1859 | Illustration
The characters encoutered along the rail journey are part of the artist's experience.
1859 | Illustration
American railroad progress is compared with the adoption of the technology in England.
1859 | Illustration
April 22, 1859 | Letter
In this April 22, 1859 letter from John McConihe to his business partner, John Kellogg, McCohihe predicts the positive effect the Pike's Peak Gold Rush will have on the land he and Kellogg are selling come summer.
1859 | Newspaper
Comments on the prospects for the Blue Ridge Railroad, with comparisions to Virginia and New York systems.
December 27, 1858 | Letter
John McConihe's December 27, 1858 letter to John Kellogg discusses several business transactions and mentions his re-appointment as personal secretary to the new governor. McConihe also expresses his opposition to a plan to annex part of Nebraska to Kansas, fearing it will set Nebraska back "full ten years."
December 7, 1858 | Letter
This December 7, 1858 letter from John McConihe to his business partner, John Kellogg, requests money for cattle speculation. McConihe hopes to make a large profit selling the cattle to gold miners in the spring. He also mentions his appointment as one of five Notary Publics in Omaha.
December 4, 1858 | Illustration
The railroad depot at Pittsburgh (Harper?s Weekly, December 4, 1858). Pittsburgh celebrated 100 years since Fort Duquesne was captured from the French--the railroad depot stood on the site of the old fort, a symbol of the city?s modernity. By 1861 Pennsylvania possessed over 500 depots, so many that 85 percent of the state?s population lived within fifteen miles of a depot.
November 25, 1858 | Letter
This November 25, 1858 letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg discusses both land purchases and building rental prospects. McConihe predicts a gold rush in the spring, as strikes are confirmed in western Nebraska. He also notes the appearance of the sun for the first time in a month.
November 6, 1858 | Letter
John McConihe's November 6, 1858 letter to John Kellogg contains information about their plans for additional land transactions and McConihe's efforts to pass bills through the territorial legislature on behalf of their town, Beatrice. He also reports that construction on a railroad in Council Bluffs, Iowa has begun and his hopes that it will "in three years connect us with N.Y." McConihe is not excited about another Nebraska winter and requests that Kellogg renew his subscription to a New York newspaper.
October 8, 1858 | Letter
This October 8, 1858 letter from John McConihe to John Kellogg reveals that he has become the governor's personal secretary. He mentions the difficulty of holding unoccupied land claims and also tells Kellogg of rumors of gold strikes further west. McConihe also describes a "great Indian Wardance" performed by members of the Omaha tribe that recently took place in town and the reaction of the white population.
September 4, 1858 | Letter
In this letter from September 4, 1858, John McConihe writes to his business partner, John Kellogg, about potential legal problems with their land and the threat of claim theft in Omaha, Nebraska. He also informs him of the fledgling construction of a railroad near Council Bluffs, Iowa, and expresses his desire to leave Nebraska.
August 15, 1858 | Letter
Francis Sim's August 15, 1858 letter to his brother, John C. Clark describes the results of "the Election" and his great satisfaction in the triumph of "the People" over the Democrats-a marked contrast, he observes, to the political events in Kansas. He also reports on the development of Otoe, Nebraska, and the corruption that marks land sales in the area. Though times are hard, he thinks that his family has enough, and he gives a full listing of his crops and livestock.
July 31, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the July 31, 1858 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the beginning of a train derailment on the Erie railroad.
July 31, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the July 31, 1858 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the scene at a train derailment on the Erie railroad.
July 15, 1858 | Letter
In this July 15, 1858 letter to her mother, Sarah Sim writes of the new Sabbath School library (containing 100 volumes), her triumphs and failures in gardening, and the developments in Otoe, Nebraska, which include a school, regular preaching, and a printing press. She inquires after the activities of various female relatives who are teaching, attending school, and, in one case, enjoying a somewhat unconventional lifestyle selling sewing machines in Cincinnati.
June 26, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the June 26, 1858 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts a train passing through the Wabash Valley during a flood.
June 26, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the June 26, 1858 issue of Harper's Weekly depicts the flooding of Cairo, Illinois.
June 1, 1858 | Rate Tables
This June 1, 1858 table outlines the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad's coal tariff rates to and from various locations. The B & O set its rates based on a "per ton" weight of 2,240 pounds.
May 28, 1858 | Illustration
This image from the May 28, 1858 edition of Harper's Weekly depicts an accident on a railroad bridge near Utica, New York.