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The tunnel is 1,180 feet (360 m) long and has a single track. The deck width is 14.0 feet (4.3 m) and the clearance above the deck is 20.0 feet (6.1 m). Its elevation is 600 feet (180 m) above mean sea level. The tunnel has various lengths of lining and arching. 624 feet
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Jenson Tunnel is located on private property northeast of Rock Island and is the only known railroad tunnel in
Oklahoma. Now used by the Kansas City Southern, it was built by Frisco Railway in 1885–86. The tunnel was created through Backbone Mountain in what is now
226:(190 m) of the interior is unlined and has no arching. About 324 feet (99 m) at each end are lined with stone and have a brick arch. 62 feet (19 m). The rest of the length (118 feet (36 m)) has timber posts and arches.
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180:. It was constructed through Backbone Mountain during 1885–86, by the Fort Smith & Southern Railway (FSSR). and has remained in service until the present. At the time it was built, the tunnel was located in the
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One blogger reported that the tunnel was built on the east side of the
Arkansas-Indian Territory border, but that a subsequent realignment of the border put it entirely inside the present state of Oklahoma.
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288:(also known as the "Frisco" or SLSF.) controlled the Fort Smith & Southern Railway, which was formed in 1886 and which was absorbed by the Frisco in March, 1887.
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188:. Since Oklahoma became a state in 1907, the tunnel site has been part of Le Flore County, Oklahoma. It is now primarily used by the
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Map
Showing Located Line of the Fort Smith Southern Railway, Through Part of Choctaw Nation, Indian Territory, Sugar Loaf County.
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The tunnel was listed on the
National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) on May 13, 1976. Reference number is 76001567.
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range and is also called Devil's
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National
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Stone markers above the north and south portals show a date of 1886.
396:"Oklahoma Love Affair Blog, The Only Railroad Tunnel in Oklahoma."
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National
Register of Historic Places in Le Flore County, Oklahoma
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Traci Coston Barnes."Oklahoma's First and Only
Railroad Tunnel."
192:(KCS), and is sometimes referred to as the KCS - Jenson Tunnel.
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is the first and only railroad tunnel in the present state of
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was fought on this mountain on
September 1, 1863, during the
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NARA On-line Public Access. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
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749:List of National Historic Landmarks in Oklahoma
331:Bridgehunter.com. 2008.Accessed March 22, 2015.
341:"Ft. Smith Area Railroads - History Timeline."
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221:Detail of Jenson Tunnel ceiling in 2015
286:St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad
259:Backbone Mountain is a feature of the
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478:National Register of Historic Places
343:July 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
617:Poteau School Gymnasium-Auditorium
250:Also called "KCS-Backbone Tunnel".
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788:Rail infrastructure in Oklahoma
28:North Entrance of Jenson Tunnel
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190:Kansas City Southern Railroad
768:History of Indian Territory
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607:Le Flore County Courthouse
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269:Battle of Devil's Backbone
265:Sebastian County, Arkansas
778:Tunnels completed in 1886
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612:Poteau Community Building
358:Retrieved March 24, 2015.
203:Le Flore County, Oklahoma
50:Le Flore County, Oklahoma
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773:LeFlore County, Oklahoma
482:LeFlore County, Oklahoma
589:Skullyville County Jail
530:James E. Reynolds House
78:35.217583°N 94.442889°W
329:"KCS - Jenson Tunnel,"
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174:Jenson Railroad Tunnel
17:Jenson Railroad Tunnel
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83:35.217583; -94.442889
643:Lake Wister Locality
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42:KCS-Backbone Tunnel
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671:Shady Point School
571:Peter Conser House
273:American Civil War
261:Ouachita Mountains
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39:Other name(s)
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69:94°26′34.4″W
714:Summerfield
658:Shady Point
636:Rural Areas
627:Twyman Park
622:Terry House
381:30 December
213:Description
137:Track gauge
81: /
66:35°13′3.3″N
56:Coordinates
762:Categories
545:Cowlington
413:Frisco.org
305:References
107:Work begun
742:See also:
167:14.0 feet
159:20.0 feet
123:Technical
102:Operation
718:Talihina
563:Heavener
178:Oklahoma
149:600 feet
141:Standard
47:Location
34:Overview
517:Cameron
419:2 April
196:History
599:Poteau
581:Panama
490:Arkoma
267:. The
128:Length
115:Opened
97:Active
94:Status
686:Spiro
238:Notes
164:Width
747:and
716:and
421:2015
383:2019
284:The
131:1180
118:1886
110:1885
480:in
184:in
764::
411:.
374:.
363:^
348:^
313:^
205:.
470:e
463:t
456:v
423:.
385:.
275:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
