Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company Records, 1918-1975
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company.
- Title
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company Records
- Dates
- 1918-197519181975
- Quantity
- 1.2 linear feet
- Collection Number
- Collection 2209, MtBC, us (collection)
- Summary
- The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company Records consist of materials produced by the Montana branches of the company and its employees such as correspondence, memos, blueprints, and a scrapbook. Operations of the Montana branch stations are covered in correspondence and organizational materials.
- Repository
-
Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame Special Collections
Montana State University-Bozeman Library
Merrill G Burlingame Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT
59717-3320
Telephone: 4069944242
Fax: 4069942851
- Access Restrictions
-
This collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
- Sponsor
- Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company or the "Milwaukee Road" opened in Montana in August, 1908. The company felt that to be competitive it had to expand its services to the Pacific Coast. Despite the fact that it had to buy most of its right away and avoid established areas, they were able to build 2,300 miles of track in three years. Along with building track from Glenham, South Dakota to Seattle, they absorbed local railways such as the famous Jawbone of Central Montana and local lines like the Gallatin Valley's Inter-urban and Bozeman's street railway. Eventually, the steep grades and frigid weather forced the Milwaukee to turn to electric power rather than traditional steam. An abundance of hydroelectric dams and copper from Anaconda made the transition an easy choice and the conversion of the line from Harlowton to Avery, Idaho began in 1914. Increased use of automobiles, numerous bouts of bankruptcy, and the merger of the Burlington Northern, Northern Pacific and Great Northern all lead to the decline of the Milwaukee in Montana.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad Company records consist of materials produced by the Montana branches of the company and its employees such as correspondence, memos, blueprints, and a scrapbook. Operations of the Montana branch stations are covered in correspondence and organizational materials. Of particular interest is a logbook of livestock accident claims made against the company from 1926-1975; blueprints of various electrical stations; a photographic scrapbook of substations on the line.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Acquisition Information
Electrical station blueprints and miscellaneous office records of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company were donated to Montana State University by Charles Rafferty of Ronan, Montana on April 12, 1990. Additional materials from the company, originally accessioned as collection numbers 2132 and 2160, were subsequently donated by the Museum of the Rockies.
Processing Note
This collection was processed 2007 December 11
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box/Folder | ||
1/1 | Bozeman Street Railway Rooke Register | August 1918 |
1/2 | Bozeman Street Railway Rooke Register | November 1918 |
1/3 | Gallatin Valley Railway (Interurban) Bozeman to Salesville | January 1918 |
1/4 | Gallatin Valley Railway Bozeman to Three Forks/Menard | July 1918 |
1/5 | Certification of O. G. Buerkle as Telegrapher and Agent | May 1910 |
1/6 | Bozeman Roundhouse Boiler Inspection Certificate | 1941 |
1/7 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1930-1939 |
1/8 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1940 |
1/9 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1941 |
1/10 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1942-1945 |
1/11 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1946-1949 |
1/12 | Bozeman Office Correspondence | 1950-1954 |
1/13 | Memos | 1922-1971 |
1/14 | Memos-Electrification Abandonment | 1973-1980 |
2/1 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Eustis | |
2/2 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Francis | |
2/3 | Electrical Station-Francis; map of route | 1952 |
2/4 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Gold Creek | |
2/5 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Janney | |
2/6 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Loweth | |
2/7 | Electrical Station-Loweth voltage record | May 1971 |
2/8 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Morel | |
2/9 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Pridmont | |
2/10 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Primrose | |
2/11 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Two Dot | |
2/12 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Combined Substations | |
2/13 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Various | |
2/14 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Various (Automatic Substation Circuits) | |
2/15 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Various | |
2/16 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Ravenna Switchboard | |
2/17 | Electrical Station Blueprints-Tarkio Switchboard | |
2/18 | Photo Scrapbook of Substations | |
2/19 | Records of Operation Signals | 1918, 1920, 1972 |
Box | ||
3 | Milwaukee Road Livestock Claims | 1926-1975 |
3 | Memo Book | 1918-1956 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Railroad accidents-Montana
- Railroads-Buildings and structures-Montana-Designs and plans
- Railroads-Buildings and structures-Montana-Photographs
- Railroads-Montana
- Railroads-Montana-Bozeman
- Railroads-Montana-Electrification
Corporate Names
- Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company-Archives
Form or Genre Terms
- Blueprints
- Business records-Montana
- Photographs