SECTION I. 
From the Mississippi River to Fort Smith. 
The legislature of Arkansas having already taken the initiative with regard to the construc¬ 
tion of a railway through the State, from the Mississippi river to Fort Smith, no special exami¬ 
nations were required of us within those limits. It may, however, he remarked that, from the 
general nature of the country and the vicinity of navigable rivers, the grades would necessarily 
he light, and materials for the construction of a road easily obtained. 
The height of Little Rock was found by observations to be 351 feet above the level of the sea. 
Napoleon is 142 feet above tide-water, and Memphis, by estimate, 54 feet higher, making 196 
feet. This would allow the difference of level between Memphis and Little Rock to be 155 feet; 
and the distance being about 155 miles, the mean ascent would be one foot per mile. From 
information that seems reliable, it appears that, from the point opposite Memphis to the river 
St. Francis, thirty-nine miles, there is an extensive marsh subject to overflow, rendering an 
embankment necessary for the road that crosses it. To avoid this, although probably not a 
very serious obstacle, Helena has been suggested as the terminus of the proposed railway from 
Fort Smith to the Mississippi. From the St. Francis to Little Rock, 116 miles, the country 
is said to be undulating, with woodlands and prairies favorable for the location of a railway. 
Between Little Rock and Fort Smith there are two ranges of mountains, called the La Fourche 
and Petit Jean. They rise abruptly from the river, with peaks 1,000 feet high, and are said to 
extend southwest some thirty miles. It is believed that the country beyond is favorable for a 
railroad, which would thus avoid a large bend of the river valley. 
The banks of the Arkansas are covered with excellent timber—ash, elm, black walnut, pecan, 
and various kinds of oaks. Above Little Rock the lower carboniferous formation commences, 
soon passing into coal measures. Coal outcrops at various points in the neighborhood of the 
river ; it is bituminous, of good quality, and easily obtained. Considerable use is made of it 
for fuel, and as population increases, and the superabundance of wood is diminished, the value 
of this source of wealth will be more highly appreciated. The State abounds in mineral wealth. 
Its stores of iron are believed to be inexhaustible. Lead, copper, and silver are said to be found 
in considerable quantities. Quarries of roofing slate, near the river, furnish a large supply of 
that material for the markets of St. Louis and Cincinnati. 
Fort Smith is situated upon the right bank of the Arkansas river, just below the junction of 
the Poteau. The military post is near the fork, and within the Choctaw territory. The town, 
or city, commences a few hundred yards below, and is within the limits of the State. The 
position is upon a ridge of dark micaceous sandstone, rising about sixty feet above the river. 
The back country is composed of wooded hills and high prairies. Some thirty or forty miles 
distant, south, are seen the summits of Sugar-Loaf and Poteau mountains, two thousand feet 
above the river. 
Numerous barometric observations at Fort Smith made its altitude four hundred and sixty- 
eight feet above the sea. Supposing the distance from Little Rock to be one hundred and sixty 
miles by land, and the elevation, as observed, one hundred and seventeen feet, the mean grade 
would be less than a foot per mile. 
