My Book: Rock Island Railroad In Arkansas

Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas is a collection of mostly historic photographs of the once-important line that had a huge footprint in the state before being shut down in March 1980. The book was released by Arcadia Publishing in April 2017 as part of its “Images of Rail” series. It can be bought at most major bookstores in central Arkansas, online retailers, or click on the image of the cover of the book to order a copy directly from the publisher. It’s available in hardcover, paperback and a digital edition for Kindles or iPads.

I put the book together including photos taken by Clifton Hull, Dr. Bill Pollard, Edward Wojtas, Earl Saunders and others, drawing from the resources of the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture, the North Little Rock History Commission and the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. I also included many of my own photos from the years after the railroad was shut down and I was documenting what was left in the state.

While I had been researching the Rock Island for decades, mainly recording oral histories with former employees, preparing a book of high resolution photographs was a totally different challenge. I have to thank Dr. Pollard, a railroad historian from Conway, for his assistance in scanning old photographs and slides from his collection. He also proofread my copy for errors. I couldn’t have completed this book without his guidance.

While promoting the book, I spoke at events throughout the state, some of which were recorded and can be watched online. It was at this time that I learned the Rock Island’s depot in Perry was going to be torn down, which launched an effort to move and preserve it.

Speaking in former Rock Island Little Rock passenger station

My first lecture on the topic was held April 4, 2017, the day after the book was released. Appropriately enough, it was in what had been the Rock Island’s passenger station for nearly 70 years. It was built in 1899 for the Choctaw, Oklahoma & Gulf Railroad, which was soon acquired by the Rock Island.

Today the building, which was abandoned for decades, has been beautifully restored and is home for the Clinton School of Public Service. The graduate school is part of the University of Arkansas System and is adjacent to the Clinton Presidential Center.

It was great speaking there because when I first started researching the Rock Island and going to look at the grounds in the late 1980s, the building was boarded up and had an uncertain future. Thinking about all the activity that had taken place there related to the subject I was speaking about was amazing. It was also an honor to be part of the school’s speaker series which has hosted world leaders, U.S. Supreme Court justices, Pulitzer Prize winners, astronauts and Oscar winners, among others. You can watch my full presentation below, which was filmed by the Clinton School of Public Service.

Appearing on AETN’s Barnes and…

While I had been a regular panelist on the public television network’s Arkansas Week, I was surprised and pleased to be invited to be a guest on the half-hour interview program Barnes and… to discuss the Rock Island. The Arkansas Educational Television Network even ran an ad promoting the show in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette just above the television listings.

The program aired July 17, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched below. Several photos from the book were included and it was great conversation with Steve Barnes. We discussed not only about the railroad, but the politics in Arkansas after the shutdown when a proposal was introduced in the legislature for the state to buy the rails and lease them to another railroad. That had been done in other states, but fierce opposition and lobbying from competing railroads kept that proposal from becoming a reality. Much of the major east-west line, which connected Memphis and Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Discussing the Rock Island on KUAR’s Arts & Letters

It was a great treat to join Dr. J. Bradley Minnick to discuss what got me interested in the Rock Island as a child after witnessing the end of trains running in front of my elementary school in North Little Rock. I also shared audio of some interviews I had recorded over the years with former Rock Island employees and it was incredible having original music recorded by local bands especially for this hour-long program.

The program premiered on Little Rock NPR station KUAR-FM 89.1 on March 23, 2018 at 7 p.m. and has subsequently be rebroadcast several times. You can listen to the program below.

AUDIO: Hear the Arts & Letters episode “Gotta Catch That Train,” on my book Rock Island Railroad In Arkansas.

Presentation on the Rock Island at the Department of Arkansas Heritage

On August 21, 2018, I spoke at the Department of Arkansas Heritage about my research on the Rock Island Railroad, and a project underway to move and save from demolition the railroad’s depot in Perry, Ark., which was built in 2018. Also present was Buford Suffridge, president of the Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society, which has been overseeing the preservation effort. I invited him to the podium to share his thoughts about the project which seemed like such a long shot a year earlier when we first discussed the idea. I also included a slideshow of photos featured in my book and recent photos of the Perry Depot. Thanks to the department for inviting me to speak as part of its Pen to Podium lecture series.

 

Full list of events and media coverage:

• Saturday, April 1, 2017, Arkansas Railroad Museum, 1700 Port Road, Pine Bluff, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., book signing
• Tuesday, April 4, 2017, Clinton School of Public Service, 1200 President Clinton Ave, Little Rock, 12 p.m., lecture and book signing
• Friday, April 14, 2017, Historic Arkansas Museum’s Art Night, 200 E. 3rd Street, Little Rock, 5 to 7 p.m., book signing
• Saturday, April 15, 2017, Wordsworth Books, 5920 R Street, Little Rock, 1 to 3 p.m., book signing
• Thursday, April 26, 2017, Interview with KASU public radio in Jonesboro
• Saturday, April 29, 2017, Arkansas Literary Festival, Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature Center, 602 President Clinton Ave., Little Rock, 4 p.m., lecture and book signing
• Saturday, May 27, 2017, 100th Anniversary Russellville Depot Celebration, 320 West C Street, Russellville, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., book signing
• Saturday, June 17, 2017, Barnes & Noble, North Little Rock, 11 a.m.- 1 p.m., 4000 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, book signing
• Monday, July 17, 2017, interviewed on public television program Barnes and… 
• Wednesday, August 2, 2017, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies’ Legacies and Lunch, Darraugh Center at the Central Arkansas Library System’s Main Library, 100 Rock Street in Little Rock, 12 p.m., lecture and book signing.
• Tuesday, August 8, 2017, Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society, Milam Library, 609 Aplin Street, Perryville, 7 p.m., lecture to discuss effort to preserve the former Rock Island depot at Perry
• Monday, January 22, 2018, White County Historical Society, Harding Place Retirement Center, 801 Benton Ave, Searcy, Arkansas, 7 p.m., lecture
• Tuesday, March 13, 2018, Perry County Historical and Genealogical Society, Milam Library, 609 Aplin Street, Perryville, 7 p.m., spoke with the group about its ongoing efforts to preserve the former Rock Island depot in Perry, Ark.
• Tuesday, August 21, 2018, Arkansas State Archives, Pen to Podium: Arkansas Historical Writers’ Lecture Series, Department of Arkansas Heritage Diamond Room, 1100 North Street, Little Rock, Arkansas, 6:30 p.m., lecture
• Saturday, October 27, 2018, Barnes & Noble, North Little Rock, 12 p.m.- 3 p.m., 4000 McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, book signing

As a companion to the book, I also produced a podcast series that may eventually extend to 10 to 15 episodes that includes interviews I’ve conducted with former Rock Island employees and others with a connection to the railroad.