The Arkansas & Oklahoma Railroad, owned by John Bayless and William Felker, ran west from Bentonville to Gravette from 1898 to 1900. In addition to carrying passengers, it played a major role in the growth of the Ozark fruit industry, especially apples, by providing shipment to markets across the country. In November 1900, the line was sold to the Frisco Railway, extended from Gravette to Grove, Oklahoma, then in Indian Territory, and renamed the Bentonville Branch. This branch line included stops at nine depots as well as the Rogers mainline depot, and in Gravette it crossed the tracks of the Kansas City Southern, originally known as the Kansas City, Pittsburg & Gulf. That gave the small town of Gravette two railroad stations, although little freight was exchanged there. The Benton County fruit industry, the railroad's main economic driver, peaked around 1919 but then steadily declined because of pests, late frosts, low prices, and fruit tree rust infestations. The Frisco did little to maintain the line, and by the late 1930s revenue losses were too great to ignore. Service on the tracks west of Bentonville ended September 9, 1940, closing the heyday of the Benton County apple industry.