William Miller and William Patterson Union Pacific Railroad correspondence
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of correspondence from contractors William Miller and William Patterson dating from 1864 to 1888. It relates to their involvement in the construction of the Union Pacific section of the transcontinental railroad, mainly in Wyoming along the Green River and in Echo Canyon, Utah. Included are letters regarding supplies for the work camp, competition among builders for contracts, and interactions with The Latter-day Saints Church, among other topics. It also includes letters written between Miller and Patterson after the end of their partnership. Notable among the correspondence is a copy of a letter written by William Patterson to Brigham Young asking for a copy of the church leader's contract with the Union Pacific Railroad.
Dates
- 1864-1888
Language of Materials
Material in English
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.
Conditions Governing Use
It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.
Permission to publish material from the William Miller and William Patterson Union Pacific Railroad correspondence must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.
Biographical Note
William L. Patterson, a native of Sterling, Illinois and his business partner William Miller, were contractors who worked on the Union Pacific portion of the transcontinental railroad in the late 1860s. They were notably involved with the construction of Cut No. 5 at Red Buttes in Wyoming and Tunnel No. 2 at Echo Canyon, Utah.
Extent
1 Box (0.25 linear feet)
Abstract
This collection consists of correspondence from contractors William Miller and William Patterson dating from 1864 to 1888.
Arrangement
Arranged in chronological order.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The materials in this collection were purchased by Special Collections and Archives from Michael Vinson Western Americana in 2012.
Processing Information
Processed in May of 2012.
- Railraods--Equipment and supplies--Purchasing.
- Railroad tunnels--Utah--Echo Canyon (Summit County, Utah)--Design and Construction.
- Railroads--Design and Construction--Subcontracting--Utah.
- Railroads--Design and Construction--Subcontracting--Wyoming.
- Railroads--Utah--Echo Canyon (Summit County)--Design and Construction.
- Railroads--Wyoming--Design and Construction.
- Title
- Guide to the William Miller and William Patterson Union Pacific Railroad correspondence 1865-1870
- Author
- Finding aid/Register created by Melissa Allen and Clint Pumphrey
- Date
- ©2012
- Description rules
- Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard, 2nd Edition)
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid encoded in English.
Revision Statements
- 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
Repository Details
Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)
scweb@usu.edu