Pine Stumps for Turpentine

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  • June 29, 2021 at 5:36 pm #6499
    kevin_herrington22
    Participant

    Hello All,

    Does anyone know anything about pine stumps being shipped to Louisiana from Arkansas for turpentine production? Of particular interest to me is if any pine was cut around Brinkley and Marvell, Arkansas and then shipped south. There was some native pine in that area that I believe was cleared for agriculture.

    Thanks

    Ryan Smith

    July 1, 2021 at 12:16 am #10204
    Rian Gourley
    Participant

    My late Uncle who was a MOP clerk and later a switch man told me of an event that happened in the 1950’s where a car load. Of stumps headed to a turpentine plant in Oakdale, LA. The car was switched to a track next to the yards icing tracks for reefers. Unknown anyone, the car had a hotbox on one of the journals that started a fire within the pine stumps that spread to the icing platforms burning them down and were not rebuilt.

    Hope this helps.

    George Simmons
    Dry Prong, LA

    July 1, 2021 at 1:26 am #10207
    Rian Gourley
    Participant

    Forgot to mention that this happened at the joint MP/T&P yard in Alexandria, Louisiana.

    George Simmons
    Dry Prong, LA

    July 1, 2021 at 1:15 pm #10208
    kevin_herrington22
    Participant

    George,

    Thanks for the info. The pine stump fire would have been a mess. It would seem to me if any pine was cut in this area for turpentine it very well could have traveled down through Mcgehee and then to Oakdale.

    I am from Delta Heritage Trail State Park that is being developed into a hiking and biking trail partly from the former MOP line that the Delta Eagle operated on. I for sure will tell the story in our educational programming about your uncle and the fire. A lot reefer cars traveled on this line and it is a common topic in our programs.

    Ryan

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