Clark Countians observed the dawn of a new era when the first train steamed into Arkadelphia. The Cairo & Fulton Railroad’s completion in mid-1873 initiated a transportation revolution in the area and all of Arkansas. The railroad created new shipping and travel connections with the rest of the nation, thereby establishing Arkadelphia as a principal transportation hub in southwest Arkansas. A bridge over the Ouachita River became a key element of the rail line. Remarkably, construction of the span at Arkadelphia was completed in just a few months.

Plans for a railroad across Arkansas emerged prior to the Civil War but never materialized. And, the war further delayed such a project. But after the war came to an end, development of rail transportation in the state expanded quickly. Arkadelphia’s Southern Standard newspaper commented in March of 1870 that “the prospect of a railroad through this section is brightening.”

However, the Cairo & Fulton Railroad’s originally planned route did not pass through Arkadelphia: The line’s path would cross the Ouachita River seven miles below the town. Even as late as the summer of 1872, specific plans remained up in the air. Locals were able to convince the survey team to look at placing the line at Arkadelphia. City leaders believed such a location would be the “shortest, cheapest, and best that could be found.” Fortunately for the town, the team agreed.

At the end of 1872, the local paper reported “the whole line from Little Rock to Fulton being under contract and now actively worked.” By mid-April 1873, laying track to the southwest of Little Rock had begun “in a small way,” but a workforce capable of laying a mile per day would soon begin their labors. Crossties were set out all along the line awaiting the crews. Grading for the line was completed by May, and track-laying began in earnest. A mid-summer completion was anticipated.

As for the bridge at Arkadelphia, the Baltimore Bridge Company won the construction contract. The company began delivery of timbers and other materials for it during early March 1873. By mid-March, workers launched the boat for the pile driver with the rope-and-tackle’s arrival following within days. 

A pile driver was a critical part of the construction process. Piles are vertical columns that are driven down into the soil of the river bottom, creating a deep foundation with which to hold up the bridge. In the early days, the weight of the pile falling to earth created its driving force. In later times, machines created more force to accelerate the downward movement. Today, most pile drivers get their power from diesel or hydraulic systems.

The railroad crew made a grisly discovery as they made way for the bridge. While doing some groundwork at the foot of the hill southeast of the courthouse, men discovered the remains of what the local paper called “a large-framed man.” The man’s identity or how he met his demise could not be determined. A steam mill stood at the site during the Civil War.

By May, the bridge was “progressing with a rapidity truly astonishing.” By mid-month, all the piles were driven, and the local paper called the bridge “a most masterly piece of architecture.” The falsework had been completed and workers were ready to install the permanent work (Falsework is comprised of any number of temporary structures built to support a permanent structure until the actual structure can become self-supporting. Falsework has been used in bridge building since ancient times. Until the twentieth century, most all falsework was made of timber).

An unexpected issue surfaced as a result of the bridge’s construction when a new steamboat built in Hot Spring County came down the Ouachita River in late May. Owners planned to operate the small boat between Rockport and Camden. It could carry about 100 bales of cotton. But, as the boat came downstream, it was too tall to pass under the new bridge! The incident rendered the new boat useless upriver from Arkadelphia and seemed symbolic of the railroad’s new superiority over the steamboat. Within a short time, steamboats virtually disappeared from the upper Ouachita.

Work continued at a rapid pace, and in mid-June, crossties were put into place on the bridge and the structure made ready for the rails. Once installed, it was time for a train to cross the Ouachita.

On the big day, hundreds of people came to Arkadelphia from as far away as fifty to sixty miles to be a part of the arrival of the Cairo and Fulton’s first passenger train. The special train consisted of a locomotive, tinder, baggage car, and two coaches, all lavishly decorated with flags. The engine, named the “E Johnson,” weighed about twenty-four tons. Those in attendance witnessed an event they would remember for the rest of their lives.