UUS_CAINEmss023.xml Guide to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge #6071909-1923 Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge #6071909-1923 Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives Utah State University, Merrill Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives
Merrill-Cazier Library Utah State University 3000 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-3000 Phone: 435 797-8248 Fax: 435 797-2880 Email: scweb@usu.edu
©2011 Encoded in oXygen XML editor by Sara Skindelien, 2011 July 28. Finding aid encoded in English. Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Editon). 2009 Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines. Overview of the Collection UUS_CAINE MSS 23 Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen. Lodge 607 Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge #607 1909-1923 Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Manuscript Collection
Merrill-Cazier Library Utah State University 3000 Old Main Hill Logan, UT 84322-3000 Phone: 435 797-2663 Fax: 435 797-2880 Email: scweb@usu.edu
5 boxes 3.25 linear feet Correspondence, financial records and grievance reports from the union Material in English

Processed in May of 2006

The materials in this collection were purchased by USU Special Collections & Archives for inclusion in the Marie Eccles-Caine Archive of Intermountain Americana.

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge #607 must be obtained from the Special Collections Manuscript Curator and/or the Special Collections Department Head.

Initial Citation: Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge #607 USU_CAINE MSS 23, Box [ ]. Special Collections and Archives. Utah State University Merrill-Cazier Library. Logan, Utah.

Following Citations:USU_CAINE MSS 23, USUSCA.

 Biographical Note

The history of the labor movement in the Western United States is one dominated by the unions representing the major industries such as mining and railroading. The papers chronicle railroad union activity on the Oregon Shortline (later the Union Pacific) of Idaho, Utah, and Oregon. These records were found together in the Oddfellows Hall in Montpelier, Idaho, at which location the unions held their regular meetings. The records span the period from 1884 through 1954.

Construction of the Oregon Shortline Railroad, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad, began in 1881 and was finished in 1884. The line left the mainline of the U.P. at Granger, Wyoming and joined the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company line at Huntington, Oregon. By the end of 1882, the company had built 330 miles of track. The route of the road came through Montpelier, so that in 1883 this Idaho farming community became a division point for the railroad. By the turn of the century a shop and roundhouse had been built in the Idaho town. Town histories indicate that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers established a lodge in 1883. Another union, the Brotherhood of Locomotive of Firemen's Re-Echo Lodge 195 moved their headquarters from Shoshone, Idaho to Montpelier in 1887.

The railroad was a boon to Montpelier and became the main employer of that town into the 1950's. However, as trains became faster and more powerful and as engines changed from steam power to diesel, the need for a large railroad work force in Montpelier declined. By the 1950s many of the union men were moved to the divisional headquarters in Pocatello.

These railroad labor records cover important periods for the American labor movement. They document union activity through two world wars as well as the Great Depression. They also describe a period in which railroad employment played a key role in small western towns such a Montpelier, Idaho. In addition, the papers recount the difficulties of a manufacturing type of industry blending into a religious farming community.

The Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was comprised primarily of railroad workers other than engineers and firemen. This set of records cover the years 1917-1923. The bulk of the collection consists of correspondence files, many of which pertain to grievance brought by the union against management. Of interest in these files are letters from men who have joined the army during World War I. These letters concern questions of keeping their union status intact.

The correspondence records are arranged in chronological order

Fife, Kimball M. Montpelier, Idaho's locomotive firemen and enginemen : a community of railroaders, 1900-1920 (BOOK COLL 42 No. 87)

B.L.F.E. Re-Echo Lodge #195 Records, Montpelier, Idaho(CAINE MSS 22)

Ladies Auxiliary of the B.L.F.E. Liberty Lodge #397 Montpelier, Idaho(CAINE MSS 24)

 Labor Unions Railroads Labor History Economics and Banking Correspondence Oregon Short Line Railroad Union Pacific Railroad Company Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (U.S.) Railroads--Employees--Labor unions--Idaho Railroads--Employees--Labor unions--Utah Railroads--Employees--Labor unions--Wyoming World War, 1914-1918 Montpelier (Idaho)--History Pocatello (Idaho)--History Receipt books for dues paid 1 1902-1909 (23 books) 2 Correspondence 1917-1918 (22 folders) 1 1917 January-March 1917 January-March 2 1917 April-June 1917 April-June 3 1917 July 1917 July 4 1917 August 5 1917 September 1917 September 6 1917 October 1917 October 7 1917 November 1917 November 8 1917 December 1917 December 9 1917 1917 10 1918 January 1918 January 11 1918 February 1918 February 12 1918 March 1918 March 13 1918 April 1918 April 14 1918 May 1918 May 15 1918 April 1918 April 16 1918 July 1918 July 17 1918 August 1918 August 18 1918 September 1918 September 19 1918 October 1918 October 20 1918 November 1918 November 21 1918 December 1918 December 22 1918 1918 3 Correspondence 1919-1920 (25 folders) 1 1919 January 1919 January 2 1919 February 1919 February 3 1919 March 1919 March 4 1919 April 1919 April 5 1919 May 1919 May 6 1919 April 1919 April 7 1919 July 1919 July 8 1919 August 1919 August 9 1919 September 1919 September 10 1919 October 1919 October 11 1919 November 1919 November 12 1919 December 1919 December 13 1920 January 1920 January 14 1920 February 1920 February 15 1920 March 1920 March 16 1920 April 1920 April 17 1920 May 1920 May 18 1920 April 1920 April 19 1920 July 1920 July 20 1920 August 1920 August 21 1920 September 1920 September 22 1920 October 1920 October 23 1920 November 1920 November 24 1920 December 1920 December 25 1920 1920 4 Correspondence and application for membership 1917-1921 (18 folders) 1 1921 January 1921 January 2 1921 February 1921 February 3 1921 March 1921 March 4 1921 April 1921 April 5 1921 May 1921 May 6 1921 April 1921 April 7 1921 July 1921 July 8 1921 August 1921 August 9 1921 September 1921 September 10 1921 October 1912 October 11 1921 November 1921 November 12 1921 December 1921 December 13 1921 1921

(Folders 14-18 applications for membership 1917-21)

 14 1917 1917 15 1918 1918 16 1919 1919 17 1920 1920 18 1921 1921 5 Miscellaneous report 1916-1923 (12 folders) 1 Decision of Railway Board of Adjustment 1919 August 1 2 Decision of Railway Board of Adjustment 1918 September 1 3 Decision of Railway Board of Adjustment 1919 April 1 4 Seniority list of switchmen, Kemmerer, Wyoming Yard 1918 July 1 5 Seniority list of switchmen, Pocatello, Idaho Yard (1918?) 6 Minutes of a joint meeting of the Order of Railway Conductors and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen 1916 7 Minutes of a joint meeting of the Order of Railway Conductors and the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen on the Oregon Shortline Railroad 1922 8 Minutes of a meeting of the Hospital Committees of all organizations on Oregon Shortline Railroad undated 9 Minutes of the General Committee of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen undated 10 General grievance committee 1916 November 13; 1917 March 1; 1918 November 13; and 1921 October 11 Oregon Shortline schedule of pay for trainmen 1923 12 Yard schedule revision 1922