Collection Guide
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Southern Pacific Injury Report Collection
MS 948
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Contributing Institution:
California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives
Title: Southern Pacific Injury Report Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 948
Physical Description:
1 Linear Feet
3 manuscript boxes
Date (inclusive): Circa 1951-1954
Abstract: The Southern Pacific Injury Report Collection contains files of individuals who were either involved in railroad accidents
or were injured while working for the Southern Pacific Railroad. Nearly all the collection's documents come from the Southern
Pacific's Shasta Division. The collection includes documentation of injuries or property damage, hospital records, lawsuit
documents, with some files also containing photographs of where the accident occurred.
Physical Location: Statewide Museum Collections Center: I2.208.V6
Language of Material: English.
Collection is restricted for 75 years after the last dated entry. Restrictions expire 2028.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Southern Pacific Transportation Company, Oriental Warehouse
The Southern Pacific was an American Class I railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1998 and operated in the Western United
States. The original Southern Pacific began in 1865 as a land holding company. By 1887, the Southern Pacific began considering
expansion into the Mt. Shasta area as well as the state of Oregon. The company signed a lease to control the Oregon & California
Railroad and soon afterwards work crews began setting up tracks and railroad facilities for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
A celebration occurred on December 16, 1887 when the Southern Pacific officially opened the railroad connecting San Francisco
to Portland. The Shasta Division, whose borders changed with time, mainly consisted of the areas ranging from North of Gerber,
California to the city of Ashland, Oregon, with a longer line going shortly after the town of Chiloquin, Oregon. The Shasta
Division was known for its scenic views and iconic passenger trains, such as the Shasta Daylight. Although the Southern Pacific
Railroad no longer exists, the Union Pacific Railroad now owns and operates most of what was known as the Shasta Division
today.
[Identification of item],Southern Pacific Injury Report Collection, MS 948, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives,
Sacramento, California.
The collection is organized by the last name of the victims involved. Four files placed at the end of the collection contain
incidents of animal injuries or deaths where the owner's name were not recorded. Therefore, these incidents were combined
and placed into the "Animals/Livestock" files for 1951 and 1952. The files for "Automobile Driver" and "Property Damage" were
also placed at the end of the collection because there were no victim names found within the records.
The Southern Pacific Injury Report Collection covers injuries and property damage sustained or done by the Southern Pacific
Railroad. The incidents contained within the collection cover a period of several months from November of 1951 to February
of 1952, however some files contain documentation of lawsuits and correspondence that can cover as far as 1954. Many of the
files come from employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad, but some files include passenger injuries, as well as people who
sustained injuries from a passing train. Nearly all the collection's incidents took place within the Shasta Division, with
some exceptions coming from Southern Pacific's Western and Sacramento Divisions. There can be multiple names contained within
the file, as employees were tasked with providing witness statements if an incident occurred, and incidents could also have
more than one victim.
The files themselves originated from the Southern Pacific Superintendent's offices, as correspondence from J.A. McKinnon,
and J.F. Irvine, who was a claims agent for the railroad, can be found within certain individuals files. The materials found
within the collection can vary widely depending on the incident that occurred. Nearly all the files contain a form titled
"Telegraphic Report of Accident", which details the basic information of an accident. If the incident required hospitalization,
one could find Southern Pacific Hospital records, witness statements or paperwork detailing settlement payments made to injured
individuals. Photographs can be found within the collection, that were often taken by E.A. Hughes, a draftsman for the Shasta
Division.
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.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Southern Pacific Railroad. Shasta Division.
Railroad photographs
Railroads--Employees