Museum of History & Industry
Sophie Frye Bass Library
2700 24th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: 206-324-1126
URL: http://www.seattlehistory.org

Guide to the Burlington Northern Railroad Company Records, 1876-1971


1972.5375_1983.12_1986.19





Finding aid prepared by Jody Hendrickson

Finding aid encoded by Jody Hendrickson, 2007
Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.


Overview of the Collection
 
Repository Name:
 

Museum of History & Industry
Sophie Frye Bass Library

2700 24th Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98112
Phone: 206-324-1126
URL: http://www.seattlehistory.org
 
Collection Number:
 

1972.5375_1983.12_1986.19
 
Creator:
 

Burlington Northern Railroad Company
 
Title:
 

Burlington Northern Railroad Company Records

 
Dates:
 

1876-1971 (inclusive)
 
Quantity:
 

approximately 9 linear feet
 
Languages:
 

Collection materials are in English. 

 
Summary:
 

Records, including photographs, of the Burlington Northern Railroad and its predecessor companies.
 
Location of Collection:
 

See at accession level
 

Historical Note

The Burlington Northern Railroad was a product of the merger of the Great Northern Railway, the Northern Pacific Railway, the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and the Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway in 1970. In 1996, the Burlington Northern merged with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway to become the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway.

Content Description

The Burlington Northern Railroad Company Records is comprised of 3 accessions and includes Burlington Northern Railroad Company record books (1876-1971), Great Northern Railway account books (1922-1924), and a series of Northern Pacific Railway Company notebooks of photographs showing joint facilities with other railroads (1931-1935).

Arrangement

Arranged in 3 accesssions:

  • Accession No. 1972.5375, Burlington Northern Railroad Company record books and other material, 1876-1971
  • Accession No. 1983.12, Great Northern Railway account books, 1922-1924
  • Accession No. 1986.19, Northern Pacific Railway Company joint facilities notebooks, 1931-1935

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 

Burlington Northern Railroad Company Records, Museum of History & Industry, Seattle

Related Information

Related Materials 

The Railroad Employee Timetable Collection (Accession No. 1983.75, including several interfiled accessions) includes employee timetables for northwest United States and Canadian railroads, 1862-2000.

The James C. Mattson Collection on Northwest Railroads (Accession Nos. 1985.52, 1989.8, 1989.14, 1995.47, 1990.60, 2002.2, and 2007.48) includes photograph albums and Official List of Officers, Agents and Stations booklets from the Great Northern Railway, Northern Pacific Railway AFE register copies, railroad company annual reports and northwest railroad passenger timetables.

Subjects

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

 
Northwest, Pacific
Railroads --United States--Records
Account books
Photograph albums
Other Creators :
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corporation
Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.)
Northern Pacific Railway Company

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.


 

accession no. 1972.5375:  Burlington Northern Railroad Company record books and other material, 1876-1971

10 boxes5 linear feet
12b.2.1-3
Documents relating to the Burlington Northern Railroad Company and its predecessor companies: Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad, Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad Company, Pacific Coast Railroad Company and the Oregon Improvement Company. The Pacific Coast Railroad Company series includes records documenting the takeover of the PCRR by Great Northern.
 
 
Container(s)
Description
Dates
 
box:oversize
1

5375.1:  Record book of the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad
   1876 August 14- 1881 February 18
 
1 volume
Handwritten book with title page inscribed "Records pertaining to the Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad - H. Villard, Purchaser." This volume appears to be a copy from original records, made for Henry Villard sometime after the Seattle and Walla Walla was purchased by Villard's Oregon Improvement Company and renamed the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad.
   
Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad
  
 


5375.2:  Corporate minutes and other records
   1884 October 18-1891 May
 
1 volume
 
2

5375.3:  Corporate minutes and other records
   1889 November 21-1896 April 23
 
1 volume
 


5375.4:  Corporate minutes and other records
   1896 June 19-1901 May 27
 
1 volume
 
3

5375.5:  Records and correspondence
   1901 May 19-1904 March 23
 
1 volume
 


5375.6:  Records and correspondence
   1904 March 24-1906 March 3
 
1 volume
 
4

5375.7:  Records and correspondence
   1906 March 9-1912 May 12
 
1 volume
 
5

5375.8:  Records and correspondence
   1912 May 27-1917 January 23
 
1 volume
 
1

5375.23:  "Index to the records of the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad"
   undated
 
1 volume
Handwritten index in alphabetized, bound index book, but with few entries
   
Pacific Coast Railroad Company (PCRR)
  
 
6

5375.9:  Corporate minutes
   1917 April 23-1932 May 17
 
1 volume
 
7

5375.10:  Corporate minutes and correspondence
   1932 June 15-1959 September 11
 
1 volume
 
6

5375.11:  Corporate minutes
   1959 December-1970 February
 
1 volume
 
9

5375.16:  Correspondence
   1947 September 11-1971 February 10
 
1 volume
 


5375.17a:  Report on Great Northern acquistion of PCRR
   1950 May 16-1950 July 20
 
Includes correspondence
 


5375.17b:  Great Northern Board of Directors minutes regarding PCRR
   1950 August 10
 


5375.17c:  PCRR map - "Condensed profile Seattle to Black Diamond"
   1957 September
 


5375.18:  Great Northern option and offer to buy PCRR
   1950 June 26-October 3
 
Includes correspondence
 


5375.19:  Great Northern takeover documents
   1950 September 11-1957 March 19
 
10

5375.20a:  Takeover statements and correspondence
   1951 April 16-1970 February 9
 


5375.20b:  Application of Bruce Anderson to the Interstate Commerce Commission to become officer of more than one carrier
   1968 November 8
 
Related to the Great Northern takeover of PCRR
 


5375.21:   Stock purchase contract and related correspondence -- Great Northern/PCRR
   1951 October-1968 February 13
 


5375.22:   Agreements between Great Northern and PCRR
   1951 November 4-1968 February 13
   
Oregon Improvement Company / Pacific Coast Company
  
 
The Oregon Improvement Company defaulted in 1893 and was reorganized under the name Pacific Coast Company.
 
8

5375.12:  Purchasing agent records for Oregon Improvement Co.
   1892 March 11-1894 October 11
 
1 volume
 


5375.13:  Purchasing agent records for Oregon Improvement Co.
   1894 October 5-1897 June 21
 
1 volume
Includes index
 


5375.14:  Purchasing agent records for Oregon Improvement Co. and Pacific Coast Co.
   1897 June 21-1898-August 10
 
1 volume
Includes index
 


5375.15:  Purchasing agent records for Pacific Coast Co.
   1889 August 11-1899 August 16
 
1 volume
Includes index
 

accession no. 1983.12:  Great Northern Railway account books, 1922-1924

Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.)
2 ledger books
12b.1.3
 
Container(s)
Description
Dates
 
box:oversize
1

Great Northern Railway, King Street Station ledger
   1923-1924
 


Great Northern Railway ledger
   1921-1924
 

accession no. 1986.19:  Northern Pacific Railway Company joint facilities notebooks, 1931-1935

Northern Pacific Railway Company
13 volumes
12b.2.1
Thirteen 3 ring binders, each 9.25"x14", containing a photographic record of Northern Pacific joint facilities with other railroads. The photographs were taken in 1927-1929 and the notebooks prepared in 1931-1935. Each photograph is labelled with letters and numbers corresponding to features; the accompanying key includes detailed descriptions of each signal, switch, sign and track depicted. The notebooks also include copies of the text of contracts covering joint use of lines
 
 
Container(s)
Description
Dates
 
volume
1

Tacoma Division - Tacoma
   1931-1935
 
2

Tacoma Division - Tacoma to Roy via South Tacoma
   1931-1935
 
3

Tacoma Division - Roy to Tenino and Tacoma to Nisqually
   1931-1935
 
4

Tacoma Division - Nisqually to Centralia
   1931-1935
 
5

Tacoma Division - Centralia to Olequa
   1931-1935
 
6

Tacoma Division - Olequa to Woodland
   1931-1935
 
7

Tacoma Division - American Lake Line and Woodland to Vancouver
   1931-1935
 
8

Tacoma Division - Grays Harbor Line
   1931-1935
 
9

Rocky Mountain Division - Butte to Missoula
   1931-1935
 
10

Seattle Division - Tacoma to Orillia
   1931-1935
 
11

Seattle Division - Black River to Seattle
   1931-1935
 
12

Seattle Division - Seattle
   1931-1935
 
13

Seattle Division - Seattle and Everett
   1931-1935