Born in 1828 in Nunda, New York, Andrew J. Russell worked as a portrait and landscape painter as a young man. In 1862, he organized a local militia unit for service in the Civil War and he learned the craft of photography along the way. Several years later in 1868, he began a project to document the construction of the Union Pacific railroad during its long march to its meeting point with the...

Railfan & Railroad Magazine is a compelling resource for those with an interest in the history of passenger and freight railroads in the United States. On the magazine’s site, visitors can look over specialized photo essays, online forums, and a selection of back issues. The Railnews contains links to key news items from around the railroad world and visitors can also look over the Timetable which...

Once upon a time, there was gold in those hills around the Klondike. The celebrated gold rush of 1897-1898 excited the attention of millions around the world, and thousands of prospectors and suppliers flocked to the area. Many quickly found out that a lack of transportation infrastructure hampered the export of the natural resources. Later, in 1914, an act of Congress authorized the President to...

Railroads changed the landscape of the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries as they traversed swamps, mountains, and fruited plains. This digital archive from the University of Virginia looks at the ways in which the coming of the railroad to the isolated counties of Accomack and Northampton "profoundly changed the physical and mental landscapes in which the people of the region lived,...