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Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records - Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Iowa

 Record Group
Identifier: CB&Q-5

  • Staff Only

Scope and Content of the Collection

Correspondence, reports, circulars, securities, and other miscellaneous materials related to the incorporation and operation of the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad-Iowa, the Chariton and Creston branches, and consolidation with CB&Q. Correspondence concerns machinery, equipment, legal matters, stock transfers, and other business. Records and reports include annual reports, corporate records, and printed circulars pertaining to stocks, the proposal to merge with B&MRR in Nebraska, meeting announcements, and annual statements. Miscellaneous papers include construction statements, locomotive statements, correspondence pertaining to the consolidation of the B&MRR, Iowa and CB&Q, pool statements, timetables, vouchers, and other papers. The two securities subgroups contain information related to stocks, bonds, and mortgages, including ledgers, transfer books, certificates, lists, and receipts. Materials in the Chariton and Creston branch subgroups are primarily corporate records and stocks.

Land Department papers for the B&MRR-Iowa are found in Record Group 7, Subgroup 75

Forms part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records.

This finding aid supersedes the Guide to the Burlington Archives in the Newberry Library, 1851-1901 (Chicago: Newberry Library, 1949), and incorporates subsequent additions to the company records. Certain materials have been deaccessioned and donated to the Burlington Route Historical Society; see curator for details.

Dates

  • Creation: 1852-1919

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).

Ownership and Literary Rights

The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records are the physical property of the Newberry Library. Copyright may belong to the authors or their legal heirs or assigns. For permission to publish or reproduce any materials from this collection, contact the Roger and Julie Baskes Department of Special Collections at reference@newberry.org.

History of the Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Iowa

The Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Iowa (B&MRR-Iowa) was incorporated in 1852, with construction beginning at Burlington, Iowa, in 1854. The line was designated a land grant road after Congress passed the Land Grant Act of 1856, and built out to Ottumwa, Iowa, by 1859. The grant allowed for extension into the state of Nebraska, and the sale of lands in Nebraska to aid construction, but the impending Civil War caused all work to cease. Construction resumed after the war and by 1870 the line had completed construction to Plattsmouth and then Lincoln, Nebraska. As the original Iowa company was unable to finance the extension, in 1869 Congress authorized it to assign its rights in Nebraska to a new corporation, the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company in Nebraska.

In 1871, two branch companies were incorporated by the B&MRR-Iowa to extend the road further across Iowa. The Chariton Branch was built from Chariton to Leon, Iowa, and the Creston Branch extended from Creston to the southern boundary of Iowa near Hopkins, Missouri, where it connected with the Kansas City, St. Joseph, and Council Bluffs Railroad to St. Joseph, Missouri. After completion, both branches were operated by the B&MRR-Iowa under lease.

In 1868, the CB&Q had completed a bridge over the Mississippi River at Burlington, giving the railroad a through connection with the B&MRR-Iowa. B&MRR-Iowa leased all of its property and interests in other railroads to CB&Q in 1872, and was officially acquired by CB&Q in 1875.

Extent

35.4 Linear Feet (22 boxes and 37 oversize volumes)

Abstract

Correspondence, reports, circulars, securities, and other miscellaneous materials related to the Burlington and Missouri River Railroad-Iowa (B&MRR-Iowa), incorporated in 1852 and leased to the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company (CB&Q) in 1872. Includes materials related to incorporation, operation, branches to Chariton and Creston, and consolidation with CB&Q. Forms part of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records.

Organization

Papers are organized in the following subgroups:

Subgroup 5: Correspondence, 1839-1844
Boxes 1-10
Subgroup 52: Reports, Records, Circulars, 1852-1919
Boxes 10-11; Volume +1
Subgroup 53: Miscellaneous papers, 1868-1873
Boxes 11-12
Subgroups 54: Securities, 1863-1881
Box 13; Volume +1
Subgroups 55: Securities, 1853-1916
Boxes 13-19; Volumes +1-+8
Subgroup 56: Auditor's Office, 1854-1873
Boxes 19-21; Volumes +1-+23
Subgroup 58: Chariton Branch, 1871-1919
Box 21; Volume +1
Subgroup 59: Creston Branch, 1871-1919
Box 22; +1-+3

Collection Stack Location

4a 40 2-4, 4a 21 3, 4a flat file

Provenance

Deposit of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Company, 1943, with subsequent additions, 1948-onward. Ownership transferred to Newberry Library by Burlington Northern Company, 1975.

Processed by

Martha Briggs, Alison Hinderliter, Lisa Janssen, Kelly Kress, Emma Martin, Andrew Olofsson, and Pamela Olson, 2014.

Title
Inventory of the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records - Burlington & Missouri River Railroad in Iowa, 1852-1919
Status
Completed
Author
Alison Hinderliter and Kelly Kress
Date
©2014.
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512