Collection is open for research.
Gift of Burlington Northern Railroad, December 1970 (Lib. Acc. 11760, Photo Acc. 970D001).
The collection is arranged in the following series: Series 1. Regional locations and scenery; Series 2. Railroad properties, personnel, and equipment; Series 3. Non-rail transportation, industry, and recreation; Series 4. Railroad promotional materials.
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle (SP & S) Railway operated rail lines in Oregon and Washington between 1905 and 1970. James J. Hill incorporated the railway in 1905 to connect his two transcontinental railway lines, the Northern Pacific (NP) and Great Northern (GN) railways. The company was initially named the Portland & Seattle Railway, and Spokane was added to the name in 1908. SP & S also oversaw the operation of the Oregon Electric Railway, the Oregon Traction Company, and the Oregon Trunk Railroad. SP & S merged with the Burlington Northern Railroad in 1970.
Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway photographs, Org. Lot 78, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Collection consists of marketing and promotional photographs used by the Spokane, Portland, and Seattle Railway. Subjects include railroad stations and yards; railroad tracks; rolling stock; train wrecks; railroad bridge construction and maintenance; and railway personnel. There are also photographs of towns and landscapes in Oregon, Washington, and California through which the railroads passed, including images of the construction of the Bonneville Dam, the Columbia River and Columbia River Gorge, the Oregon Coast, Mount Hood, and other mountains and lakes. The collection additionally contains photographs of people engaged in various recreations, including hiking, golfing, skiing, and fishing. There are also photographs relating to agriculture in the Pacific Northwest. Also included is one photograph album containing interior and exterior photographs of the Reserved Seat Coach-Cafe Car of the SP & S Railway in 1939. Many of the photographs in this collection were commissioned specifically for SP & S. Photographers represented in this collection include Kiser Photo Co., Photo-Art Commercial Studios, Angelus Commercial Studio, and Arthur M. Prentiss.
Office records of the Seattle, Portland and Spokane Railway Company donated with this collection were separated to Mss 2018, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Images of Oregon Electric Railway station on 5th St. and Lyon St., and community celebration of the opening.
Images showing downtown architecture, docks and maritime activity, the Astoria column, and workers. Includes 1 photo reproduction of a drawing of Fort Astoria from 1845.
Images showing the Pilot Butte Inn, the Shelvin-Hixon plant, residences, and a cave.
Images include aerial views of planning and construction, completed dam, and salmon.
Images of touristic scenes from various locations including Muir Woods and the Palace Hotel.
Beach scenes, landscapes, and seascapes.
Images showing bird refuges, hills, rivers, lakes, mountains, trees, cliffs and gorges, rocks, springs and waterfowl.
Images of residences, agriculture, military, logging, and fishing.
Images of residences and agriculture.
Images of Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University).
Images of mountains, rocks, and river gorges.
Images of mountains, rocks, river gorges, riverbanks, rapids, trees, and railroad tracks.
Images of the University of Oregon, the Oregon Electric Railway station, and a parade.
Images showing a downtown Hillsboro street scene, an apple orchard, and schoolchildren waiting for a train.
Downtown scenes and an aerial view of the Long-Bell lumber yards.
Images showing Klickitat and Carson Mineral Springs facilities in Washington.
Aerial and street-level views of downtown Portland, including industrial and architectural photos, photo reproductions of architectural drawings and street plans, the interior of consolidated ticket office, roses, and the Portland Rose Festival.
Aerial and street-level views of Prineville and Crook County.
Countryside and agricultural views, architecture, Oregon Capitol building, and the Oregon State Fair.
Images primarily show beach vacationers, residences, and the Lewis and Clark Salt Works.
Aerial views of downtown and railyards. Street-level views of garden and cemetery.
Industrial scenes.
Images showing construction for the Oregon Electric Wilsonville bridge.
Historical monument and plaque, with rail yards and landscape views in background.
Landscapes and natural, agricultural, and architectural images of various country locations in Oregon and Washington.
Landcape and nature images from the Columbia River and Gorge.
Landscape images, Timberline Lodge, and construction of a gondola cable car system.
Landscape and tourist images of Crater Lake National Park, Yellowstone National Park, Lake St. Mary, Pollock Mountain, Lake McDermott, McDermott Falls, and Glacier National Park. Portrait of Native American chiefs at Glacier National Park.
Landscape, architectural, road, and bridge images including near Lewiston and Walla Walla, Washington.
Landscape, nature and road images.
Landscape, nature, architectural, bridge, and road images.
Seascape, landscape, nature images.
Landscape and nature images.
Images showing Mt. Jefferson; Mt. Adams; Rock Creek Falls near Stevenson, Washington; Mt. St. Helens; Spirit Lake; Trout Lake near White Salmon, Washington; the Three Sisters; and the McKenzie River.
Images of rail station architecture, yards, tracks, passengers, and workers.
Landscape images featuring tracks, bridges, construction, and workers.
Images featuring moving trains and landscapes.
Images featuring train wrecks, damaged property, and salvage operations.
Images of freight cars, with rail company logos and marks, workers, and freight items.
Images of locomotives, rail stations, yards, workers, logos and marks.
Images of locomotives, rail stations, yards, workers, passengers, logos and marks.
Images of tracks, cars, and signals depot.
Images of rail cars, stations, passengers, logos and marks.
Images featuring passengers, attendants, first-class seats and lounges, coach seats, dining and sleeping cars.
Group and individual portaits and candid images of executives, secretaries, and other workers, mainly office and urban settings.
Images of rail construction. Bridges, tracks, scaffolding, cranes, bulldozers, tractors, landscapes, workers.
Interior views of rail yard industrial spaces. Workers, machinery, architecture, cars and locomotives.
Exhibition displays of agricultural products from Oregon and Washington.
Images of crop fields, farmhouses, agricultural activities, landscapes.
Images of crop rows and fields of hops and berries, agricultural workers.
Images of outdoor irrigation ditches and construction, and construction engineers.
Images of orchards, apples, landscapes, workers.
Images of cattle, poultry, sheep, landscapes, ranches, pens, workers.
Images of wheat fields, landscapes, hay bales.
Images of vehicles, passengers, and landscapes.
Outdoor sports and recreation, landscape and nature images.
Nature and landscape images, trees, lumber, roads, truck and river log transport.
Images of vessels, rivers, St. Johns Bridge, downtown Portland waterfront. Includes Peter Iredale, Battleship Oregon, and the U.S.S. Portland.
Images of advertising on posters, murals, billboards.
"S.P. & S. Ry. Reserved seat coach-café car, nos. 558 & 559, remodeled at Nor. Pac. Como Shops, St. Paul, Minn., April 1939." Passenger car interior and exterior.