June 16, 1874 | Contract
In this June 16, 1874 application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, Hungarian Andreas Mosser purchases land in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Mosser's application is especially remarkable, as he lists his time in the United States as "14 days" and his time in Nebraska as "8 days". The railroad clearly played an instrumental role in Mosser's new life in America, both by selling him his own land and likely by transporting him across the country to take possession of it, all within the span of only two weeks.
May 20, 1875 | Newspaper
The United States District Court at Harrisionburg, Virginia, hands down an indictment against the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad for the ejection of Annie Smith.
August 30, 1875 | Contract
In this August 30, 1875 application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, 80 acres in Lancaster County, Nebraska sell for $6.00 per acre. Vaclav Krenek, who arrived from Prague, Bohemia seven months before he filled out this application, notes on his application that he owns no other land in Nebraska. Railroad land sales provided immigrants the chance to become property owners soon after their arrival.
May 5, 1876 | Contract
In this application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, August Wilke purchases 40 acres in Lancaster County, Nebraska for $5.50 per acre. A German immigrant who had lived in the United States for 16 years, Wilke already owned a homestead in the section adjacent to the one purchased here. Railroad land sales offered immigrants who had established themselves earlier the chance to increase their holdings.
June 26, 1876 | Contract
In this June 26, 1876 application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, a Bohemian purchases 80 acres in Lancaster County, Nebraska, only eight days after arriving in the United States and four days after arriving in Nebraska. In a little over a week, this immigrant used the railroad as a means of transport across the country and as a vehicle of acquiring property.
1877 | Speech
In 1907, the Colorado Commandery of the Loyal Legion of the United States reprinted this account of General Grenville Dodge's campaign against the plains Indians. The Loyal Legion praised Dodge's 1864-1865 campaign as a "signal victory over the most vindictive, barbarous and treacherous enemies our soldiers have ever been called on to fight." Responding to Indian attacks on stagecoaches, trains, and telegraphs, Dodge's account recalls his efforts to "open and protect" the territories up to the Platte line, and to "whip all the Indians in the way."
January 1, 1877 | Pamphlet
An examplar with the terms of purchase on credit for Burlington and Missouri Railroad Company Lands; the interest, payment dates, and sample payment amounts are meant to inform prospective buyers who may have not owned land before moving West.
February 10, 1877 | Contract
In this February 10, 1877 application to buy land from the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company, 80 acres of land in Lancaster County, Nebraska are sold for $7.00 per acre. This immigrant took advantage of railroad lands to increase his property holdings, as he already owned land in Nebraska.
July 1, 1877 | Pamphlet
One of the notable features of this map of Webster county is the amount of land held by the railroad; note also the proposed line between Hastings and Red Cloud. The reverse of the map is full of useful information and propoganda about Webster County, home "land of the richest quality."
July 16, 1877 | Newspaper
The American reports that John King, vice-president of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, requested state militia to guard the property of the railroad and quell the "riot." West Virginia Governor Henry M. Mathews in a telegraph assures King that he will do everything in his power to "suppress the riot."
July 17, 1877 | Newspaper
This dispatch from West Virginia Governor Henry M. Matthews, reprinted in the July 17, 1877 edition of the Baltimore Sun, states Matthews' desire to preserve the peace and protect the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's trains.
July 17, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 17, 1877 edition of the Baltimore American gives an account of the strike's origins in Baltimore, its spread to Martinsburg, West Virginia, the arrival of the miltary, and a description of the demonstrations that took place.
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
This letter to the editor by Captain Charles J. Faulkner, printed in the July 19, 1877 edition of the Baltimore Sun defends his decision to leave the railroad yard at Martinsburg, West Virginia. Faulkner's letter comes in response to newspaper editors who suggested that his company left too soon.
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
This excerpt from the July 18, 1877 edition of the Baltimore American lists several military dispatches in response to the strike, including correspondence from West Virginia Governor Henry M. Matthews asking Secretary of War George W. McCrary for assistance and tactical messages between the field commanders.
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
West Virginia Governor Henry M. Matthews replies to Secretary of War George McCrary's request for more information about the state's military strength, noting that some of the state and local militia were sympathetic to the strikers. He also claims that U.S. troops are necessary to prevent "bloodshed."
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
West Virginia Governor Henry M. Mathews requests United States troops to quell what he called "domestic violence" and to stop the activities of what he deemed "unlawful combinations."
July 18, 1877 | Newspaper
On Wednesday, July 18, 1877, Baltimore and Ohio Railroad President John W. Garrett sends a message to President Hayes urging him to send United States troops to end the strike and the "open intimidation" of railroad employees who did not join the strike.
July 19, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 19, 1877 edition of the Baltimore American details the events that led to the Federal government sending troops to disperse the rioters.
July 20, 1877 | Newspaper
This article from the July 20, 1877 edition of the Baltimore American gives an account of the strike and notes the military's effectiveness at calming the mob, but the reluctance of railroad workers to return to work.
July 20, 1877 | Newspaper
In this July 20, 1877 proclamation, Maryland Governor John L. Carroll asks the citizens of Maryland to abstain from acts of lawlessness and assist the authorities in maintaining law and order. Carroll refers to the strike as a "conspiracy" to interfere with the business of the railroad.