The star-progress. (Opelousas, La.) 1917-1921, 1921-05-18
SANTA FE SYSTEM
MAY EXTEND Line
EAST TO OPELOUSAS
Reported That Work Is Pro-
crossing From Oakdale
To Pine Prairie
LONG PROPOSED TO
JOIN GULF COAST
Timber and Oil Possibilities
May Be Cause of
Construction

Fifteen or sixteen years ago the
Gulf, Colorado and Sante Fe railway !
extended it's Jasper and Eastern line
from Texas east to terminal at Oak
dale, where it made connection with
the old Watkins, now the Missouri
Pacific. In a direct line Oakdale is
not over forty-five to sixty miles
northwest of Opelousas.
The Santa Fe branch line crosses
the main line of the Kansas City
Southern at DeRidder and since its
construction, through virgin coun-
try many small towns and villages
and a large number of industries
principally sawmills, have been built
along the line. The freight tonnage
is heavy and is said to have gained
steadily ever since the road was built.
Through the fifteen years Of its ex-
istence we have heard rumors OF the
extension of the line from Oakdale
southeastward to some point on the
: Gulf Coast Lines, principally to Ope-
: lousas. The talk would die down oc-
casionally only to be revived every
row and then, but so far no Santa Fe
line has shown up and its trains nave
continued to have their terminal in
Oakdale.
The great Santa Fe system has al
! ways been slow in building or ex-
tending branch lines, and it has surely
: borne out its reputation in that re-
). Espect so FAR as this Oakdale branch
is concerned. But now it is reliably
2 stated that without any fuss or featn-
feathers actual construction work
> has started on the road, though, ac'
1 cording to this information, it is simp-
: Iy headed toward Pine Prairie where
}. it will connect up with the Rock
Island. The promised development
Of the oil field at or near Pine Prai-
rie may account for this extension OF
\ the road through the seventeen OF
eighteen miles of timberland. The en-
y tire stretch of country is rich in long
leaf pine and it is possible and prob
able that this lumber may be strong
inducement for extending the read
Once it reaches Pine Prairie it may
follow the old Santa Fe precedent and
lie up there for many years before
:. taking another dip eastward.
Whether it will run eastward tt
Vile Platte and then on to Opelou
: sas, or turn down Mamou prairie ant
enter Eunice is problematical. The
! Mamou country is already served BY
: the Rock Island and Southern Pacifi:
lines and the tonnage of freigh
would hardly justify the Santa FL
buildingthrough that territory to Eu
nice. On the other hand, by building
:, to Opelousas via Vile Platte a coun
try practically untouched by railroad!
= and pretty thckly settled-an agri
cultural country in every sense o
the word-would be touched and tn
freight tonnage would undoubtedl!
!. prove heavier. Besides there woul
be little competition for business a
the line would cross only the Texa
and Pacific branch at Vile Platt
and as the new line would be a short
er cut to New Orleans patrons OF raj
roads would naturally use the shorte
line and the Santa Fe would natural
:, have the preference.
- It has long been presumed tha
there was some community OF inte
:, est between the Santa Fe and Gu
- Coast Lines. The extending OF tn
: Oakdale branch to Opelousas woul
presage a heavy through bushes
east and west and the Santa T
= would undoubtedly use the Gu
Coast tracks from the connectio
here into New Orleans. as it was Ion
- ago recognized that it wished to gal
= entry into the big port and predi
- tions have been made quite frequen
:. Iy~ that the road would be extende
= southeast to Opelousas. That predi
ton now seems about to be fulfille
:, Business interests of opeious'
should get busy and investigate tn
proposition for the building 4 Il
Santa Fe into this city would mes
=, y the opening of vast territory CON
- guous to Opelousas and Iirect come
80 ton with Vile Platte, Pine Prairi
~ oakdale and DeR.dder, also with ca