1885 | Time Table
The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe's 1885 time table emphasized its connections not only to California but also to Mexico City on the Mexico Central Railroad. Its large map featured detailed insets of Baja California and Mexico for tourists and travelers, and its inside folds described special rates for "land explorers" and emigrants.
1886 | Book
Isabella Bird, a peripatetic traveler, recounted her adventures in the American West to her sister in letters published as A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains. In this excerpt, she writes about part of her 1873 train journey, describing the parlor car and conditions on the train.
1886 | Time Table
The Chicago and Atlantic Railway's 1886 time table emphasized its "straight line" to the East and the "smoothness and evenness" of its grade. The road used "the best of steel rails only" and boasted "three thousand oak ties to the mile."
1886 | Time Table
The Chicago and Alton time table stressed the regional, midwestern connections for St. Louis and Kansas City.
September 10, 1886 | Newspaper
The plight of three African American passengers on a Georgia railcar is recounted in this reprint from the Macon Telegraph.
1887 | Time Table
The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad's 1887 time table featured the speed of its route from St. Louis, Kansas City, or Chicago to Los Angeles. The time table emphasized express trains and fewer changes of cars than competing lines.
December 24, 1887 | Newspaper
The case of Rev. William Heard versus the Georgia Railroad Company is heard before the Interstate Commerce Commission.
May 2, 1888 | Letter
In the wake of the 1888 strike, railroad officials worked to compile lists of violent protesters and their victims; in this report, S. E. Crance lists violence at strategic points along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad line.
June 11, 1888 | Letter
In the wake of the 1888 strike, railroad officials worked to compile lists of violent protesters and their victims; in this report, S. E. Crance lists violence at strategic points along the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad line.
June 23, 1888 | Letter
William F. Merrill forwards two reports about strike workers and violence to Paul Morton, General Freight Agent for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy; the reports were compiled by Superintendant Crance of the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company and Kohl, Superintendant of the Kansas City, St. Joseph & Council Bluffs Railroad Company.
December 10, 1888 | Time Table
The 1888 Chicago and North-Western Railway emphasized "cheap farms and free homes" in Northern Nebraska along the Elkhorn Valley, the Niobrara Valley, and into the Black Hills in South Dakota. The time table included detailed descriptions of homestead policies and land availability for immigrants and settlers.
January 5, 1889 | Newspaper
A correspondent of the New York Age reports on an Atlanta Evening Journal article recounting the expulsion of Reverend T. H. Lee from a Georgia Railroad Company coach.
February 10, 1889 | Letter
The C, B & Q Master Mechanic for West Burlington, Iowa, reports on the work history of several engineers who were re-applying for work in the wake of the 1888 strike. Master Mechanic West indicated employees with hash tags (#) who should never be rehired.
February 11, 1889 | Letter
The C, B & Q Master Mechanic for West Burlington, Iowa, reports on the work history of several firemen and hostlers who were re-applying for work in the wake of the 1888 strike. Master Mechanic West indicated employees with hash tags (#) who should never be rehired.
March 13, 1889 | Letter
Following the strike of 1888, railroad officials were careful to avoid hiring union members and employees who had "behaved badly" during the 45-day strike. In this exchange, G. W. Holdredge, General Manager of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad and H. B. Stone, Vice President of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Railroad Company, work to clarify the status of workers who may or may not be eligible for re-hire. Railroad companies made an effort to keep agitators and violent strikers from reentering the railroad workforce.
April 27, 1889 | Letter
Following the strike of 1888, railroad officials were careful to avoid hiring union members and employees who had "behaved badly" during the 45-day strike. Thomas Calvert, as General Superintendent in Lincoln, worked with railroad officials to help in the process of regulating re-employment.
1890 | Book
Manuals of etiquette and behavior were incredibly popular during the 19th Century and covered every aspect of life from infancy to mourning. In this excerpt, some of the highly gendered expectations placed on a well-bred traveler on the railroad or on a steamboat are explained in detail.
February 7, 1891 | Time Table
August 20, 1891 | Time Table
The Chicago, Burlington & Northern's 1891 time table adopted a compass-like circular image representing the major points accessible on the line. This table also featured the history of the line and the picturesque sites along its route.
September 3, 1891 | Newspaper
A reponse from the Southern Pacific following an Interstate Commerce Commission ruling that African Americans making trips crossing state lines could not be ejected from first-class cars.