Identifier

MA 33

Dates

1913-1918

Extent

1.47 linear feet (4 boxes)

Abstract

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMSP&P RR) was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and northwest of the United States. The railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and the upper peninsula of Michigan. The collection is composed of a compilation of various communications of the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul Railroad during 1913 to 1918, including regular daily telegraph correspondence as well as way-bill information and communication with shipping customers.

Historical Note

The Milwaukee Road, officially the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (CMSP&P RR) was a Class I railroad that operated in the Midwest and northwest of the United States from 1847 until its acquisition by and merger with the Soo Line railway in 1985–1986. The company went through several official names and faced bankruptcy several times in that period. While the railroad does not exist as a separate entity anymore, it is still commemorated in buildings like the historic Milwaukee Road Depot in Minneapolis, Minnesota and in railroad hardware still maintained by rail fans, such as the Milwaukee Road 261 steam locomotive.

The Milwaukee Road appeared as the Milwaukee and Waukesha Railroad when incorporated in 1847, but soon changed its name to Milwaukee and Mississippi. After three years, the first train ran from Milwaukee to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and the first passenger train ran on February 25, 1851. In 1874 the name was changed to Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul. By 1887, the railroad had lines running through Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, and the upper peninsula of Michigan.

Content Notes

This collection originated from the Madison, S.D. Railway Depot and was then donated to Prairie Village of Madison. The barn in which Prairie Village kept the records burned down but the records were salvaged. The collection provides a variety of different communications and report information, and is an excellent source to view original documentation. However, the collection is not a complete record of all communications and so is not an effective source for researching specific transactions, etc. It is organized into folders each containing a different form of communication used by the railroad company. The beginning of the collection contains all photocopied material. The middle of the collection contains the encapsulated material, and the end of the collection contains the samples of original records.

Because this collection was damaged in a fire all records received were photocopied with only a few original samples retained from each category of the collection. Some unique samples were encapsulated for easier handling and display.

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Language

English

Publisher

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Rights

documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

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