Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Railroad Law Enforcement collection
- Dates:
- 1870 - 1977
- Abstract:
- The Railroad Law Enforcement Collection deals with a number of aspects of crimes associated with rail travel.
- Extent:
- 1.998 Linear Feet 5 boxes + 1 oversize box
- Language:
- English.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Railroad Law Enforcement Collection, MS 26, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The Railroad Law Enforcement Collection deals with a number of aspects of crimes associated with rail travel. It begins with the first train robbery in the United States in 1870 and includes material up to 1977. The bulk of the material covers the period between 1870 and 1943. The Western United States is the main focus of the collection, although a number of the crimes covered occurred in Canada.
The collection consists of correspondence, manuscripts, clippings, trial transcripts, police reports, sworn statements, wanted circulars, photographs, police "mug shots," scrapbooks and printed material. The most significant cases contained in the collection are the "Lower 13" murder on Southern Pacific's train No. 15 in 1943, the derailment of the "City of San Francisco" in 1939 and the robbery of Southern Pacific's train No. 10 at Goodyear, California. Prominent individuals mentioned in the collection include Bill Miner, the DeAutremont brothers, Chris Evans and John Sontag, Jean LaBanta, and James Hogue.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Warren E. Miller, 1987
- Arrangement:
-
The research material is arranged by event.
- Physical location:
- Statewide Museum Collection 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 2025-03-25 17:04:48 +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], Railroad Law Enforcement Collection, MS 26, California State Railroad Museum Library & Archives, Sacramento, California.
- Location of this collection:
-
111 I StreetSacramento, CA 95814, US
- Contact:
- (916) 323-8073