Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Guide to the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Construction Photograph Album
NMAH.AC.1030
Table of Contents
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Archives Center, National Museum of American History 2011
Smithsonian InstitutionP.O. Box 37012
Suite 1100, MRC 601
Washington, D.C., 20013-7012
Phone: 202-633-3270
Email: archivescenter@si.edu
Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research use.
Conditions Governing Use note
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning intellectual property rights. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Custodial History note
Transferred to the Archives Center in 2007 from the Division of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, now called the Division of Work and Industry.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Collection donated by Carter Rila, 1976.
Processing Information note
Processed by Kristin Davidson (intern), April, 2011; supervised by Alison Oswald, archivist.
Summary Information
- Repository
- Archives Center, National Museum of American History
- Creator
- Ainsworth Bridge Company.
- Creator
- Rila, Carter
- Title
- Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Construction Photograph Album
- ID
- NMAH.AC.1030
- Date
- 1883-1884
- Extent
- 0.15 Cubic feet (1 box)
- Language
- English
- Abstract
- The collection consists of one bound photograph album, 1883-1884, documenting the construction of the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge over the Snake River. The images depict machinery, piers, boats, and construction workers.
Preferred Citation note
[Title and date of item], Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge Construction Photograph Album, 1883-1884, Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution, box number X, folder number XX, digital file number XXXXXXX
Biographical/Historical note
Built from 1883-1884 by the Northern Pacific Railroad, the Northern Pacific Railroad Bridge crosses the Snake River just above the Columbia River, between Ainsworth, Washington and Burbank (also known as South Ainsworth), in Walla Walla County, Washington.
The bridge was made of iron and consisted of a 146-foot Pratt through-truss span, a 346-foot swinging drawspan, four 248-foot Pratt through-truss spans, and a 65-foot deck girder span. The first train crossed the Snake River in 1884 on the Northern Pacific Railroad's bridge at Ainsworth, a railroad construction town located at the junction of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The completion of the bridge linked the Northern Pacific's transcontinental line directly to the Oregon Railway & Navigation track down the Columbia River to Portland, and ultimately to Puget Sound. The Northern Pacific reported the total cost of the bridge to be $1,135,743.
Reference
Peter J. Lewty, To the Columbia Gateway (Pullman: Washington State University Press, 1987), 48-49, 113-16.
Scope and Contents note
The collection consists of one bound album of photographs, documenting the construction of the Snake River Bridge from November, 1883 to December, 1883. The images depict machinery, piers, boats, and construction workers.
Arrangement note
The collection consists of one series.
Series 1, Photograph Album
Controlled Access Headings
Genre(s)
- Photograph albums--19th century
- Photographs--19th century
Geographic Name(s)
- Snake River
- Washington (State)
Subject(s)
- Bridges--Design and construction
- Bridges--Washington
- Railroad bridges
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements note
Gloves must be worn when handling unprotected photographs and negatives. The front cover of the album is not attached.
Collection Inventory
Photograph Album, 1883-1884 |
Box 1 |
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