EXTRACTS FROM [PRELIMINARY] REPORT. 
23 
CHAPTER V. 
REMARKS OP A. H. CAMPBELL, PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT RAILROAD ENGINEER, CPON THE GRADES AND CORVES REQUIRED. 
General Description .—From Fort Smith to the Pecos there is very little to impede the con¬ 
struction of a railway. But I think the opinion that has been pretty generally expressed 
throughout the country that a railway may he located anywhere, in whatever direction, across 
the prairies, between the western frontiers of our States and the Rocky Mountains, other things 
being equal, as cheap or cheaper than in the United States generally, is erroneous—particu¬ 
larly so with reference to that portion of the plains passed over by our exploration. These 
extended prairies being devoid of trees, affording an almost unlimited range of vision, became 
softened by the effect of distance, and present the appearance of one uninterrupted surface as 
wild, and as wide, and as smooth as the ocean ; hut in detail they are exceedingly uneven, being 
cut up by deep ravines, with elevated spurs and ridges between them, some of them impracticable 
except by heavy summit cuttings and enormous embankments across the valleys. There are, 
however, many favorable streams which take their rise under the Rocky Mountains, and flow 
eastward to the Mississippi and its tributaries, and it is in the valleys of these streams that 
the cheapest and best railway routes are found ; the passage from one valley to another requiring 
the same system of ascents and descents as most of the locations in the States. 
Among the most remarkable and most favorable of these streams, in point of length and 
directness and easiness of occupation, is the Cauadian. The valley of this stream is prac¬ 
ticable from its mouth to one of its sources near the Pecos, being, with but few exceptions, 
broad and free from obstacle. A shorter and perhaps cheaper line may be had south of this 
river, from Forth Smith to the Antelope Hills, near the 100th meridian of west longitude, 
thereby cutting off the great bends and avoiding the earthy bluffs which are worn away by the 
action of the waters. These bluffs occur at intervals as far west as the Shawnee settlements. 
From Fort Smith to Antelope Hills .—The principal cut-off would be from Fort Smith to 
Chouteau’s old trading post, and from this point to the Antelope Hills. From Fort Smith a good 
route extends up the Poteau river some ten or twelve miles, where it can be crossed more 
favorably on account of its high banks ; thence up the valley of a small creek, one of its tribu¬ 
taries, called Basil creek. This valley heads in a small range of mountains, or hills rather, 
which extend nearly parallel with Sans Bois creek. Passing this summit with a grade of about 
fifty feet per mile as a maximum, we get upon the waters of the Sans Bois creek, down which 
we descend to its great bend near Cooper’s creek, thence up the main branch to the divide 
between it and Gaines’ creek. This summit is an inconsiderable one, requiring about forty- 
five feet per mile as a maximum grade. Following down Gaines’ creek to its junction with 
Coal creek, the main branch of the south fork of Canadian ; thence up the valley of Coal creek 
to its head, crossing the divide between the Boggy, a tributary of Red river, and the Canadian, 
about nine miles south of Shawnee village; continuing along the slopes of this ridge, across the 
gently rolling prairies, with occasional strips of woodland heading one of the leading streams 
of the Boggy, crossiug Marcy’s wagon trail about ten miles west of Shawnee Town to a low 
place in the Canadian “ divide;” thence down the slopes to that river, near the mouth of 
Topofki creek. From the head of Coal creek to this point it is believed there will be required 
no grade exceeding fifty-two feet per mile. 
From Topofki creek to the mouth of Walnut (Simpson) or Chouteau’s (Marcy) creek the 
route lies up the Canadian; keeping up Walnut creek to its source in the “divide,” along the 
“divide” for several miles, descending by a gradual slope to Deer creek; thence up this creek to 
its source; thence for several miles along the divide; thence down to one of the valleys of the Wash¬ 
ita; up this inviting stream to its source in the sharp “divide” about twelve miles east of the 
Antelope Hills; thence by a gentle descent to the Canadian. The advantages of this over the river 
