Overview of the Collection
Content DescriptionThe collection consists of three leather-bound scrapbooks, two of which contain black-and-white "snap shots" taken during construction of the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul railroad from 1906-1909. These scrapbooks also include a letter from real estate broker M.D. Haynes to H.C. Henry that came with the photos, stating that the photos were all taken by "Walter" during construction of the railroad. Henry later placed the photos in albums in geographic order (moving west to east) and captioned them. Horace Chapin Henry's professional and family lives are more strongly emphasized in the third scrapbook, which contains photographs of a "motor trip" taken by Langdon Chapin Henry, his wife Genevieve and their friends Mr. and Mrs. Randolph Chinn to Southern California. The third scrapbook also contains a program from the dedication of the Florence Henry Memorial Chapel (named in honor of Horace's daughter who died young of appendicitis), and a brochure extolling the virtues of the Metropolitan National Bank (where Henry served as Chairman). Henry's commitment to civic life and his stature as a public figure are exemplified by a series of newspaper clippings depicting his narrow escape from an automobile accident, an advertisement for a savings program aimed towards young newsboys, several accounts of donations made to the University of Washington in the form of funding for an art gallery, and reports of his being awarded the French Legion Medal of Honor. Historical BackgroundIn 1906 the Chicago-Milwaukee St. Paul Railroad began preparations to extend its line west to Seattle. According to a biography, Horace Chapin Henry, written by his son-in-law, Noble Hoggson, H.C. Henry (one of Seattle's notable early pioneers) accepted the leadership of this enormous project, which would last more than three years and cover 1150 miles. At the time there were other railroads that had built lines across the Cascades but none had yet attempted Snoqualmie Pass. Noble Hoggson writes that, "Engineers, although helped tremendously by [Isaac] Steven's early published account of his original survey, spent an entire year in resurveying and designing the line." The construction, which ran from Renton, Washington to Avery, Idaho, was divided into several sections that would be worked and completed independently. The photographs in the first two albums document construction work in these different sections -- particularly work involving some of the more challenging aspects of railroad building (bridges, tunnels, grading, etc.) Hoggson describes the process of constructing the railroad, writing that the entire project required the work of 10,000 men and that the first step of railroad building was to set up camps complete with sanitary facilities, mess halls, commissaries, offices, stables, water supplies, sleeping quarters and in a few cases, hospitals. Portable sawmills also needed to be set up to cut lumber for both the camps and the railroads themselves. Once camps were built, the building of the railroads could begin. Loggers cleared the right of way for grading; the felled trees were later hauled out and used for lumber. "Powder monkeys" followed the loggers, blasting out stumps and making way for the "scrapers" who came next to level the roadbed to the proper grade. Several photos depict the difficulty of working in mountainous terrain. In some cases workers were ferried through the air to the worksite using just rope, some lumber and the help of a tram. After the roadbeds were carved out, track-laying gangs followed with ties, rock ballast and rails. Once the track was spiked into place, materials and supplies could be brought in by train. Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
The collection is open to the public by appointment. Restrictions on Use :The Museum of History & Industry is the owner of the materials in the Sophie Frye Bass Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from MOHAI before any reproduction use. The museum does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from the copyright owners. Preferred Citation :H.C. Henry Photo Albums, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle Administrative Information
Acquisition Information :
Donated by Noble Hoggson in 1967. Related Materials :A Biography of Horace Chapin Henry can be found in the Sophie Frye Bass Library of the Museum of History & Industry, Seattle. Bibliography :A Biography of Horace Chapin Henry (1844-1928), by Noble Hoggson. 1967. The Craftsman Press. Seattle. Detailed Description of the Collection
Subjects
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