photo: Ed Cooper

This photo of me was taken by my mother on November 1, 1971. This is a view to the North-east on the Texas Midland/Texas & New Orleans line from near the Southern crossing of Dogtown Road looking toward Klondike, TX. This location is in the Jernigan River Bottom about 8 miles North-east of Commerce.  The dark section on the roadbed is the Jernigan River bridge structure.  Klondike is approximately located at the tree line visible at the far end of the roadbed at which point the line made a turn to the East to continue on to Cooper.  The right of way shown here is now Federally protected property bordering Cooper Lake and has taken on a jungle-like appearance.

Service by the Southern Pacific from Commerce to Paris via the old Texas Midland/Texas & New Orleans line halted as a direct result of a major flood in 1971.  Washouts of the line at the North Sulphur River and Jernigan River occurred during the same weather event.  Up until the time of the washouts, there was a daily train from Commerce to Paris servicing Campbell Soup's facility in Paris.  Approximately three car loads of produce and other ingredients each day went into the Soup plant and six to seven car loads of canned soup came out.  These cars were part of a block in the Blue Streak (#343) set out & picked up in Commerce. Motive power for the Paris run was provided by the same engine at that provided daily power for the "Dodger" to Greenville.  Southern Pacific crews ran service from the Cotton Belt interchange at Commerce and used their own SP caboose which was kept at the Commerce Yard.

photo: Nov. 1, 1971, L. Joyce Davis