unlv.6 Guide to the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection Finding aid written by staff. Special Collections, UNLV Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Finding aid encoded by Tom Sommer. December 2007 Descriptive Summary Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection1905-1977 (inclusive),1930-1940 (bulk) MS-6 Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad 3 boxes [1.5 linear feet] University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNLV Libraries. Special Collections. Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-7010.The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection contains miscellaneous correspondence, waybills, requisitions and other records relating to the company's operations. Incorporated in 1904, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad operated for 35 years, connecting Ludlow, California (on the Santa Fe Railroad main line) with Beatty, Nevada, by way of Death Valley. "Tidewater" referred to dreams of eventually completing connections with San Diego, California. The papers in the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection are concentrated on the later years of the railroad (1930-1940), and offer a study of the railroad's daily operations. English Preferred Citation:

Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection, MS-6, Special Collections, UNLV Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

 Acquisition Information:

Portions donated by David Coons in 1977 and Maxine Graham in 1989.

 Processed by:

Staff.

 Access:

This collection is open for research.

Publication Rights:

For permission to reproduce or publish from this collection, please contact the Director of Special Collections.

 Organizational History

Incorporated in 1904, the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad operated for 35 years, connecting Ludlow, California (on the Santa Fe Railroad main line) with Beatty, Nevada, by way of Death Valley. "Tidewater" referred to dreams of eventually completing connections with San Diego, California. Initial construction began at Las Vegas, Nevada, in May 1905, though the base of operations was shifted to Ludlow three months later. The tracks reached Beatty in October 1907. The following year the company took over the Bullfrog Goldfield-Railroad which allowed service to be extended to Goldfield and Rhyolite. Declining mining fortunes and waning borax operation in Death Valley after 1927 caused the slow decline of the railroad, which finally ceased operations in 1940.

The papers in the Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection are concentrated on the later years of the railroad's operations (1930-1940), and offer study in the railroad's daily operations.

 Scope and Content

The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad Collection contain miscellaneous correspondence, waybills, requisitions and other records relating to the company's operations.

This collection is comprised of two separate donations, the David Coons Papers (T. No. 69), and Accession 89-66.

 Arrangement of the Records

The collection is organized by document type and then chronologically.

Photographs removed from the David Coons donation were placed in UNLV Photograph Collection 0029.

Subject Headings Organizations:Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad Company – Records and Correspondence Subjects:Railroads -- Nevada -- History Railroads -- California -- History Places:Death Valley (Calif. and Nev.) --HistoryBeatty (Nev.) -- HistoryGoldfield (Nev.) -- History Inventory:

BoxFolderContents 1Rubber Stamp: "Auditor and Cashier/Tonopah & Tidewater R. R. Co., Ltd." 1Coons Collection worksheets, correspondence, documentation,1976-1977 2Ledger Book of checks dispersed by Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad,1927-19323Correspondence re: transportation of explosives,1910, 19174Correspondence, general,1930-19345Correspondence re: quality of water along the route and water source reports,1930-19326Correspondence re: quality of water along the route and water source reports,1933-19347Correspondence re: water delivery, billings, bid estimates,1932-19348Correspondence re: water delivery, billings, bid estimates,1931-19329Blank forms for freight delivery, waybill, receipts, switch list10Requisition and expense account forms11Booklet: "Diagrams of Locomotives and Tenders"12Freight bills and receipts for Argentina Mine at Goodsprings, Nev.,192713Prospectus: The Forward Mining Development Company (Goldfield),190514Desert Power and Mill Company order,April 1912BoxFolderContents21Freight Waybill and Reports of Freight forwarded,19402Freight Waybill and Reports of Freight forwarded,1939 3Freight Waybill and Reports of Freight forwarded,19384Bills of lading,19405Bills of lading,19396Bills of lading,1938BoxFolderContents31Purchase requisitions,June-September 19372Purchase requisitions,January-May 19383Purchase requisitions,June-September 19384Purchase requisitions,January-May 19395Purchase requisitions,June-September 1939

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