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Grand Rapids Public Library railroads collection

 Collection
Identifier: Collection 197

Scope and Contents

The collection contains a wide range of company instruments issued by various railroads, interurban and trolley lines, as well as non-railroad source documents including newspaper articles, booklets, and maps. Most are from roads doing business in Michigan or other Midwestern states. There is some representation from two western lines; the Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific. The collection dates span 1837-1960. Railroad company documents include timetables, stock certificates, tickets, advertising, locomotive drawings and a few photographs.

Railroad lines represented which served Grand Rapids include the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, New York Central Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroads. Interurban lines include the Grand Rapids, Grand Haven & Muskegon Railway and the Michigan Railway. Also represented are the Division Street Railway Co. and the Grand Rapids Railway Co. trolley lines.

The Chicago & Grand Trunk Railroad, a subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railroad of Canada, also served Grand Rapids. Their station on Bridge Street was by Daniel Burnham of Chicago. An original document critical of the foreign ownership of this railroad (1870) was added to this collection in December 2008, along with other historical references which help explain the history of this line.

Dates

  • 1837-1960

Extent

3 Linear Feet (Five boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Grand Rapids Public Library railroads collection contains various items related to railroading, primarily in Western Michigan, which do not fit in the other collections covering specific railway lines. Included are a wide range of company instruments issued by various railroads from circa 1837-1960, including also interurban and trolley lines. Railroad company documents include timetables, stock certificates, tickets, advertising, locomotive drawings and a few photographs. Also included are non-railroad source documents including newspaper articles, booklets and maps. Most are from roads doing business in Michigan or other Midwestern states.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

L.G. Stuart and unknown; accession numbers 00.000, 00.[493].1, 00.[1560].1-35, 00.[0605].8 and 00.[3502].1

Related Materials

Collection 105, Grand Rapids Railway Co. / Grand Rapids Railroad Co. / Grand Rapids Motor Coach Co. Records

Collection 175, GRPL Moving Images Collection, for [Grand Rapids Railway Co. Electric Rail Coaches, ca. 1910]

Collection 248, James Winslow Collection

Collection 263, GRPL Small MSS Collection, for L.H. Stuart’s History of the GR Street Railway

Title
Finding aid for the Grand Rapids Public Library railroads collection
Status
Completed
Date
September 1996
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository

Contact:
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503 USA
616-988-5497