Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Robert Gifford reminiscence
- Dates:
- undated
- Abstract:
- A 2-page mimeograph reminiscence by Central Pacific Railroad conductor Robert Gifford relating work experiences during the 1870s and 1880s. Includes mention of the Southern Pacific steam locomotive "C. P. Huntington."
- Extent:
- .01 Linear Feet 1 folder
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Robert Gifford Reminiscence, MS 564, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
A 2-page mimeograph reminiscence by Central Pacific Railroad conductor Robert Gifford relating work experiences during the 1870s and 1880s. Includes mention of the Southern Pacific steam locomotive "C. P. Huntington."
- Biographical / historical:
-
Robert Lee Gifford, Jr., was born in Devonshire, England, Jul. 1853. He was raised in Dutch Flat, California. He married Martha Adelina Robey in 1882. They had three children, Lottie Maude (1884-1976), Authur Lee (1886-1963), and Nettie Alora (1890-1982). Gifford began working for the Central Pacific Railroad in 1864 or 1865 when he was 11 or 12 years old. He was hired to lead the horses pulling dump cars from the pit to the dump.
Starting in 1874, Gifford worked as a freight brakeman on the Humbolt Division. He then became a switchman and Night Yardmaster in the Winnemucca Yard. In June 1880, he moved to Tucson, Arizona and then moved to Los Angeles in 1886 as a Yardmaster in San Pedro. Over the course of his career, Gifford worked as a Yardmaster, Switchman, Brakeman, Freight Conductor and Passenger Conductor.
The donor, Jean Thomas, is Mr. Gifford's great-granddaughter.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Jean Thomas, 2009
- Physical location:
- Statewide Museum Collections Center
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-09-03 16:07:42 +0000 .
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], Robert Gifford Reminiscence, MS 564, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073