P.W. Pearson’s railroad collection

I have been thinking for quite some time that it would be good to put all of P.W. Pearson’s railroad papers into a museum or archive. It’s a neat collection of log books and other memorabilia that “train buffs” would probably love.

A few months ago, I stumbled across the Laramie Historic Railroad Depot, a non-profit preservation group in Laramie that operates the old train depot. The depot building opened in 1924, but it is on the same site as the old depot that would have been there back in P.W.’s day (the old depot burned down in 1917).

Dale and I tried to visit there on Saturday when we went up there to see Kyle. Unfortunately, it was closed that day because it was being used for a wedding reception. I spoke with one of their board members by telephone and arranged to go up there after work today.

They are an all-volunteer operation. They get their funding from dues memberships and from renting out the building for special events such as weddings and private parties. They have an agreement with the Union Pacific to use the building for $1 per year as long as it is maintained as a museum. They have pre-paid their rent to the year 2100. They also get a little bit of funding and support from the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the University of Wyoming. They also get grant money for little projects here and there.

The museum collection is in the north end of the building and is small but charming. They have artifacts from the late 1800’s through the 1950’s. They have the original station scale (a floor scale, it still works), a big old safe that is supposedly a “twin” to the one that Butch Cassidy blew up (which happened not too far from Laramie!), old conductor uniforms, dishes, lanterns, etc. The History page on their website gives a little flavor of what the building interior and exterior is like. I also have a little photo gallery at the bottom of the page.

The items that I would like to donate include:

• all log books 1899-1904
• employee regulation books and manuals
• engineer’s trip reports, 1902-1904
• a few photos, including an unidentified fireman (a studio portrait) and some unidentified engineers and conductors in front of a train station
• training certificates (showing that he completed training as fireman and as engineer)
• receipts and certificates related to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers
• the big “Victor” safe
• photos of the train wreck at Tie Siding (I have determined that P.W. was not on this train when it wrecked)

I might see if I have a spare photo of P.W. that I could include in the collection. I will write up a biographical sketch and include whatever background information that would be helpful.

When you donate a collection to a museum, you have to sign papers giving up all ownership of the material. They will be the new owners and technically, they would be free to do whatever they want with the stuff. A copy of their Gift Agreement is here. It’s pretty standard stuff. They recommend that it be appraised before it is donated (for my records, not theirs). I would have to arrange for an appraisal myself. I think the only thing that has any real cash value is the safe. Based on what I’ve seen on eBay, I figure it’s probably worth around $500-$700. I’d rather donate it to a museum than sell it. It is slowly deteriorating in our garage, so it would be best to take action now rather than let it deteriorate further.

They have other collections in an archive in their museum. The University assigns a student intern to the museum every semester. Their boxed collections look well-organized and they are planning to have everything scanned eventually.

There is no guarantee that these materials would be on display, although they seemed most interested in the Tie Siding Wreck photos and the Victor Safe. He showed me the spot where he would put the safe. They might want to have their interns organize the collection and document everything before it gets put on display.

Here are the things I like about donating to this museum compared to other archives:

• they would have the most interest in the collection and their board of directors has a passion for railroad artifacts
• I feel like all of P.W.’s stuff would be returning “home”

The downsides are:

• They are a small organization and might not have funding for the long haul, or they might run out of volunteers or something like that. However, with their connections to the University and to the Union Pacific, I feel like their collections would end up in a safe place if they were to be disbanded
• They might not have as much expertise about preservation as other institutions, although they would be miles ahead of how I am taking care of this stuff

If I didn’t give the stuff to them, other archives I might consider are:

• The University of Wyoming
• The Wyoming State Archives
• The Denver Public Library’s Western History Department

All of these would offer superior preservation, but the collection wouldn’t be on display and wouldn’t be enjoyed by people who care about railroad history. Also, none of them would want the Victor safe.

I made a count in my genealogy program, and P.W. Pearson has at least 55 descendants still living, and I’m sure I’m missing at least a dozen more in the very youngest generations.

I feel like future generations would have a better chance of enjoying P.W.’s heritage if this stuff is safely stored in a museum. It is slowing deteriorating under my care, and I worry about what my kids will do with it after I’m gone. In another generation or two, connections will be lost between third and fourth cousins and no one will know about this stuff anymore. So I really feel like donating the collection is the right thing to do.

If I donate it to the Laramie Depot, I will probably join their organization and pay $20/year to keep informed about what they do. I might also include a one-time gift of $100 or $200 because I know it costs them money to take in new materials.

Please let me know what you think about my plans. Do any of you have anything you would want to add to the collection?