Collection context
Summary
- Abstract:
- Compilation of letters written by Samuel B. Reed to his family during the mapping of Union Pacific Railroad's route west of the Continental Divide and its construction which he supervised from 1864 to 1869.
- Extent:
- 53 Sheets
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Samuel B. Reed Correspondence, MS 572, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Compilation of letters written by Samuel B. Reed to his family during the mapping of Union Pacific Railroad's route west of the Continental Divide and its construction from 1864 to 1869 which he supervised.
This compilation, appears to be a duplicate copy of the Samuel Reed transcript of letters available at the Huntington Library, described here: https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/960105951
- Biographical / historical:
-
Samuel Benedict Reed (1818-1891) was born in Bennington, Vermont or Arlington, Virginia on November 18, 1818. His first position in 1841 was working on the Erie canal. Next, Reed worked on the construction of the Detroit and Pontiac Railroad. In 1846, he surveyed part of the Michigan Central Railroad and became a division engineer. He then moved to Michigan Southern and Northern Indiana Railroad and in 1852 became a location engineer for another railroad. Reed oversaw the construction of Chicago & Rock Island. Union Pacific Chief Engineer Thomas Durant hired Reed in 1864 and in 1865 he became one of three division engineers to survey the route of the Transcontinental Railroad west of the Continental Divide. In 1865, Reed was promoted to Superintendent of Construction with Union Pacific, a position he held during the building of the Transcontinental Railroad. After , he its completion in 1869,Reed oversaw the building of the the Illinois Central and part of the Canadian Pacific Railroad and became the receiver of the Chicago, Pekin & Southwestern Railroad.
Reed married Jane Earl in 1855. They had three daughters: Jane, Mary and Anna, He died on December 25,1891 in Pasadena, California.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Theresa Guy, 2019.
- Arrangement:
-
Arranged chronologically.
- Physical location:
- Statewide Museum Collections Center: I2.210.J4
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research by appointment. Contact Library Staff.
- Terms of access:
-
Copyright has not been assigned to the California State Railroad Museum. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the CSRM Library & Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the CSRM as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Samuel B. Reed Correspondence, MS 572, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073