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  • | Letter

    Henry B. Stone letter, February 28, 1888

    Henry B. Stone, Master Mechanic for the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy, reflects on the costs in personnel and goodwill that are inevitable with a strike; he believes circumstances make it "simply impossible for the Company to yield to the demands which have been made."

  • | Newspaper

    THE GREAT RAILROAD STRIKE

    This April 21, 1888 report and response from Harper's Weekly gives an overview of the Burlington, Chicago and Quincy Railroad Strike; the role of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the ready availability of replacement workers, and escalating violence all draw the writer's attention. A response to the strike written by William Dean Howells, American author and literary critic, was added to the Harper's article and is written from the point of view of a stockholder favoring arbitration.

  • | Letter

    S. E. Crance to W. F. Merrill, strike violence

    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.

  • | Letter

    S. E. Crance to W. F. Merrill, strike violence

    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.

  • | Letter

    History of the Strike

    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.

  • | Letter

    Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad post-strike report

    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.

  • | Letter

    Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad post-strike report

    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.

  • | Letter

    H. B. Stone and G. W. Holdredge Correspondence, 1889

    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.

  • | Letter

    Thomas E. Calvert 1888 strike remarks

    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.

  • | Photograph

    A Freight Crew and Its Hack

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) captures a railroad freight crew posing with an Erie Railroad car in the background.

  • | Photograph

    A Railroad Engineer "Fussing At His Machine"

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), shows a railroad engineer, "oil-can in hand," lubricating the wheel of a locomotive.

  • | Photograph

    A Railroad Fireman Shoveling Coal

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), captures a railroad fireman shoveling coal into the firebox.

  • | Photograph

    An Army of Clerks

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), depicts a room full of freight department clerks.

  • | Photograph

    The "Industrial Army of America"

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) depicts a large number of railroad mechanics posing with a locomotive.

  • | Photograph

    The Railroad Conductor

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), shows a railroad conductor at work.

  • | Photograph

    The Railroad Track Walker

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911), captures a track walker, lantern in hand, performing his nightly duties.

  • | Photograph

    The Wrecking Train

    This image from The Modern Railroad (1911) shows a number of railroad workers standing atop a wrecking train.

  • | Diary

    Rutherford B. Hayes Diary Entry, August 2, 1877

    This August 2, 1877 entry from President Rutherford B. Hayes' diary notes the proximity of his relatives to the violence in Pittsburgh.

  • | Diary

    Rutherford B. Hayes Diary entry, August 5, 1877

    This August 5, 1877 entry in his diary, President Rutherford B. Hayes affirms his views of limited government and the free labor right of contract, as well as his concerns about the "capitalists."

  • | Diary

    Rutherford B. Hayes Comments on the 1877 Railroad Strike

    In this 1877 excerpt from Rutherford B. Hayes' diary, the President notes the positive qualities of the railroad men who are on strike, but sees their actions as detrimental to those who wish to work. He also wonders what actions could be taken to "end or dimish the evil" of strikes.