¶ The Richard J. Orsi Papers contain drafts of articles and books, research material, and accompanying supplementary materials related to the professional and academic career of California and Western historian, Dr. Richard J. Orsi. The primary topic covered in this collection concerns the impact of the railroad on the Californian and Western landscape and environment from the 1860s to the late 20th century, which is evident from Dr. Orsi's published works, research notes, and lecture outlines, all of which can be found in this collection. In addition to physical copies of books published by Dr. Orsi, the collection contains handwritten note cards, printed articles, Kodak slides used for presentations, photographs, correspondence, and video cassette tapes used by Dr. Orsi for research purposes. ¶

¶ Historian Richard J. Orsi was born May 1, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois. Orsi and his late wife, Dolores, have two sons, Jared and Peter. Orsi obtained his Bachelor's degree (1961) from Occidental College in Los Angeles, and M.A. (1965) and Doctoral (1973) degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.¶

13 Linear Feet 17 record cartons, 10 shoeboxes

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.

Collection is open to research by appointment. Contact Library Staff for details.