This collection includes the records of the Cedar Rapids passenger ticket agent for the Chicago North Western Railway from 1896 to 1899. The collection includes the record books necessary for selling tickets, correspondence with the railroad headquarters in Chicago, and correspondence dealing with the problems of passenger transportation. While the collection is most complete for the period from 1896 to 1899, there is some material covering the period from 1890 to 1907.

The collection is of greatest significance for the period from 1896 to 1899. However, since the records of the Chicago North Western Railway are incomplete, this collection could be valuable in studying policies of the road, passenger traffic methods, and business methods for the last decade of the nineteenth century.

The collection was in very poor condition when brought into the library, having been subject to water damage and having served as a roost for pigeons. However, most of the collection was salvaged, and only minor parts of it, which were illegible and impossible to restore, were destroyed.

Register Completed: August 20, 1963.

Posted to the Internet by JRoethler 3/11/02