the front page. The letter has been transcribed as closely as possible to the original source. Original image included below.

When the golden spike was driven at Promotory, Utah in 1869 it was a giant step into the era of rail transportation in America. Many small rail lines were established in the States so each would have access to this ocean to ocean rail system.

In Texas it was the Tyler Tap line between Tyler and Big Sandy. The 21.5 miles of rail was completed and put into operation October 1, 1877. Its rolling stock was one locomotive, the General Hubbard; one passenger car, and 16 freight cars. The train made one round trip daily. The Tyler Tap became a part of the Texas and St. Louis Railway Company in 1876.

Samuel W. Fordyce, a representative of the Texas and St. Louis rail company, visited Arkansas in 1881 in search of a route through the state. Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, was chosen because it was near the cotton producing lands. The Texas and St. Louis was incorporated May 21, 1881. The right of way and the facilities at Texarkana, Camden, Pine Bluff and areas north to Birds Point, Missouri cost $75,000. The line was completed August 12, 1883. In 1891 it was re-named the St. Louis South-western Railway and was known as the "Cotton Belt" Route.

Many miles of road bed and track stretched from St. Louis, MO. to Tyler, Texas. As the years passed the business became great. The narrow gauge rail became standard rail, locomotives became larger to haul heavier trains. With prosperity came problems. The rail beds and tracks were in constant need of repair. During this time the company decided to establish a Gravel Plant on the Ouachita River. On February 19, 1923 land was purchased by St. Louis Southwestern for the "Britton" Gravel Plant. The Plant was named for the 5th President of the company, F.H. Britton, 1912— 1917 years of service. The Britton was located 15 miles upstream from Camden, Ouachita County, Arkansas. The river had an excellent grade of gravel, which could be loaded into company cars and shipped by rail to where it was needed. The Gravel Plant was an asset to the company for 20 years plus, 1920's until 1947.

The rail line into the gravel plant left the Cotton Belt main line at Van Duzier, AR, 'Warner Spur' between the present communities of Harmony Grove and Kent, AR, going west to the Rock Island Railway, crossing it and on west to the river. As the line neared the river overflowing land, several trestles were constructed. The #3 trestle was the longest one built. It was constructed where both train and Autoes could use it.

The Britton gravel plant main line led to the gravity hump. The gravity hump was not like the modern day mechanized gravity humps (1990). It was a manmade hill of dirt and gravel cars. From the three rail lines, one car would be switched to a Single rail track which led to the loading station. On the right side of the track was the Stationary Fireman's building with a locomotive boiler which supplied steam to operate the loading dipper. On the left side was the building for the operator of the loading dipper. Near this building was a steam engine that pulled the barges to the correct position to be un-loaded.

When each car was loaded, an employee would switch the car to the next level. The employee would free roll the car to the bottom of the hump, set the brake and secure the car for the next one. This system was repeated until the Gravel train was ready to be taken to its destination.

At the bottom of the gravity hump the main line led out of the area. At this point on each side of the line was located the Telegraph Operator's Office and home. On the opposite side of the line was a house to sleep the Brakemen and Conductors. These were near the #1 Trestle, which spanned a large creek that held the overflowing Free-O-Creek. The Trestle divided the working area of the plant and the family homes.

The company built three large family homes for the employee’s families. Each home held two families. They were built of two box cars stripped of the iron and etc. with a large two rooms built between these. Each family had a living room, bed¬room, kitchen and dining area. Each home had a porch across the front and a screened porch on the back for sleeping in the hot summer months and to be out of the many mosquitoes. The homes were placed upon bridge pilings, fourteen steps high to keep the Ouachita River which overflowed in the rainy seasons, from the inside of the homes.

When the gravel plant was first constructed the homes and the hump had electric lights from the Delco Light Plant. Coal was used to cook and heat the homes. Each home had access to soft pump water and ice from the company ice house. The families had their own Company Hospital, 'The Cotton Belt', located in Texarkana, Arkansas, where they received excellent health care long before Medicare was even thought about, and from a facility that was second to no other in the south. Employees were issued free passes to travel by company passenger trains. ALL THIS AND GOOD WAGES! It was a dream come true for the Cotton Belt "Britton" employees. They really were treated ROYALLY by their company.

The Company carpenters, bridge and track crews, built the gravel plant. Near the gravity hump a large complex was constructed to care and feed the employees. In front of the complex was the rail tracks to hold the loaded gravel cars, at the back, of the complex was the river. The complex consisted of the home of the plant Foreman, the home of the derrick operator, the company commissary clerk home and office, the dining and kitchen area, the light plant, coal bin and water pumps, and a home for the Towboat Pilot. These were built of rail box cars and lumber. The Foreman's home was a box car, the derrick operator's home was a box car, the commissary and clerk's home was a box car with built on room for its supplies, and a large built on room for the dining room and kitchen, then a box car to sleep the cook and the helpers. The Delco Light Plant supplied electricity for the hump until rural electricity became available. The plant Foreman had his own private coal bin, rail motor car and inboard motor boat.

A gravel plant located on a river had three phases of work that must be completed each day to load a gravel train and deliver the gravel to where it is needed on the rail line.

Each day at 5:30 a.m. the river dredge crew would leave by inboard motor boat and go up stream to their work. When they arrived, the night watchman would return home to rest for the next night watch at 5:00 p.m. The towboat and crew would also leave when the dredge crew went to their work but did not arrive until the barges were loaded and ready to be delivered to the hump. The towboat made several trips to the dredge and hump until all cars were loaded and ready for the special train to deliver the empty cars for the next days’ work and haul the gravel to the track repair location.

The Britton inboard motor boats were named "The Red Wing" and the "Kit Carson". From 1924 to 1940's there were three Towboats in service at the plant. The Bowker had a wooden hull and was not as successful as those that followed. It leaked so badly that one morning it was found below water in the Free-O-Creek opening into the Ouachita. A new towboat the Edith Mae, named to honor a Pine Bluff Shop Foreman's daughter, was placed in service. Soon the Myra E. joined the Edith mae to share the work load at Britton. These had metal hulls and were built in the Pine Bluff shops. They continued in service until the plant was shut down in 1947. Edith Mae Patterson Pennington was a Pine Bluff girl who was chosen the most beautiful girl in the USA before the Miss America Pageant. In later life she became a female evangelist. The Myra E. was named for the foreman Bob Cargill's wife. Mr. Cargill was plant foreman from 1930's to 1942. If the River Dredge was ever given a name, I do not remember anyone calling it by a name.

When the plant was ready to begin its operation many of the employees moved their families into the company homes. They came from town, cities and farms in Arkansas, Tennessee, and Missouri. It was not long before husbands, wives, and children, single employees, uncles and aunts became a family community of 36 citizens. I know it must have been sad to leave their childhood homes and come into what looked like a jungle setting. It looked much like parts of Florida and South America. This was a dense virgin timber area of oak, hickory, wild pecan, holly, cypress, willow, chenkapen, and pine trees. Thick vines and underbrush all around. Only a dirt road and the rail track led out to civilization.

Fruits of muscadine, wild grapes, paw-paw, mayhalls, black berries and dew berries.

Wild flowers of Azaleas, water lily, honey suckle, jasmaine and acres of violets.

Wild game and fowl was plentiful, deer, turkey, ducks, squirrel and small game of different kinds.

The farmers who owned stock, let their hogs and cows run free in the woods. Which made a problem for the ones who wished to plant gardens or truck patch. When the Ouachita River overflowed the land the employees would try to rescue them and get them to higher land of safety. It was wretched to see a cow or hog drown. Children could not understand why this happened. Especially those who had pets of their own.

There was excellent fishing in the river and Free-O-Creek. It was very common to see stringers of 3 pound crappie, large bass and cat fish. Very few people fished this part of the river from Camden and above the gravel plant, as this was many years before the fisherman had his fast boats and high tech gear.

Where there are fish and frogs there are snakes of all kinds, the water moccasin, and the deadly coral snake.

There was millions of squirrels and many good trees to feed them. When the men would go hunting the wives would go also. Soon the wives got the hunting fever and took up the sport. I remember Mrs. Arthur (Nettie) Rogers, Mrs. Willard (Ola) Baker, and my mother, Mrs. E.F. (Pearl) Thaxton as they bravely went forth to hunt. These were women who, "Stood by their Man", and were not the bravest souls on earth. They went into the woods and would signal to each other until I am sure the squirrels would run for their lives. The hunting became, hunting each other, more than hunting the game. They very soon settled this problem by deciding to pick a tree for each one and still hunt. You can bet those trees were near the road and easy to find. This plan proved to be a great success. They passed away many lonely hours while their children were at school. The sport could also get you into an embarrassing situation with the Game Warden and game bag limit law.

My father, Enos Floy (Jack) Thaxton left a farm in the foothills of the Ozarks, Dardanelle, Yell County Arkansas in 1924 to become a railroad employee. After several months my mother, Dora Pearl George Thaxton with her son, Tedrick Lee Thaxton (Cotton Belt conductor-retired) and her young daughter, Lola Maye Thaxton Stone, joined her husband to become a part of the family community of "Britton", St. Louis Southwestern Railway.

My father's first job at the plant was the night watchman for the gravity hump. My uncle F.L. Sutfin was the operator of the hump gravel dipper that loaded the gravel cars. W.C. Jones was the steam boiler Stationary Fireman. Mr. W.H. Germann was the car knocker on the hump. Mr. Martin was the towboat pilot and John Carnell of Memphis, Tennessee was the towboad deck hand. The Foreman for Britton was Mr. Flemmens. When Mr. Martin and Mr. Flemmens left the plant, W.C. Jones became the Foreman and Mr. Germann became the towboat pilot; my father became the stationary fireman and ran the small steam engine to spot the barges. He later became stationary fireman, only, and held this position until the plant closed in 1947. At this date crush rock was being used on the rail beds instead of gravel. It was my father’s job to oil the top of the boom which was part of the gravel dipper arm. The boom was the top of a steel post, approximately 45 feet high, with a metal ladder leading to the top. The first time I saw my father do this, I was so scared to death that he would fall, as I watched I was so proud of him. He had a stroke when he was young and had to learn to talk and fight his way back to good health. He like his job and kept his boiler room as clean as a woman's wood floors. His secret was hot water and lye. The company officials were always telling him what a well-kept room and boiler he had.

The Ouachita River was famous for overflowing its banks upon the land near the river in rainy seasons. If the town of Arkadelphia, AR received a lot of rain, the Britton crew was notified to stand by as it would be there soon. When the men knew the amount of rain and the crest of the river, the employees began their work to maintain the safety of the equipment and the safety of their families. The river dredge, barges, towboats and motor boats were securely anchored at the gravity hump. As the building complex at the hump and the family homes were upon bridge piling the flood water did not damage them until about 1944.

During a flood the wives and children would return to their mothers and Fathers family home for a visit or go into the city of Camden, AR to live in a boarding house or an apartment until they could return to Britton on Hwy. 7 in their automobiles.

I shall never forget when a flash flood came and the families were stranded by the water and could not get to Camden in a car. We were taken to the gravity hump to go by inboard motor boat to Camden. It was panic time for everyone. The foremen, Mr. Bob Cargil, tried to calm our fears but I was sure we all were afraid of this boat ride. Mr. Cargill told us how safe the boats were and they would get us there. Those who would pilot the boats were aware of how to run them and their safety. He gave us a life preserver and seated each of us with our fathers and mothers in the boats. The children were scared to death and did not have to be told not to do this or that for we were so scared we did not speak a word on the nice ride down the river. I still do not know how we made it but I am sure all the mothers were doing some hard praying for they were as scared as we. When the flood water was off the roads our fathers came to Camden and took us home. When the next flood was expected we were long gone for Camden and safety.

From 1923 to 1947, Britton had four Foreman who served as an Official of the company. In 1924, Mr. Flemmings; the last of 1920's, Mr. W. C. Jones; the 1930's to 1940, Mr. Bob Cargill, Mr. Willard Baker became the foreman of the plant until its shut down in 1947.

Mr. Bob Cargill was a friend to each man who worked for him. He was concerned about each one and their family’s welfare. He like and enjoyed the children who lived there. I think this was why the men and women became as sister and brother to those who worked there. This was the Family Community that lasted for twenty plus years. All the workers loved and respected their foreman and did their best each day to maintain the work load that was asked of them. I am sure the company did not regret the establishing of the "Cotton Belt Britton Gravel Pit". When it was needed it was a money saving asset to them.

During the school months the children of school age in the Britton families would be carried in autos or walk, one mile to the county road, rural route #3 near Pine Lake area to be transported via bus route to the Harmony Grove School System. The bus arrived at 8:00 a.m. and returned at 3:00 p.m. daily. Only in very cold weather or stormy wet weather were the children carried to the bus stop by cars. We loved the adventure of walking the rails and the road, just goofing-off and having fun. We were always there before the bus arrived because we were the first one picked up on the long bus route. In each school year there was six to eight children attend¬ing school at Harmony Grove from Britton.

The children who were not old enough to attend school, stayed at home with their mothers. There was two to four children who could play or visit in the other home as the mothers visited or helped each other with chores. The girls had their dolls, doll beds, rocking chairs, jacks, dishes, tables and chairs. The boys had their bean shooters, BB guns, tops, Indian hatchets, pocket knives and marbles. When we were older and could play outside in the summer months, we would build play houses under the large family homes or use the thick vines and under growth to build one room play houses. We would get old boards and pieces of tin roofing to make the floors and the roofs. We could cut a large area inside the vines for the room, place the boards on the ground for the floor. Place the piece of tin on top of the vines for the roof, move in the things we wanted to play with and we were set up for the summer. Each day you could make it larger if you had a playmate to help you. All this before backyard tents were even thought about and tree houses. One morning I was in my play house, thinking how great this was, for some unknown reason I looked up at the roof, I had an un-invited guest, a small green snake. It scared me to death and I ran for the house. I gave him the play house for the day. He probably was just as afraid of me as I him for he never returned to visit again.

When the summer months became humid and hot the children could make their play houses on the porches. When the mosquitoes were real bad we could play on the screened sleeping porches.

In the summer we would have family kinfolk to visit us and our cousins of the Britton kids joined us in our fun time. In those days you thought up your own fun or you didn't have any. The Willard Baker family would have their niece, Wanda Baker, visit during school holidays. My mother's baby sister, Juanita George, was the same age as my brother, Ted, and my Aunt Daisy George Stone's son, Roy Eugene, was near my age. The Bakers had a young daughter, Evelyn. The six of us never wasted an hour of the day on anything but playing. Walking the rails, the road to the hump or the homes playing mumelly peg, marbles, hunting turtles, and going to the company commissary for candy, coke and gum. NOW - what else would anyone want than this?

The "Britton" family homes had the necessary items to maintain the comfort of the members of each family. As we had access to the company ice house, the homes were supplied with ice chests built to hold one hundred pounds or more. They were constructed of wood and heavy tin of double walls filled with saw dust. The tin was soldered at the seams and did not leak. A drain and hose was placed at the bottom, with the hose opening through the floor to drain the water as the ice melted This was quite a 'step-upf from the cold springs in Yell county, that cooled our milk, cream, butter, cheese, watermelons and cantaloupes.

Many afternoons when my father finished his days work my mother and I would walk to the hump to get a coke or candy bar and return home with daddy. As we walked down the road I saw violets growing everywhere. On our way I picked more and more violets and by the time we arrived at the commissary I had two hands full of violets Mr. J.R. Holden (Jimmy) was the company commissary clerk, I'd walk to the counter and say, " I picked these for you:. He thanked me and gave me my favorite candy bar. My was Utopia! I kept picking the violets and the candy bar was given every day. What a life! We really had a good thing going, until one afternoon my father saw what my deal was and caught me in the act. He scolded me and paid for my sweet tooth thereafter.

This was near 1929 when our Nation went into a depression. I did not see my friend again for several years as he returned to his home in Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, Arkansas and my family returned to the farm in Dardanelle, Yell County, Arkansas. My father did return to the Gravel Pit in 1936 but Mr. J.H. Holden, who was a Cotton Belt Brakeman and Conductor from 1929 to 1942, did not.

The following is his service record for the St. Louis Southwestern Railroad.

J.H. Holden began his career with the Cotton Belt Route with the M and NA in 1923, as a 'Camp Steward' and 'Extra-Gang', 'Time Keeper' in 1926. (During this time he held the position of Commissary Clerk for the 'Britton'). Transferring into train service as Brakeman, then Conductor 1929 to 1942. He became assistant Train Master in 1945; appointed Train Master in 1946. He was elevated to Assistant Superin¬tendent later in the year of 1946. In 1951 he went to Commerce, Texas as Assistant Superintendent, returning to Pine Bluff as Assistant Division Superintendent in 1953. By 1956 Mr. Holden was appointed the Division Superintendent. In 1959 he was named General Superintendent and made Assistant to the General Manager in 1965. He had to retire during 1965 because of a health problem. Service of 42 years to one company can speak of his character more than all the words in the dictionary.

In 1929 to 1935 our nation was in a great depression. All businesses, companies and citizens suffered greatly in those years. The work at the gravel plant stopped and the families moved back to their parent’s homes. Everything seemed to be at a 'stand still'.

By 1935 the USA was coming out of the depression, Rail transportation was increasing and the Cotton Belt decided to re-open the ’Britton’ plant. One by one each employee was notified to return to their jobs. There were those who chose not to return and new employees had to be hired.

In May 1939 my Brother, Ted L. Thaxton, and in June 1939 my High School sweet-heart, William Franklin (Frank) Stone became new employees. My brother's first job was to spot the cars to be loaded with gravel. He then was promoted to the Towboat as a deck hand. Frank's first job was spotting the cars to be loaded and oiling the gravel train locomotive each time they came into the plant.

In 1940, Frank and I were married and we were the new Britton family living in the half of the family home where my Father and Mother lived.

By December 1940 our nation was at war with Japan in W.W. 2. My brother enlist¬ed in the USA Navy. He was stationed in Seattle, Washington and Hickuam Field, Hawaii. My husband went to Little Rock to enlist in the Army Engineer Batallion and help build the Alaskan Highway. After a week’s stay there, LR, he returned, being placed in 4-F. He was every disappointed that he did not get to see Alaska. With the help of his Uncle William Harley (Bill) Bolin, Cotton Belt Locomotive Engineer, he was employed as a Cotton Belt Fireman and advanced to Engineer in later years. We moved to Pine Bluff, AR in 1942 and it was not long until the nation called all 4-F groups. Frank went into the service as a Diesel Fireman in the Navy.

After the war Frank returned to the Cotton Belt Railroad, in 1948 our daughter, Jewell Ann was born, in 1949 we built our home at 1002 Ohio Street living there as Frank served 42 years with the company, working during the last of the coal burning engines, thru the days of the giant 800's steam engines and the diesel locomotives, retiring in 1981.

n 1953 we joined the Carr Memorial Methodist Church, 6th and Dakota, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. One Sunday I was sitting in the Wesley Sunday School Class before our study began, Mr. J.R. Holden came in and sat down beside me and said, "Do you remember me?" I answered "Yes, I do. Do you remember the violets I use to bring you at the commissary?" He nodded his head and smiled. We had a good laugh and remembered memories of the old "Britton" Cotton Belt Gravel Plant. Mr. Holden, his wife, Dorothy, and their three daughters were also members of Carr Memorial.

The families of the "Britton" community were isolated several miles from the other communities of the area. Three families lived near the Rock Island Railroad on the county road.

Harmony Grove, Van Duzer, and Kent communities were 7 or 8 miles from the Gravel Plant. Harmony Grove consisted of a Methodist Church, the Elementary and High School, grocery and gas station and three homes west of the St. Louis Southwestern Rail lines.

The religious beliefs of the employees were Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ, Assembly of God and Methodist. They and their children had been taught from childhood in the faith and teachings of their church. Mothers read bible stories, led in bed time prayers and blessings at meal time.

In 1936 to 1939 I attended the Harmony Grove Methodist Church Sunday School and Youth Group.

After I married and my brother was in the service of the USA Navy in World War II, our mother was employed at the Harrell Field Air Port, Camden, Arkansas, Ouachita County, as an airplane mechanic. Harrell Field was a training station for young air force pilots. When the war ended our mother was a First Class Airplane Mechanic.

During 1949 my mother's youngest brother's wife died leaving 4 sons, ages 18 months to high school. She took the responsibility of caring for them. She was afraid they might be sent to foster homes. The care of the brothers lasted several years until the youngest graduated from Harmony Grove. All brothers got a high school education, they went to church and Sunday school as long as they were in her care. The only 'Thanks' she wanted was for them to remain a family unit. She was blessed with a life 90 years on this earth with those she loved.

June 15, 1986 Pine Bluff Commercial News reporter, James M. Hopkins wrote an article stating, "Wood and Coal burning engines were used until 1889, when fuel oil was introduced." Perhaps on the largest Railway Lines but on the Cotton Belt, I question this date. When my husband, W.F. Stone, joined the company in 1942 his first job was on a coal burning locomotive between Stuttgart and Gillett, Arkansas. Engine 333 and later on a freight, Pine Bluff to Jonesboro, Arkansas, engine 755, Colton Block. The heat from the fire box was so intense that it scorched his overalls. When they were laundered holes came in the fabric.