The Tallahassee Railroad, headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, was one of the first two railroads in Florida, starting operations in 1836 or 1837. It did not successfully use steam locomotives until 1855, with trains being pulled by mules for more than 20 years. The principal source of traffic on the railroad for many years was carrying cotton bales from Tallahassee to seaports on the St. Marks River. Origin Tallahassee sat in "Middle Florida", the part of the Territory of Florida between the Appalachicola and Suwannee rivers. In the 1830s Middle Florida was the most populous and prosperous part of Florida. The heart of Middle Florida and the adjacent part of Georgia formed the "Red Hills Region", which held many plantations producing cotton and tobacco. Export of cotton from the region was difficult. Cotton bales were brought into Tallahassee, from which they were carried in wagons across the deep sand of the Woodville Karst Plain to ports on the St. Marks River. The Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida authorized the Leon Rail-Way Company in 1831 to build a railroad from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River. When that company failed to organize, the Legislative Council then authorized the Leon Railroad Company, which forfeited its charter after it was unable to raise the required capital. The Tallahassee Railroad Company was incorporated in 1834 as authorized by an act of the Legislative Council. Richard Keith Call, who owned two plantations in Leon County, became president and chief stockholder of the company. The Territorial government granted of land to the railroad company. As part of the proposed route crossed land still held by the Federal government, Call petitioned the U.S. Congress to grant the railroad a wide right-of-way, and in St. Marks. Congress granted a wide right of way, and just at the junction of the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers. Construction Much of what is now known about the construction of the Tallahassee Railroad was recorded by the German Bohemian railroad expert, Franz Anton von Gerstner. Gerstner had been commissioned by the Russian government to write a comprehensive report on railroads in the United States. He visited Middle Florida in 1839. Construction of the railroad began in 1834 from Tallahassee, and had reached St. Marks, a distance of , by 1836 or 1837 (sources differ on the year operations began). By 1839, the railroad was extended south to Port Leon by means