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Southern Pacific Railroad collection, circa 1868-1987

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Southern Pacific Railroad Company
Title
Southern Pacific Railroad collection
Dates
circa 1868-1987 (inclusive)
Quantity
30 cubic feet, (7 document cases, 21 flat boxes, 15 custom boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
Mss 1113
Summary
Collection of records of and relating to the Southern Pacific Railroad, focusing primarily on operation in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Includes engineering blueprints, construction engineering notebooks; freight tariff books; materials relating to the Oregon and California Railroad and to the Northern Pacific Terminal Company; and employee timetables. Most of the materials date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English, German
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Historical Note

The Southern Pacific Railroad was founded in San Francisco in 1865, and in 1868 it was purchased by the "Big Four" railroad tycoons of California, Collis P. Huntington, Leland Stanford, Mark Hopkins, and Charles Crocker. In 1870, during the construction of the first transcontinental railway, the company merged with the Central Pacific to form the largest railroad company in the western U.S. By 1876 the railroad had opened service between Oakland and Los Angeles, and by 1883 a second transcontinental route had been built from Los Angeles to Chicago. In 1885 the Southen Pacific assumed control over all operations of the Central Pacific, and in 1913 the U.S. Supreme Court forced the Union Pacific Railroad to sell its stock in the Southern Pacific Company. In 1988 the Southern Pacific Company was taken over by Rio Grand Industries, and in 1996 the Southern Pacific was purchased again by the Union Pacific Railroad.

In 1887 the Southern Pacific assumed control of the Oregon and California Railroad, which had been established through a reorganization of the California and Oregon Railroad in 1865. The Oregon and California came to be known as the "East Side Line" since it competed with the Oregon Central, or "West Side Line," to build the rail link between Portland and San Francisco. In 1870, magnate Ben Holladay assumed control of the Oregon and California, although later financial losses led to his displacement by Henry Villard and the Northern Pacific after 1873. In 1887 the line from Portland to Oakland, California, was completed and the Oregon and California came under the control of the Southern Pacific Railroad.

In the following decades the Oregon and California Railroad became the focus of a notorious land-fraud litigation. This was the result of the U.S. Government's method of subsidizing railroad construction through the grants of alternating parcels of property along the routes. As a condition of these land grants, the railroad was required to sell the parcels to "settlers" at $2.50 an acre. However, the Oregon and California evaded this requirement and sold properties to large land developers at high prices. These fraudulent practices became a public issue, in part through the investigative reporting of the Oregonian newspaper in 1904. A Federal investigation, instigated by President Theodore Roosevelt, was launched around that time, and the case reached the U.S. Supreme Court in 1915. The following year, Congress voted to repossess the railroad lands, with compensation to the company at the $2.50 per acre originally intended for settlers. The controversy continued throughout the 20th century, however, as questions arose over revenues from timber sales and other issues.

In 1927 the Southern Pacific bought the Oregon, California, and Eastern Railway, which was begun by R. E. Strahorn in the early 1900s. The line ran eastward from Klamath Falls, Oregon, to Sprague River, and eventually reached the town of Bly. It was operated jointly by the Southern Pacific Railroad and the Great Northern Railroad after 1928.

The Northen Pacific Terminal Company was founded in 1882. It was owned jointly by the Oregon and California Railroad, the Northern Pacific Railroad, and the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. In 1886 it purchased 14 blocks in Portland from the Oregon Central Railroad, and between 1890 and 1896 the company constructed the present Portland Union Station. In 1965 the name was changed to the Portland Terminal Railroad Company.

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Content Description

The collection was assembled by the Oregon Historical Society from a variety of sources. The most significant series is a large set of blueprints, probably collected by engineer Robert L. Donald, consisting of drawings for bridges, trestles, outbuildings, generic stations, locomotives, and a variety of other equipment. These date primarily from the 1890s and 1900s and were apprently parts of sets produced by the railroad's central offices. Most of the bridges and other structures were located in Oregon and California. A large portion of the drawings were identified with serial numbers, and these numbers are reflected in the indexes filed in the first folder of the collection.

Another important series contains records of the Oregon and California Railroad, which include minutes of board meetings, 1870-1929, and legal materials relating to land litigation cases. Also of note are photocopies and originals of employee timetables, primarily for lines in Oregon, and dating from 1892 to 1987. The collection also includes: publications and documents relating to the Northern Pacific Terminal Company; Southern Pacific Company publications; freight tariff books, 1895-1898; work order books, circa 1937-1967; corporate minutes, 1915-1974, of the Oregon, California, and Eastern Railway; general correspondence; stock books of the Oregon Central Railroad Company and the Willamette Valley Railroad Company; and ephemera.

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Other Descriptive Information

The collection contains materials formerly designated Mss 1113, Mss 113-1, Mss 1113-2, and Mss 1113-3.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The Oregon Historical Society is the owner of the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from the Research Library prior to any use of reproductions. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use of reproductions may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright holders.

Preferred Citation

Southern Pacific Railroad collection, Mss 1113, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

Alternative Forms Available

Minutes of the Board of Directors of the Oregon and California Railroad also available on microfilm as Mss 1113 Microfilm, Oregon Historical Society Research Library

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in the following series:

  • Series A: Engineering records and blueprints, 1881-1907
  • Series B: Robert L. Donald personal engineering materials, circa 1898-1905
  • Series C: Oregon and California Railroad materials, 1870-1962
  • Series D: Oregon, California, and Eastern Railroad materials, 1870-1974
  • Series E: Northern Pacific Terminal Company materials, 1882-1917
  • Series F: General materials relating to the Southern Pacific Railroad, 1883-1960
  • Series G: Employee time tables, 1882-1987

Custodial History

The engineering records and blueprints were probably collected by Robert L. Donald.

Acquisition Information

Library accessions 9510, 11328, 12687, 14010, and 14011.

Related Materials

Southern Pacific Railroad architectural drawings are designated Mss 3169 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Southern Pacific Railroad photographs are designated Org. Lot 442 in the Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Additional drawings and specification of the Southern Pacific and related railroads are housed at the California State Railroad Museum Library, Sacramento, California.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bridges--Design and construction--Oregon
  • Bridges--Design and construction--California
  • Railroad stations--California
  • Railroad stations--Oregon
  • Railroad bridges--Design and construction--California
  • Railroad bridges--Design and construction--Oregon
  • Railroads--California--History
  • Railroads--Oregon--History

Personal Names

  • Holladay, Ben, 1819-1887

Corporate Names

  • Southern Pacific Railroad Company
  • Oregon and California Railroad Company

Form or Genre Terms

  • Blueprints
  • Ledgers
  • Minutes
  • Timetables

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Donald, Robert L. (creator)
    • Villard, Henry, 1835-1900 (creator)

    Corporate Names

    • Northern Pacific Terminal Company (creator)
    • Oregon Central Railroad Company (creator)
    • Oregon, California and Eastern Railway Company (creator)
    • Portland and Willamette Valley Railway Company (creator)

Finding aid prepared by Geoffrey B. Wexler
2007

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