Web of Enterprise

John Drennen pursued a varied and profitable career as a merchant, bank trustee, plantation owner, and Indian agent, tying his future to the young town of Van Buren and building his family home there above the Arkansas River and the ferry he operated. The railroad bridge below stands as a reminder of his network of enterprises and his vision for the future, resting on land he owned and serving as an important link in the Fort Smith and Little Rock Railroad, a company he founded. Completed 30 years after his death in 1885, the bridge had to await the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction before becoming part of the expanding rail network that transformed American commerce.

Van Buren, Arkansas · United States