Visual Materials

Views of Southern Pacific Railroad Company bridges

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Description: A collection of 12 photographs documenting newly constructed steel railroad bridges of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company in Northern California in 1896 and 1898. Six bridges are depicted consisting of the "Fourth Crossing" and "First Crossing" bridges over the Truckee River; the "Second Crossing" over Alameda Creek, in Niles Canyon, Alameda County; a bridge over the Cache Creek, near Woodland (Yolo County); an iron-pier bridge over the Cosumnes River between Stockton and Sacramento, south of Elk Grove; and three unlabeled photographs of the Harrison Street Bridge over the Oakland Estuary in Oakland, California, constructed in 1898.
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date: 1896-1898
Call number: photCL 335
Dimensions: ; images 16 x 21 cm, mounts 23 x 28 cm
Associated organization: Sunset Photo-Engraving Company,
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Arizona and Views Adjacent to the Southern Pacific Railroad

Rare Books

The photographs in this album were made in 1880, mostly in Arizona Territory, with occasional views in California. They include mining sites, depots and bridges of the Southern Pacific Railroad, towns, desert landscapes, cactus, and the Spanish colonial mission San Xavier del Bac. Mining scenes are mostly overviews showing buildings, mine shafts, stamping mills, equipment, water reservoirs, and workers. There are several views of the Contention, Tough-nut and Lucky Cuss mines of the Tombstone Mill and Mining Company, established by prospector Edward Schieffelin, the founder of Tombstone, Arizona. A scene of the railroad roundhouse in Yuma prominently features a large locomotive with Native Americans and others posed next to the engine and an engine house in the background. There are a series of views of the railroad bridge over the Colorado River at Yuma that includes views of the U.S. Army's Fort Yuma on the California side of the river, along with Native American huts near the river. A group of unidentified men in western garb are posed in front of the Yuma railroad office, and a few figures and railcars are shown at Dos Palmas Station in the Colorado Desert. Other subjects include a bird's-eye-view of Tucson; architectural details and an interior view of Mission San Xavier del Bac; prehistoric stone ruins at Casa Grande; and a few railroad crossings.

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

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Clay's Ferry Bridge, on the Richmond and Lexington Turnpike

Visual Materials

Photograph of Clay's Ferry Bridge, crossing over the Kentucky River between Lexington and Richmond, Kentucky, in an advertisement for the Louisville Bridge and Iron Company.

photOV 11455

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Southern Pacific Railroad Company

Rare Books

Includes (selected items): over 100 company-produced photographs. Many of these photographs have descriptions of the train, its equipment and services.

646607

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Southern Pacific Railroad Company

Rare Books

Includes (selected items): over 100 snapshot photographs made by Merrill. Some color snapshots made at the Sacramento Fair, 1981.

646607

A bridge at Niagara Gorge (Niagara Falls)

Visual Materials

A bridge at Niagara Gorge (Niagara Falls), showing the rapids and a train crossing the bridge.

photCL SCE 01 - 00344

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Central Pacific Railroad and Views Adjacent

Rare Books

This album contains photographs made along the California-Nevada route of the Central Pacific Railroad, from ports in the San Francisco Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada mountain passes. The majority of views were made in 1876, with a few made later, approximately 1879-1880s. The album begins with a photograph of a locomotive that has just traveled across the continent and has arrived at the Oakland Long Wharf, followed by scenes of a train and its passengers being transported on a railroad ferry. Other Central Pacific Railroad views depict a massive wooden bridge being built over the American River, with one view prominently featuring Chinese workers hauling rock in wheelbarrows. Trains are shown navigating through a mountain pass at Cape Horn, and railroad workers are seen posed with locomotives. Other scenes on the Central Pacific route include Soda Springs recreation area, with views of Mark Hopkins' cabin, a man and two women under a gazebo, and a croquet game set up in a meadow. There are a series of views of Lake Tahoe, including two hotels with people posed outside; scenic views of the mountains, lake and surroundings from multiple viewpoints; Emerald Bay; Fallen Leaf Lake; boats and docks; and a lumber mill on the shore at Glenbrook. A narrow-gauge lumber railroad is shown in the mountains near Spooner Summit, and there are two bird's-eye-views of the town of Reno, Nevada, that include the train station, buildings and boardwalks. It is unclear whether these photographs were made under commission from the Central Pacific, but many of the 1876 railroad and landscape views were used, uncredited, in the railroad's official guidebook, The Pacific Tourist (Green, p. 323).

137500; 137501; 137502; 137503

Views of Southern Pacific Railroad Company bridges

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