Besides having coal, the land that would become Le Flore County upon Oklahoma statehood was covered with forests, leading to a prosperous early lumber industry.
[1] The town of Howe developed as a transportation center, with the Kansas City, Pittsburg and Gulf Railroad (bought in 1900 by the Kansas City Southern Railway) building through in 1895–1896, and the Choctaw, Oklahoma and Gulf Railroad (later leased to the Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railway) arriving in 1898.
[4] As part of the overall effort, the company constructed the Kingston and Choctaw Valley Railroad within the year period following June 30, 1898.
[7][8] The K&CV started just south of Thomasville, passed through that location, and proceeded north through the ephemeral settlements at Perry, Houston and Nail, then passed over the Poteau River to Petros, Oklahoma, also known as Petross Mill, where Dierks Forests had sited a wood planing operation.
An eventual casualty of its own “cut and move on” policy, the Buschow mill closed in 1932, and the post office followed in 1944.