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California State Telegraph Company. Toll House Station (Ashland, Oregon) records

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: B 015

Scope and Contents

The collection (1865-1868) contains financial records, telegrams, and other papers of the Ashland, Oregon tollhouse station.

Dates

  • 1865 March - 1868 November

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

The California State Telegraph Company began in 1853. By June 1867, the company was reorganized and subsumed as the Pacific Division of the Western Union Telegraph Company. The agent at this time was Lucien B. Applegate.

According to James Gamble, who was General Superintendent, Pacific Division, of the Western Union Telegraph Company, in an article titled, "Early Reminiscences of the Telegraph on the Pacific Coast (1881)," the history of the California State Telegraph Company began thusly:

"During the early period of its history, say from 1849 to 1853, California was isolated from the rest of the world, there being no telegraphic communication on the Pacific coast whatever. The first movement to put a line of telegraph in operation was made in 1852, when Messrs. Allen and Burham obtained from the Legislature of California a franchise giving them the right to operate a line between San Francisco and Marysville, via San Jose, Stockton, and Sacramento, for the term of fifteen years - this right to be exclusive, provided that the line was completed by the first of November, 1853. The company was organized under the name of the California Telegraph Company; but, owning to disastrous fires in 1852, it was found impossible to carry out the construction of the line under the first organization. In 1853, the company was reorganized, and called the California State Telegraph Company."

Extent

0.5 linear feet (1 container) : 1 manuscript box

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The California State Telegraph Company began in 1853, and by June 1867, the company was reorganized and subsumed as the Pacific Division of the Western Union Telegraph Company. The collection (1865-1868) contains financial records, telegrams, and other papers of the Ashland, Oregon tollhouse station.

Arrangement

Material within this collection is minimally arranged. Any arrangement is either derived from the records' creators or custodians or from staff at the time of initial processing. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.

Processing Information

Collection processed by staff.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.

Title
Guide to the California State Telegraph Company. Toll House Station (Ashland, Oregon) Records
Status
Complete Description
Author
Tanya Parlet and Kira B. Homo.
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC)

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA