Temp Map 4F G3701 .P1 1910 Y2
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| Twentieth Century Transportation (1910) Temp Map 4F G3701 .P1 1910 Y2 |
The collecting of large corporate archives at the Newberry was initiated in 1943 by Librarian Stanley Pargellis, who advocated the acquisition of records of Midwestern enterprises that contained materials for social and intellectual history as well as business history. Pargellis's vision was realized with the deposit of several large and important archives of Midwestern railroad companies, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company, the Illinois Central Railroad Company, and the Pullman Company.
Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company
Formed in 1855 by Boston capitalist John Murray Forbes, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy (CB&Q) by 1900, employed 35,640 people and included 7,545 miles of track mainly in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Wyoming, Montana, and the Dakotas. In addition to its railroad operations, this mammoth "Burlington System" was responsible for encouraging emigration and town development, and for stimulating local economies along its routes. It also promoted tourism to Yellowstone, the Black Hills, Glacier, and other scenic sites within reach of its tracks and beginning in 1934 introduced its revolutionary and enormously popular stainless steel Zephyr passenger trains.
The CB&Q archives at the Newberry (ca. 5,000 cubic feet) mainly document the nineteenth century operations of the Burlington and its component roads. Beyond their significance for the study of nineteenth century railroad history and labor history, the archives are a relatively unexplored and valuable resource for those interested in topics related to the social and economic development of the region served by the CB&Q. There is also significant twentieth century material, including the correspondence of CB&Q president Ralph Budd, and numerous photographs and pamphlets dealing with the Zephyrs and the promotion of tourism.
The following are among the topics covered:
Finding aids:
Illinois Central Railroad Company
With origins dating from an 1830s Illinois-sponsored program of internal improvements, the Illinois Central Railroad (IC), based in Chicago, was chartered in 1851 to take advantage of the Federal Land Grant Act of 1850 and build a north-south line in Illinois from Cairo to Chicago. In advertising and selling lands along its route, the IC was a catalyst for growth in the central and southern regions of Illinois, attracting thousands of settlers and laying the foundations for agricultural, industrial, and urban development. The company had a significant impact on the growth of Chicago and the development of its lakeshore. Expanding west to Iowa and into the southern states, the IC became the primary passenger and freight link between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico.
The bulk of the IC records at the Newberry (ca. 1,000 cubic ft.) date from 1851 to 1906, but there are also important groupings of twentieth-century material. The archives include practically complete correspondence files of company presidents, one of the largest series being the In-letters of Stuyvesant Fish (president 1887-1906). This series contains not only correspondence, but also a number of printed and manuscript maps, broadsides, brochures, etc., many of which document Fish's involvement in the wider cultural and business life of Chicago. There is a good deal of information on buildings, structures, and right-of-way, including many large-scale "track books" with maps of the lines, sidings, and wayside structures. Other files contain reports of construction and materials, information about the day-to-day operation of the railroad, and about finance, securities, and employees. Although most of the Land Department files remain in IC custody, there are important materials here on immigration, colonization, and land sales. Dozens of timetables, both "public" and "employee," provide detailed information about the day-to-day operations. Several hundred maps document regions, states, cities, and towns along the IC lines. There are also records of a number of subsidiary lines and other railroads incorporated into the IC systems, in the southern states and the upper Midwest.
The following are among the topics covered:
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Pullman Company
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| Pullman Palace Car Company Stock Certificate 02/01/08, Pullman Company Collection |
In its century of operation (1876-1969) the Pullman's Palace Car Company and later Pullman Company rose quickly, employing thousands in the manufacture and operation of sleeping cars on railroads throughout North America, as well as in Mexico and Europe. Just as suddenly in the decades following World War II, the firm fell victim to the convenience, comfort, and speed of road and air travel. In its heyday, Pullman systematized rail car construction at its sophisticated plant in Pullman, Illinois, and attempted to improve the living conditions of its workers at the model company town adjacent to the factory. Providing a chain of hotels on wheels for millions of passengers, the Pullman Company revolutionized rail travel and in so doing dramatically increased employment opportunities for African Americans who served as porters on its cars. Beyond that, the company had a significant effect on the American labor movement and on the economies of the many cities where it operated shops and yards.
The business archives of the Pullman's Palace Car Company and Pullman Company held at the Newberry Library (2,500 cubic feet, 1867-1981) are a primary source of immense importance for the study of American social, technological, business, and family history. They include records of the entire firm until the mid-1920s when separate manufacturing and operating (sleeping car operation, service, and repair) companies were formed. After that date, the records mainly chronicle the activities of the operating company. In addition to voluminous individual employee records, there are extensive files on management policy relating to personnel and labor relations. Another large body of materials comprises the records of individual Pullman cars (e.g., drawings, specifications, photographs). There are also numerous scrapbooks documenting the nineteenth century operation of the company: including the Town of Pullman and the Strike of 1894; administrative, legal, financial, and securities records; and records of subsidiary companies and competitor firms absorbed by Pullman.
The following are among the topics covered are
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