Photograph Album of a Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway Employee, 1892-1927

This collection contains photos from an unidentified employee of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railway who traveled to Western Montana in conjunction with the railroad’s construction of a Pacific Coast extension line from 1906 – 1909. Originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, the employee’s album features photos from Missoula, Taft, Hellgate, Nimrod, Bonita, Corvallis, Bearmouth, Garrison, and Butte, Montana over this three-year period. During his time in Western Montana, the employee witnessed the Clark Fork Flood of 1908 and documented flood scenes at the Higgins Avenue Bridge, Rattlesnake Creek, and Bonner Dam as well as damage done to the railroad. Other highlights of the collection include photos of camp life and recreation, photos of railroad administrators and office workers, and celebratory photos taken after the completion of the extension line in 1909. Smaller sections of the album document the employee’s life as a boarder in Missoula with the Messner family and later at the Lenox Hotel. Photos of friends and family taken in Minnesota are also interspersed throughout the album. The employee provided labels for most of the photos in this collection. In 2024, it was determined that the unidentified employee was likely named Guy Peterson, however, no other biographical information about Peterson is known.