CPRR Rail Pass, 1882, compliments of C.P. Huntington

From: "Dan Getts"

Attatched are 2 images for inclusion in your website. The note from "the Office of the President, SPRR..." was found together with the 1882 CPRR pass; an interesting tie between SPRR and CPRR "upper management". ...

—Dan Getts

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CPRR Rail Pass, 1882, and accompanying note indicating "Compliments of C.P. Huntington."
For Mr. James Fenner, wife and child.
Courtesy of the Dan Getts collection.

Mormon subcontractors building the Central Pacific Railroad

... I'm very interested in the building of the railway through Utah and am wondering if you might have access to ... communications [between the CPRR and] Bishop Chauncey W. West. Also, I would be very interested in finding some original source documents which may describe the negotiations with Brigham Young, his choice of Mormon subcontractors and the responsibilities of those contractors in building the railway.

Any thoughts or assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Help with epic movie about the Chinese in America

From: "Henry Wong" henryw888@yahoo.com

I would like to make an epic movie about the Chinese in America.

Can you help?

—Henry Wong

Leland Stanford/Chinese Workers - Fact check

What is correct and what is incorrect in this social studies matching question?:

Leland Stanford –

Part owner of the Central Pacific Railroad praised Chinese worker and paid them less than white workers
Had them work the most dangerous tasks and longer hours
Established Stanford University

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

Train engine accident

From: "Barbara Sinkinson" bnsinkinson@gmail.com

My Great Grandfather was killed in a train engine accident on 4th February 1987 while working near Hilsboro, Springfield MO. His name was Albert McLean. I have the original Western Union Telegraph in it's original envelope which was delivered to my Great Grandmother after the accident. Where would I find more info on this accident or newspaper clippings?

A few research questions about Chinese railroad workers

From: "Betty Yee" memoh.yee@comcast.net

... I am currently working on a young adult historical novel about the building of the transcontinental railroad and I have a research question that I wasn't able to find the answer to by just looking through the artciles so far.

That is: how did the Chinese sojourners send money back to China? Or did they wait, hide all their money and carry it back themselves when they went home? Were they paid in gold or paper currency?

Since the stakes were so high, was sabotage ever an issue? ...

—B Yee

Question from Ross Perot's office - in Texas

From: "Libby Craft" LCraft@pgrp.net

I am trying to find a photograph of a punch ticket used by the conductor to keep track of the passengers. The ticket had male and female images and details such as color of hair and eyes. Do you have any resource ... person, book, etc., that might have a photo of this item? It was used in the 1880's. ...

Libby Craft
The Perot Group, Plano, TX

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Maps of Definite Location for the CPRR and UPRR

From: "Bruce L. Jorgensen" blj@oh-pc.com

How do I obtain a copy of the Map or Maps of Definite Location for the CPRR and UPRR final constructed route of the transcontinental railroad which culminated with the "golden spike" at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869?

Also, where could I obtain a list of the odd numbered sections transferred to each RR company pursuant to the RR Acts of 1862 and 1864 upon the filing of the Maps of Definite Location? ...

Bruce L. Jorgensen
Olson & Hoggan, P.C.

Searles Hopkins Castle For Sale

"Holy Turrets! See 10 Castles for Sale in the U.S." by Diane Tuman, Zillow Content Manager, © Zillow Blog, March 8, 2011. (Real Estate Listing)

"If you think castles only exist in Europe, think again. Surprisingly, there are many castles in the U.S. and some are even for sale ... struggling to find buyers just like most other high-end homes ... 389 Main St, Great Barrington, MA 01230 For Sale - $11 million: Now, that’s a castle! Known as the Searles Hopkins Castle, this 1888 French Chateau-style stone castle was commissioned in 1889 by Mary Hopkins, who was the widow of Mark Hopkins, founder of the Central Pacific Railroad. Several years after her husband’s death, she continued to build the castle, hiring designer Edward Searles who was 22 years her junior. As the castle’s name implies, the pair eventually married. Castle highlights include a Louis XIV drawing room with details in gold leaf and original painted ceiling, acoustically engineered music room with 42-ft dome ceiling, and large stone terraces overlooking a dramatic cross-shaped reflecting pond and gardens. The property consists of 61 acres with over a thousand feet of frontage on the Housatonic River. Located in the Berkshire Mountains, Great Barrington real estate is considered accessible and desirable to urbanites in New York City and Boston since it’s only two and a half hours away from each city. ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

"Fortunate Sons: The 120 Chinese Boys Who Came to America, Went to School, and Revolutionized an Ancient Civilization" by L. Leibovitz and M. Miller

"Ahead of the Curve" by DEBORAH FALLOWS, © New York Times, March 4, 2011. (Sunday Book Review)

"... Liel Leibovitz and Matthew Miller’s Fortunate Sons ... story begins with Yung Wing, who came to America in the late 1840s. The first Chinese student admitted to Yale, he returned to his homeland in 1854, determined not to be the last. Under his tutelage, 120 Chinese boys crossed the Pacific in the 1870s ... Leibovitz and Miller use the newcomers’ experiences as pretexts for discourses on extraneous subjects. One such ... a lengthy discussion of the Central Pacific Railroad, ethnic tensions involving its Chinese work crews ... And they introduce a number of small but cumulatively unfortunate errors ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

The CPRR didn't validate existing towns - it created new ones.

"JARDINE: Railroad towns against their use?" by Jeff Jardine, © The Modesto Bee, DATE. (Article)

"... The ... Central Pacific ... railroad ... didn't validate [existing] towns. It created them and profited by controlling or selling the land adjacent to the tracks. ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

Hollywood is unconcerned with historical accuracy in motion pictures

"And the Oscar for most historically inaccurate film goes to . . . all of them!" by Jeanine Basinger, © Washington Post, February 24, 2011. (Article)

"... Historians see a film and ask how accurate it is. Filmmakers ask: How accurate does it have to be? ... " [More]

[Courtesy Google Alerts.]

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