Montana State University Library, Merrill G. Burlingame
Special Collections
P.O. Box 173320
Bozeman, MT 59717-3320
United States
Phone (406) 994-4242
Fax (406) 994-2851
http://www.lib.montana.edu/archives/
University Archivist
spcoll@www.lib.montana.edu
Collection 2209, MtBC, us
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul,
and Pacific Railroad Company.
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific
Railroad Company Records
1918-1975
1.2 linear feet
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.
Collection materials are in English
Historical Note
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.
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.
This collection is open for research.
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.
This collection was processed 2007 December 11
Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul,
and Pacific Railroad Company-Archives
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
Photographs
Blueprints
Business records-Montana
Railroads
Montana
Bozeman
Architectural
Drawings
Photographs
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
3
Milwaukee Road Livestock Claims
1926-1975
3
Memo Book
1918-1956