Title: Arthur W. Large Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1916-1961

Creator:

• Large, Arthur W., 1881-

Call Number: U.S. Mss BF

Quantity: 3.6 c.f. (9 archives boxes)

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Papers of Arthur W. Large, a historian of the Rock Island Railroad, including correspondence, research notes, and manuscript histories relating to the formation, building, and operations of the railroad, its departments, and branch and affiliate lines. Also includes biographical data on the railroad's presidents and others, and information on the railroad's impact on settlement.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-us0000bf

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The Arthur W. Large Papers consist of correspondence, 1929-1961, research notes and historical data, and completed manuscripts, both annotated and unannotated, relating to various aspects of the history of the Rock Island Railroad. The collection is divided into seven series: correspondence, writings by Arthur W. Large, history by states, history of the departments, history of the presidents, Winning of the West, and general subject files.

The Correspondence, 1929-1961, which deals mainly with historical research, includes both incoming and outgoing letters and is arranged chronologically by month. The Writings by Arthur W. Large series contains an explanation of his research on the Rock Island Railroad, “My Historical Work with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad,” and an address delivered October 18, 1958, before the reunion of the Washington Delegation of 1930 on behalf of the Panhandle Agricultural and Mechanical College, Goodwell, Oklahoma.

The third series, History by States, includes charters and other information on companies building the Rock Island Railroad, materials telling when each section of the railroad was built and by what company, and summaries of each state's contributions to the building of the Rock Island Railroad. The folders are listed alphabetically by states and include Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. A more detailed description of this series can be found in Mr. Large's essay, “My Historical Work with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad,” in Box 1.

The History of the Departments series consists of names and dates of the heads and principal assistants in each department of the railroad, and History of the Presidents gives a brief sketch of each president of the Rock Island Railroad with the accomplishments of his administration. See the contents list below for alphabetically arranged folder titles.

Winning of the West is a two-part series on the railroad's part in the expansion of the West. Reference is given to development in several states and complete census figures are included to show each state's growth.

The last series consists of the General Subject Files, including materials on development of the Chicago Terminal Division, historical research pertaining to the Rock Island Railroad, gross earnings arranged by fiscal years, various biographies, and numerous other categories indicated in the contents list.

Acquisition Information

Presented by Arthur W. Large through the courtesy of Richmond Wagener, Chicago, Illinois, November 1965 and March 1966.

Processing Information

Processed by M. Williams, March 5, 1966.

	Series: Correspondence
Box   1 Folder   1	1929-1950
Box   1 Folder   2	1951-1953
Box   1 Folder   3	1954-1961
	Series: Writings by Arthur W. Large	⇧
Box   1 Folder   4	“My Historical Work with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad”
Box   1 Folder   4	Address before Washington Delegation, 1930
	Series: History by States	⇧
	Arkansas
Box   1 Folder   5	Rock Island, Stuttgart, and Southern Railroad Co,; Stuttgart and Rice Belt Railroad Co.; Stuttgart and Southern Railroad Co.; Rock Island Lines South of Little Rock
	Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana
Box   1 Folder   6-7	History of the Rock Island Railroad in these states
Box   1 Folder   8	Research material and Historical notes
Box   1 Folder   9	Arizona - Rock Island Railroad in: The Valley of the Sun
Box   1 Folder   10	California - Rock Island Railroad in: The Golden State
	Colorado
Box   2 Folder   1-2	History of the Colorado Midland Railroad Co. and related histories
Box   2 Folder   3	History of the Rock Island Railroad in: The Centennial State
	Illinois
Box   2 Folder   4	Brief Condensed History of the Rock Island Railroad in the Rock Island-Davenport Area
Box   2 Folder   5	Brief History of Rock Island, Ill. and the Rock Island Area from 1673-1951, with special reference to the Rock Island Railroad
Box   2 Folder   6	Historical notes about the Rock Island Railroad
Box   2 Folder   7	Railroad Yards, Terminals, and Shops at Rock Island, Ill.
Box   2 Folder   8	The Rock Island Railroad in: Illinois
Box   2 Folder   9	Rock Island Railroad in: Ottawa, Ill.; First Train, Chicago to Joliet; Ottawa to Peru; La Salle to Peru; Peru to Bereau; The Peoria Line; Centennial Celebration, 1952; Englewood, Ill.
	Iowa
	Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railway Co.
Box   2 Folder   10	Its Predecessor companies, Subsidiary and Related Companies
Box   2 Folder   11	Twenty years of litigation following receivership
Box   2 Folder   12	Grinnell and Early Mississippi and Missouri and Rock Island Railroad History
	History of the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railway Co.
Box   2 Folder   13	Final copy
Box   2 Folder   14	Financial
Box   3 Folder   1	History of the Rock Island and its predecessor, affiliated, and Subsidiary Co.
	History of the Rock Island Railroad in: Iowa
Box   3 Folder   2	Preliminary copies
Box   3 Folder   3	To be revised
Box   3 Folder   4	History of the Rock Island Railroad in the Des Moines Area
Box   3 Folder   5	Incomplete material; various articles
Box   3 Folder   6	Research materials
Box   3 Folder   7	Washington, Iowa to Oskaloosa, and other Lines in that Section; the Leavenworth Line
	Kansas
Box   3 Folder   8	Chicago, Kansas, and Nebraska Railroad Co.; Topeka, Salina, and Western Railroad Co.; Misc.
Box   3 Folder   9	Historical notes; Abilene to Salina; History of the Liberal, Kansas to El Paso, Texas Line; State's Development and Settlement with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad
Box   3 Folder   10-11	History of the Rock Island Railroad in: Kansas
Box   3 Folder   12	Three Important and Related Events; Civil War . . . , 1862
	Minnesota
Box   4 Folder   1	Hollandale Colony
Box   4 Folder   2	The State's Settlement and Development with Reference to the, Rock Island Railroad
	Mississippi
Box   4 Folder   3	History of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Co. and Branches and Main Rock Island Line from Kellogg, Iowa to Council Bluffs
	History of the Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Co. and Related Matters
Box   4 Folder   4-5	Parts I-II
Box   4 Folder   6	Preliminary and incomplete
Box   4 Folder   7	Mississippi and Missouri Railroad Co., Misc. pages, Liberal, Seward County, Kansas
	Missouri - History of the Rock Island Railroad in
Box   4 Folder   8	The Rock Island Railroad in Northwestern Missouri, St. Louis - Kansas City Line; State's Settlement and Development with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad
Box   4 Folder   9	Miscellaneous and original copies
	Nebraska
Box   4 Folder   10	History of the Rock Island Railroad in
Box   4 Folder   11	Rock Island Railroad in: Historical Notes
Box   5 Folder   1	New Mexico - Rock Island Railroad in; Charters, Corporations, and Construction; Connecting Railroads and Related matters
Box   5 Folder   2	Ohio - Ashtabula Train Wreck, Dec. 29, 1876
	Oklahoma
Box   5 Folder   3	Mining by Gibson
Box   5 Folder   4	Building the Fort Reno (El Reno) to Oklahoma City Line
Box   5 Folder   5	Choctaw and Gulf Railroad Co.: Mileage in Oklahoma; Branch Line Mileage; Coal Mining and Coal Leases
Box   5 Folder   6	Choctaw's Place in History; Oklahoma City; Building the Rock Island Lines into Elk City; Choctaw Coal and Railway Co.; W.P. Fletcher, Lonoke, Ark.
Box   5 Folder   7	Dardanelle and other Railroads
Box   5 Folder   8	History and Misc. matters
Box   5 Folder   9-10	History of the Rock Island Railroad in Oklahoma
Box   5 Folder   11	Research and Notes
Box   5 Folder   12	Revised Tables and Articles
Box   5 Folder   13	Rock Island Railroad in; Choctaw System in; From “History of Oklahoma” by Hall; Choctaw, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railroad Co. in
Box   5 Folder   14	Settlement and Development; Rock Island with Reference to Geology; History of the Rock Island Railroad in
	Texas
Box   6 Folder   1	Brief Corporate and Construction History of Railroad Mileage between El Paso and Santa Rosa, New Mexico and Tucumcari, and New Mexico and Dawson
	History of the Rock Island Railroad in
Box   6 Folder   2-3	Parts I-II
Box   6 Folder   4	Working material
Box   6 Folder   5	State's Settlement and Development with Reference to the Rock Island Railroad
Box   6 Folder   6	Miscellaneous - Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, and Arizona
	Series: History of the Departments	⇧
Box   6 Folder   7	History of the Accounting Department
Box   6 Folder   8	History of the Engineering Department
Box   6 Folder   9	History of the Freight Traffic Department
Box   6 Folder   10	History of the Irrigation Department (also Flood Control, Reclamation, and Water Conservation)
Box   6 Folder   11	History of the Law Department
Box   6 Folder   12	History of the Office of Agricultural Agent and of the Industrial Agricultural Department
Box   6 Folder   13	History of the Office of Assistant to the President and Lists of Vice-Presidents not connected with any Department
Box   6 Folder   14	History of the Office of Chief Surgeon
Box   7 Folder   1	History of the Office of Engineer Capital Expenditures and Valuation Engineer
Box   7 Folder   2	History of the Office of Manager, Mail, Baggage, and Express Traffic
Box   7 Folder   3	History of the Office of Secretary-Treasurer (Financial Department)
Box   7 Folder   4	History of the Office of Signal Engineer
Box   7 Folder   5	History of the Office of Superintendent of Communications
Box   7 Folder   6	History of the Operating Department
Box   7 Folder   7	History of the Pass Bureau (Department)
Box   7 Folder   8	History of the Passenger Traffic Department
Box   7 Folder   9	History of the Personnel and Public Relations Department
Box   7 Folder   10	History of the Purchasing Department
Box   7 Folder   11	History of the Real Estate and Tax Department
Box   7 Folder   12	History of the Safety Department
	Series: History of the Presidents	⇧
Box   7 Folder   13	List of Presidents of the Rock Island Railroad
Box   7 Folder   14	Administration of Leon M. Allen
Box   7 Folder   15	Administration of Charles W. Durant
Box   7 Folder   16	Administration of John D. Tarrington
Box   7 Folder   17	Administration of James E. Gorman
Box   7 Folder   18	Administration of John Bloomfield Jervis
Box   7 Folder   19	Administration of Benjamin Winchell, Henry Mudge, and Warren Purdy
Box   8 Folder   1-2	Series: Winning of the West, Parts I and II	⇧
	Series: General Subject Files	⇧
Box   8 Folder   3	American Railway Development Association, A Brief History of
Box   8 Folder   4	Brief Abstract of Letters received by Secretary and Treasurer of the Rock Island Railroad from 1916 to March 31, 1951
Box   8 Folder   5	Chicago Terminal Division Matters
Box   8 Folder   6	General Grenville M. Dodge
Box   8 Folder   7	Famous Rock Island Case with Reference to the Issuance of New Capital Stock
Box   8 Folder   8	Financial and Corporate matters of the Rock Island Railroad
Box   8 Folder   9	First Sleeping car on the Rock Island Railroad; First Rock Island Dining Cars; Suburban Lines; John C. Bonnell
Box   8 Folder   10	Historical Record of those in Executive Charge on Immigration, Colonization, and Agricultural and General Development work since 1854
Box   8 Folder   11	History of Advertising by the Rock Island Railroad
Box   8 Folder   12	History of the Family of Doctor Emil Isadore Hennig
Box   8 Folder   13	History of Industrial Development along the Rock Island Lines
Box   8 Folder   14	History of Railroad Development Work on the Rock Island Railroad
Box   9 Folder   1	History of the Rock Island Railroad, Biographical - Joseph Sheffield, Henry Tarnam Nelson and James Elwood, George and John Bonnelle, E. H. Woodman, L. C. Teitch, T. H. Beacom, W. B. Ogden, N. B. Judd, Joseph Reynolds, H. H. Porter, Allen Manvel, Benjamin Brewater, D. Dows, Ambrose C. Fulton, and Russell Miller
Box   9 Folder   2	History of the Rock Island Railroad with Reference to the Durant Family
Box   9 Folder   3	Land Grants - History of Land Grants accruing to Predecessors of the Chicago, Rock Island, and Pacific Railroad Co.
Box   9 Folder   4	Locomotives on the Rock Island Railroad
Box   9 Folder   5	Dwight Lyman Moody and John V. Farwell
Box   9 Folder   6	Peoria and Bureau Valley Railroad Co.
Box   9 Folder   7	Race for the Trans-Continental Mails; Union Pacific Railroad reaches Promontory Point, Utah; Rock Island second Western Railroad to establish the Railroad Post Office System; Run for the 1871 Mail Contract
Box   9 Folder   8	Railroads - Letter to Rockwell Hereford; Preliminary statement; Building the Rock Island; the Railroad as a Development Agency
Box   9 Folder   9	Rock Island Bridge
	Rock Island Railroad
Box   9 Folder   10	Associations or Organizations in which membership was held
Box   9 Folder   11	Railroad Rails, Steel Railroad Rails
Box   9 Folder   12	70th Anniversary; Industrial Department; Personnel Department, New Equipment; James E. Gorman; 1931 Rock Island Report
Box   9 Folder   13	Valuation Report of the Interstate Commerce Commission
	Misc. Biographical Research
Box   9 Folder   14	Kirkwood McConarey Family; Major Ralph Hall
Box   9 Folder   15	Misc. Materials and Research Articles