Fort Smith Light and Traction Company

By Fred B. Fillers

In 1883 a mule car line opened in Fort Smith, with three small 4-wheel mule cars, each holding about 15 passengers. This mule car line operated until 1893, at which time the Fort Smith and Van Buren Electric Street Railway Light and Power Company was organized. It started electric streetcar service with two cars operating on North Fifth Street from Garrison to N Streets.

In 1903 the company was reorganized as the Fort Smith Traction Light and Power Company, and later the same year it was again reorganized to become the Fort Smith Light and Traction Company. Soon there were tracks heading out Eleventh Street, North E Street, Towson, Kelley Highway, and Little Rock Avenue, which later became Rogers Avenue, using the existing fifteen single-truck cars that were on hand when the Fort Smith Light and Traction Company took over. Fifteen single-truck open cars were received in 1905 and six more arrived in 1906. About this time the Park Hill Line was opened heading out South 21^{st Street.}

In 1908 the Arkoma Line was opened to Arkoma just on the Oklahoma side of the border. This line was put under a different management called the Fort Smith and Oklahoma Light and Traction Company. A large Baseball park was built in Arkoma, and it being in Oklahoma, Sunday baseball was allowed, and large crowds rode the cars to the baseball games every Sunday during baseball season, providing a nice bit of revenue for the streetcar company. Cars were now operating between the Frisco Depot and Electric Park on the Eleventh Street- Van Buren Line every ten minutes from six A.M. until midnight and every hour between midnight and six. The streetcar barn and shop were located on this line at Kelley Highway. Also in 1908, six double-truck, semi-convertible cars were received for the Eleventh Street Line. Four single-truck cars were rebuilt to double-truck cars in the company shops by adding five feet to the body of the car, adding new motors, controls, running gear, and brakes.

In 1910 eight new single-truck, semi-convertible cars were ordered. New track was under construction to reach the Van Buren Bridge. Around this time a lot of lines were being extended, or upgraded with heavier rail. Right of ways in the streets were being repaved. Management announced that fourteen of the earlier cars were to be retired.

Because open cars were limited to warm-weather use it was decided that seven of the open cars would be rebuilt with closed bodies, new motors, air brakes, and other improvements.

On November 12, 1912 service opened across the new bridge into Van Buren to the Frisco Train Depot. Further construction followed east from the depot and was finally completed as far as the Falconer Zinc Smelter in April 1917.

In December 1, 1917 service was discontinued on the Arkoma Line, Electric Park was closed in 1919 and the buildings razed in 1920.

By the beginning of the 1920s Fort Smith was experiencing the same problems that

were besetting all streetcar companies. More paved roads and privately owned automobiles meant just one thing, less people riding the streetcars. The answer management came up with was simple. To attract riders, they went to small, one-man operated streetcars, with more frequent schedules at lower fares. Smaller and lighter cars were easier on the track, and consumed less electricity. Fort Smith had already changed its operation to one-man cars and had been able to increase their frequency to every ten minutes from twenty by running twenty-six one man cars instead of sixteen two-man cars. Now all they had to do was buy new, lighter cars. Recently introduced in 1916, the panacea had become available that would solve the problem, the Birney Safety Car. The Birney Car, it seemed, would meet all of these requirements, so, in 1920, the management announced that it had ordered eight of the new cars. Unfortunately the fares had to be raised from 5 cents to 6 to meet the growing expenses. In 1922 the fare was raised to 7 cents. In 1926 fares increased to 10 cents on the Fort Smith-Van Buren Line and 8 cents on the local lines. Six new Birney cars arrived the same year. The new cars were more lavish than the first eight cars, with cushioned plush fabric seats and linoleum covered floors. The management announced that even though many cities were turning to bus service, Ft. Smith would stick with its streetcars.

In 1928, the Fort Smith Light and Traction Company became a separate corporation, the Fort Smith Traction Company.

Later that year the city of Fort Smith decided it would widen Rogers Avenue, and the streetcar tracks were taken up along 21st Street, between Rogers and South H Street, and the second track on 21st and Dodson and South W Street. Next to go was the South Fort Smith Line in May of 1929. Then later, the track was taken up on the Park Hill Line between South W Street and the deserted fairgrounds.

In August 1933 Fort Smith Light and Traction Company became the Oklahoma Gas and Electric’s Arkansas Division. Management announced that all operations on the remaining streetcar lines would end November 15, 1933. The next day a bus company known as the Twin City Coach Company took over and began operating on almost the same routes that were used by the streetcars. The streetcars made a final trip northward to the Frisco connection next to the former Electric Park where they were sold to individuals for varied uses, or stripped of their salvageable metal parts.

It’s a sad ending for a streetcar line that served Fort Smith and Van Buren so well for many years.