Processed by
Chris Harter
1 December 1998
Revised by Glenn McMullen
2001–03
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
1 oversize folder |
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COLLECTION |
1967 |
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PROVENANCE: |
Issacs Auctions, 4130 Pottawatomie Pt. Road, Logansport, IN 46947, 13 November 1998 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
Monon Railroad Records, 1851–1971 (bulk 1880s–1950s) (M
0376, OMB 0046, BV 1996-2001); Monon Railroad
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ACCESSION |
1999.0135 |
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NOTES: |
The origin of Monon Railroad dates back to 1847 when James Brooks and six others organized the New Albany and Salem Railroad in Providence, (now Borden) Indiana. By 1854, the track, stretching from the Ohio River to the Great Lakes, was opened for traffic. However, in 1858, financial difficulties resulting partially from the Panic of 1857 forced the railroad into receivership. By 1859, the New Albany and Salem Railroad was renamed the Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railroad under the trusteeship of D. D. Williamson.
The Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railroad prospered during the early 1860s by carrying Union supplies to the Mason Dixon Line. After the war, however, traffic plummeted and by 1869 the railroad was sold to a New York group headed by John J. Astor. During the 1880s, after ten years of stagnancy, the Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railroad rapidly expanded. It was renamed "Monon" after a creek near Bradford (Monon), Indiana, the site at which the Louisville, New Albany, and Chicago Railroad and its newly acquired Chicago Air Line crossed. The Panic of 1893, however, once again brought foreclosure and in 1897 the railroad was passed to the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway Company.
During World War I, under the control of the United States Railroad Administration, traffic on the Monon fluctuated. Continued decline in traffic through the 1920s caused the railroad to operate in a state of bankruptcy by 1933. Although World War II boosted the American economy, it did not affect Monon substantially. Most war movement was east-west and the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway Company was a north-south railroad. It wasn't until 1946, after twelve years of bankruptcy that Monon reorganized and established independence from the Chicago, Indianapolis, and Louisville Railway Company. Under a new president, John W. Barriger, freight equipment was purchased, freight operations were improved, engines were dieselized, and passenger service revitalized.
By the mid to late 1950s, however, a decline in freight traffic plagued the company. In 1960, an investment group headed by William C. Coleman took working control of the Monon. After several setbacks and frustrations, Coleman resigned in 1967. A four-year campaign ensued for merger with Louisville & Nashville Railroad, and in 1971 the deal was finalized. In 1985, Louisville & Nashville Railroad's successor, Seaboard System, abandoned the Indianapolis-Frankfort segment and removed the rails.
Sources: Majority of historical sketch taken from M 0376, Monon Railroad Records collection guide.
Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, Bloomington : Indiana University Press. Ca. 1994. p. 1014. Reference Collection: F534.I55 E4 1994.
This collection consists of eight sheets of Monon Railroad dispatch records, dating from 17–24 February 1967. Information includes weather conditions, number of cars, tonnage, crew members, and the time trains passed reporting stations.
The collection is located in Flat File FF 11-g.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Dispatch records, 1967 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://157.91.92.2/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, OM 0171).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.