Soo Line Railroad Photograph Collection

Collection

Identifier: Photo 2121

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

John Gjevre’s Soo Railroad Line Photograph Collection contains images from 1908-1993. Some of the images are featured in Saga of the Soo by John Gjevre, 1st edition and 2nd edition, volumes I and II. The collection is broken into 9 files:

Trains: This file contains images of trains, mostly more modern.

Train Depots: This file contains images of train depots in North Dakota. Photos are arranged alphabetically by city name; those without distinguishable city names appear last.

Train Yards: This file contains images of train yards from 1905-1975.

People: This file contains images of people related to the Soo Line Railway from 1908-1961. Notably: George Pihlstrom; Egan Exgang; Mr. McCune; P. B. Schoenholz; Maggie Robinson; Leafy Schoenholz; Doll Atkinson; G. H. M.; Alma Tollefson (Mrs. Everett Nye); Al Hanlon; P. G. Tipton; A. I. Bradley; the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson); H. Le Claire; Richard Travis; George Jankowski

Soo Line-Northern Pacific Crash, 1953: This file contains an image of the trains involved in the crash. An article about this crash in the Foster County Independent (Carrington, ND) dated Thursday, January 1, 1953, can be found in the finding aid and biographical information - folder 0.

Multi-layer Color Prints: This file contains two photographs that were developed using a color separation process, using one negative for each color (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) to produce a positive layer in each color that are then superimposed over each other to create a full color image. Also included are the negatives for one of the completed images.

Kenmare, ND, 1909-1910: This file contains images of Kenmare, ND from the time period listed.

McHenry, ND: This file contains images of the “Turn Around Railroad Loop” at McHenry, ND that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Also included are images of “hobo carvings” in a railway building moved from Lemert, ND (near Carrington, ND) to the site. A letter from Robert Ramey to John Gjevre regarding the carvings can be found in the finding aid and biographical information - folder 0. Miscellaneous: This file contains images that could not be otherwise classified: an interior image of the Soo Café in Enderlin, ND and a repurposed Coach No. 910 near the Drake Line.

Dates

1905-1993.

Creator

Gjevre, John A. (Person)

Access

The collection is open under the rules and regulations of the Institute.

Copyrights

Copyrights to this collection remain with the original creators.

History

The Soo Line Railroad was completed in 1893 and brought settlers to North Dakota and Saskatchewan. At that time, it consisted of four main but separate lines: Minneapolis, Sault Sainte Marie, and Atlantic Railway Company in Wisconsin; Minneapolis and Saint Croix Railway Company in Minnesota; Minneapolis and Pacific Railway Company in Minnesota; and Aberdeen, Bismarck, and Northwestern Railway Company (including Ordway, Bismarck, and Northwestern Railway Company) in Dakota Territory. In 1888, these railway companies consolidated into the Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Sault Sainte Marie Railway Co. The Soo Line Railroad Co. was formed in 1961 when the Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Sault Sainte Marie Railroad Company merged with Wisconsin Central and Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic. The Soo Line Corporation Holding Company was formed in 1984 and merged with Milwaukee Road, Inc. and Minneapolis, Northfield, and Southern Railway in 1986. In 1990, Canadian Pacific gained full control of the Soo Line Corporation and in the 2000s, Soo Line was consolidated into Canadian Pacific. Most engines no longer bear the Soo name in favor of the Canadian Pacific Logo. Throughout its history, it has been important for transporting grain and passengers alike. The name “Soo” comes from the phonetic spelling of the pronunciation of “sault,” meaning “rapids” in Middle French, from Sault Sainte Marie.