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Orsi (Richard J.) Papers
MS 871
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Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: Richard J. Orsi papers
Identifier/Call Number: MS 871
Physical Description:
13 Linear Feet
17 record cartons, 10 shoeboxes
Date (inclusive): 1970-2009
Abstract: ¶ 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. ¶
Physical Location: I2.212.L
Language of Material: English.
Collection is open to research by appointment. Contact Library Staff for details.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Richard J. Orsi, 2020
The Richard J. Orsi papers are arranged into six series.
¶ Series 1. SUNSET LIMITED Subseries 1. Original Draft Subseries 2. Completed Copy Subseries 3. Draft of Bibliography Subseries
4. Draft of Chapters Subseries 5. 2005 Revised Draft Subseries 6. Photographs Subseries 7. Research Notes. ¶
¶ Series 2. ELUSIVE EDEN Subseries 1. Draft Subseries 2. Research Notes Subseries 3. Photographs. ¶
¶ Series 3. Subjects Subseries 1. Research Material on the Railroad and the Environment Subseries 2. Research Material on
Land Development and Records Subseries 3. Research Material on Mussel Slough Subseries 4. Research Material on the 1918 Pandemic
Subseries 5. Article on 2020 Police w/ Accompanying Research Notes. ¶
¶ Series 4. Articles, Papers, and Presentations Subseries 1. Slides for Presentations and Lectures Subseries 2. Papers on
the Railroad and Environmental History Subseries 3. Lecture Draft on "The Octopus in the Garden" Subseries 4. Ideas for Future
Writings Subseries 5. "Road of 1000 Wonders" Exhibit Subseries 6. "The Olive in California" Subseries 7. Correspondence Subseries
8. Irrigation Project in San Diego Subseries 9. Railtown 1897 NHL Nomination. ¶
¶ 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.¶
¶ Orsi's interest in railroads began in childhood. While growing up in Chicago and southern California, he says: "Like almost
all my childhood friends, and most young boys in the Chicago area, I was fascinated by trains and railroading. We looked
on railroads as the most modern and exciting of all businesses and made and collected wooden locomotive models. I covered
my bedroom walls with pennants and posters of trains, particularly in the West. We all had and constantly added to our model
electric train rolling stock that ran on frequently expanding layouts. I had my first Marx even before my memory began, and
at age four, I was already completely the designer, builder, and operator of my floor layout. When I'd grown to twelve and
got my first of three Lionel trains, my father and I reorganized our large basement and built what appeared to be a giant
12 by 8 foot table layout, for which I designed, installed, wired, and landscaped two separate, interconnected tracks, complete
with sidings, crossings, and operating accessories. In fact, the California State Railroad Museum also features copies of
my Santa Fe red and white passenger diesel locomotive, several of my cars, and other accessories." ¶
¶ However, it was not until his Doctoral thesis project, under the guidance of historian Merle Curti, that Orsi began to take
a keen interest in the academic importance of the history of railroad history. ¶
¶ Over the course of his academic career from 1969 to 2005, Orsi held teaching and administrative positions at California
State University, East Bay. Additionally, from 1988 to 2000, Orsi served as the editor of CALIFORNIA HISTORY, the scholarly
quarterly of the California Historical Society. In that capacity, he collaborated with such prominent California historians
and authors as Kevin Starr, J.S. Holiday, James Houston, and James Rawls. While heading the journal, Orsi worked with authors
and co-editors to produce numerous special subject editions, five of which were also published as separate books by the University
of California Press. His own scholarship, lectures, and writings encompassed California and western history, particularly
the influence of railroads on the settlement process from the 1850s to the 1930s. ¶
¶ As reflected in this collection's materials, Orsi primarily conducted his research in state, federal, corporate, and private
manuscript collections. Increasingly, he emphasized the role of the Southern Pacific Company on the changing western social,
economic, and natural environment. This work culminated in his prize-winning book, Sunset Limited: the Southern Pacific Railroad
and the Development of the American West, published by the University of California Press in 2005. Along with his other writings,
that book debunked many long-held beliefs that had previously shaped Southern Pacific and general railroad history. From the
late 1980s through 2020, Orsi also coauthored five editions of The Elusive Eden: A New History of California. Among the eleven
chapters he wrote was a three-chapter section on "California's Railway Era." ¶
¶ Since retiring from teaching in 2005, Orsi continues to lecture and write about the history and legacy of railroads, including
the influence of railroads on urban environments, focusing on a case study of Sacramento, which was included as a chapter
in an anthology published in 2013. He also lectured and published on the influence of railroads on the establishment and
history of National Parks. Most recently, he has published an article in 2020 on the connection between the introduction
of railroads, the resulting new types of crime, and the development of railroad police forces. ¶
¶ In addition to numerous research grants from local historical organizations and his university, Orsi has held research fellowships
from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Vilas Foundation, the Henry E. Huntington Library, the Newberry Library,
and the DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University. ¶
[Identification of Item], Richard J. Orsi Papers, MS 871, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento,
California.
The Richard J. Orsi Papers contain his academic works, research materials, published materials, photographs, and notes taken
over the course of his professional career. Prominently featured in this collection is material pertaining to Dr. Orsi's
most famous work, SUNSET LIMITED. These include early drafts of individual chapters, bibliographies, and photographs used
in each chapter of the book. Included is an unpublished, book-length manuscript history of the infamous Mussel Slough land
conflict, which pitted the Southern Pacific against San Joaquin Valley squatters.
The collection reflects Dr. Orsi's interest in the impact that railroads (and the Southern Pacific in particular) had on the
environment of California and the broader west. This theme of industrial environmentalism is prevalent throughout much of
his professional and academic work. It is most notably a central theme in SUNSET LIMITED, and the subject is a major part
of Dr. Orsi's research notes for various works, all of which are housed in the collection.
Much of the research material in this collection is connected to Dr. Orsi's work on SUNSET LIMITED, specifically the papers
and books on Mussel Slough, and the Southern Pacific's connection to the environment and land management in California and
the West. Additionally, the collection contains hundreds of photographs provided to Orsi by various railroads, institutions
(including CSRM), and individuals. Only some of the photos were used as illustrations in Sunset Limited.
In addition to materials used in SUNSET LIMITED, the Orsi Collection contains examples of Orsi's other works. Most notably,
are copies of his chapter contributions to THE ELUSIVE EDEN: A NEW HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA, as well as some research material
Orsi used for it. There is also a copy of the NHL (National Historical Landmark) nomination for the 1987 Railtown historic
site and park in Jamestown, for which Orsi contributed the context and historiographic sections. Finally, there is a checklist
and promotional materials for the "Road of 1000 Wonders" Exhibit for the CSRM, which Orsi contributed to.
The collection contains Dr. Orsi's slides and lecture notes he used for presentations he gave at his university and before
conferences and organizations across the west, including on the subject of railroads and environmental history. Finally, the
collection contains numerous published books, periodicals, and pamphlets on various railroad and land-development topics.
Included are many examples of pamphlets railroads published to promote Western states and regions, and some technical booklets
published by Amtrak and the Southern Pacific to instruct employees on how to operate and maintain locomotives and other equipment.
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.
¶ Books: SUNSET LIMITED: THE SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE AMERICAN WEST, 1850-1930 (University of
California Press, 2005) coauthor, THE ELUSIVE EDEN: A NEW HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA, 4 editions (McGraw-Hill, 1988-2012), wrote
three-chapter part: "California's Railroad Era". ¶
¶ Articles / chapters (chronologically): "The Octopus Reconsidered: The Southern Pacific Railroad and Agricultural Modernization
in California, 1865-1915," CALIFORNIA HISTORICAL QUARTERLY (Fall 1975) "The Southern Pacific, John Muir, and the Founding
of Yosemite National Park," ___ (Dec. 1983) "Wilderness Saint and Robber Baron: The Anomalous Partnership of John Muir and
the Southern Pacific Railroad for the Preservation of Yosemite National Park," PACIFIC HISTORIAN (Summer/Fall 1985) "Railroads
in the History of California and the West: An Introduction," CALIFORNIA HISTORY (Spring 1991) "Railroads and Water in the
Arid Far West: The Southern Pacific Railroad as a Pioneer Water Developer," CALIFORNIA HISTORY (Spring 1991) "Reflections
on the DeGolyer Library's Railroad History Collections," Clements Center for Southwest Studies, Southern Methodist University
NEWSLETTER (Jan. 2003) "Railroads and the Urban Environment: Sacramento's Story," in RIVER CITY AND VALLEY LIFE: AN ENVIRONMENTAL
HISTORY OF THE SACRAMENTO REGION (ed. By Christopher Castaneda and Lee Simpson, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2013) "Hear
that Lonesome [Police] Whistle Blow": The Southern Pacific Company and the Railroad Crime Revolution, 1860s-1940s," ¶
¶ CALIFORNIA HISTORY (Spring 2020) Book reviews in numerous historical journals. Lectures and papers: "The Railroad in California
History: Benefactor or 'Octopus'?" a lecture delivered at the Oakland Museum, May 1973 "Fraud on the Frontier: The Fresno
Farm Pupil Swindle, 1885" unpublished. Commentary of papers by Alfred Runte and Lawrence Borne, Western History Association
Annual Meeting, Sacramento, Oct. 10, 1985 "Railroads and Water in the Arid Far West: The Southern Pacific Company As A Pioneer
Water Developer, 1861-1930," University of California Intercampus Group in Economic History Conference on Railroads and Economic
Development, California State Railroad Museum, Nov. 13-15, 1987 "The Dark Side of Railroading in 19th Century America" presentation
to The Huntington Westerners, San Marino, California, May 21, 1988 "Boosterism and Its Limits: California Image and Reality,"
commentary by Richard J. Orsi, Western History Association Annual Meeting, Wichita, Kansas, Oct. 1988 "Talk to Retired SP
Executives Club," The Family Club, San Francisco, Feb. 16, 2000 "Reclamation's Forgotten Partner: The Southern Pacific Railroad
and the Truckee-Carson Project" at the History of the Bureau of Reclamation: A Symposium at the University of Las Vegas on
Jun. 18, 2002 "Sunset Limited: Towards a New History of the Southern Pacific Railroad in the American West," lecture at the
DeGolyer Library, Mar. 31, 2005 Lecture to the California State Railroad Museum, Apr. 8, 2006 "SP in Nevada" lecture at the
Nevada State Railroad Museum, Carson City, 1 2, 2007 "The Southern Pacific RR and Monterey Bay History," Del Monte Hotel,
Naval Postgraduate School, Feb. 5, 2007 "Iron Horse: The Machine of the Garden," presented at the ASEH meeting in Portland,
Oregon, Mar. 2010 "Truckee: The Ultimate Railroad Town", lecture, Sierra College, Truckee, CA, Feb. 11, 2011 Manuscript reviews:
Includes a review of FROM THE HUNTINGTON PAPERS: THE HUNTINGTON-CONKLING CONNECTION by Charles J. McLain, THE PACIFIC HISTORIAN
(Winter 1985), pp. 31-46 Dr. Orsi was a series editor, volumes co-editor, and wrote introductions to California History Sesquicentennial
Series, four books of essays reinterpreting California history through the early 1900s, published by the University of California
Press and the California Historical Society, 1998-2003; editor of numerous special themes in CALIFORNIA HISTORY, including
"Railroads in California and the Far West,"CALIFORNIA HISTORY (Spring 1991). ¶
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Southern Pacific Company
Railroads--California--History