Carson and Colorado Railroad Records

Collection

Identifier: NC71

Staff Only

Records of the original company, the Second Division, the Third Division, and the Carson and Colorado Railway Company are all included in the collection. Material from the three divisions of the Carson and Colorado Railroad Company are integrated, covering the years 1800 to 1892. Records after 1892 are those of the Carson and Colorado Railway Company.

Loose material is composed of company records including organizational papers, correspondence, documents dealing with right of way through the Walker River Indian Reservation, land deeds and leases, financial statements, and account and time books. Bound volumes include waybills, account books, freight and tonnage record books, train registers, and a station record book. Material is original and is handwritten and also, typed, and copied. Some records are in poor condition and have been wrapped for preservation.

Dates

1880-1915

Creator

Carson and Colorado Railroad (Creator, Organization)

Restrictions

Collection is open for research. Materials must be used on-site; advance notice suggested. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Extent

16 Cubic Feet (28 boxes and 3 volumes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Collection contains organizational papers, correspondence, land related documents, financial statements. Bound volumes include accounts, waybills, freight and tonnage records and train registers.

Administrative History

The Carson and Colorado Railroad was incorporated in May 1880 to service the growing Mining Companies of the west Central Nevada and nearby California.

Work began on the narrow gauge railroad in 1880 and by April 1881, trains were carrying freight and passengers from Mound House, Nevada to Hawthorne, Nevada, 100 miles south. By 1882, the Carson and Colorado had reached Candelaria, Nevada, the terminus of the initial railroad. To accommodate further building and financing Nevada, the Carson and Colorado, Second Division was incorporated and also, the Carson and Colorado, Third Division, to enable the railroad to extend into California. Officers and stockholders remained the same, D. O. Mills being the major stockholder and H. M. Yerington acting as president and general superintendent of all three divisions. Although the projected plan called for extending the line to Fort Mohave on the Colorado River, the track actually ended at Keeler, formerly Hawley, California, near Owens Lake.

A decline in mining activity along its route caused financial difficulties for the railroad around 1890 and the company was forced to re-incorporate as the Carson and Colorado Railway Company in 1892. Some changes in directorship occurred but D. O. Mills and H. M. Yerington remained as key figures. The railroad was absorbed by the Southern Pacific Company in 1900.

Arrangement

The Carson and Colorado Railroad Records are divided into the following series:

Series 1: Company Papers

Series 2: Correspondence

Series 3: Real Estate

Series 4: Statements and Accounts

Series 5: Time Books

Series 6: Waybills

Series 7: Account volumes

Series 8: Freight and Tonnage Record Books

Series 9: Operations