The Paris and Great Northern Railroad (“P&GN”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the St. Louis–San Francisco Railway (“SLSF”), was incorporated July 28, 1881 for the purpose of building a railroad from Paris, Texas to a connection with the SLSF at the Red River. Work commenced in February 1886, and the line—which included a bridge over the Red River—was placed in operation in January 1888. The mainline stretched 16.210 miles, the railroad also having 8.337 miles of yard tracks and sidings, for 24.547 miles total. The line was operated directly by the SLSF until September 1, 1902, after which the P&GN operated it, except during World War I when it was operated by the United States Railroad Administration. On June 1, 1928, the railway was merged into another SLSF entity, the St. Louis, San Francisco and Texas Railway Company (“SLSF&T”).