Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records - Other Corporations, 1820-1964

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

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

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.

Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company Records, The Newberry Library, Chicago.

Lisa Janssen, 2013.

This record group encompasses railroads and other interests built or acquired by CB&Q as the company advanced west of the Mississippi, expanding the empire throughout the Midwest and western states. Some lines were created independently of CB&Q and bought out as the CB&Q sought to rout competition; some were financed by CB&Q and later acquired by the larger company. C. E. Perkins, who was president of the CB&Q at its time of most prodigious growth, favored a practice of organizing subsidiary companies with independent officials who enjoyed a considerable amount of freedom in running their roads. Still, these associated lines were expected to follow Burlington policy as in most cases the major stock interest was held members of the Forbes group who, in turn controlled the CB&Q. The subsidiary companies were able to retain their separate identities until they had proved their financial worth, at which time they were taken over by the CB&Q.

Histories of corporations are listed under each individual corporation.

Most series include a volume of corporate records detailing articles of incorporation, meeting minutes, resolutions, and notice of acquisition or dissolution. Other materials include annual reports, financial statements, correspondence, journals, ledgers, legal papers, contracts, construction statements, equipment reports, and memos. Many series contain materials concerning relations with other roads, and correspondence on the company’s acquisition by CB&Q. Also included are a few non-railroad entities, such as bridge, coal, and construction companies. This record group contains some of the earliest materials in the CB&Q collection, and offers a unique look at the rapid expansion of the railroad, as well as the interconnected relationships between the major players– including James F. Joy, J. M. Forbes, C. E. Perkins, and J. W. Brooks.

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.

Papers are organized in 232 series. All series are arranged alphabetically by type of material, with oversize volumes arranged numerically by their original classification numbers following the initial alphabetical sequence.

• Names
  • Chicago, Burlington & Northern Railroad.
  • Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company.
  • Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad Company.
  • Kansas City, St. Joseph and Council Bluffs Railroad Company.
• Subject
  • Chicago
  • Land settlement -- Missouri
  • Manuscripts, American -- Illinois -- Chicago
  • Railroad companies -- West (U.S.)
  • Railroads