Perron Collection

Upper Peninsula Railroads

Wesley E. Perron was an avid railroad enthusiast who collected information on a wide variety of topics concerning railroading in northern Michigan. He was born on 15 November 1907 in Minneapolis, the son of Edward and Henriette (Hurst) Perron. He lived in Marquette since 1952 after moving from Duluth. Perron worked as a traffic manager for the Soo Line railroad until his retirement in 1973. He died on 17 March 1995 (Obituary, Marquette Journal, 19 March 1995).

The Perron collection consists of original documents, neatly typed notes, photocopies, and photographs organized chronologically in binders by railroad lines. Perron covers all aspects of railroad history including personnel, buildings, locomotives, rolling stock, timetables, rules and regulations, etc. The extent of his collection is amazing. He covered not only the Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A), but also many other northern Michigan railroads. The care he put into his collection is reflected in how well organized it was. Unfortunately, at the time of his death, he had not finalized arrangements for the preservation of his collection. Consequently, the collection is now divided among three institutions. Thus making use of the collection more difficult than it should be. Although much of Perron's information can be found in other institutions—especially at the Soo Line Historical and Technological Society archives—his chronological and topical organization of the data certainly facilitates research.

The Perron Collection will now be found at the following institutions:

Peter White Public Library
217 N. Front St.
Marquette, MI 49855
Telephone: (906) 228-9510
Fax: (906) 228-7315

J. M. Longyear Research Library
Marquette County Historical Society
213 N. Front St.
Marquette, MI 49855
Telephone: (906) 226-3571

Copper Country Historical Collections
J. R. Van Pelt Library
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931-1295
Telephone: (906) 487-3209
Fax: (906) 487-2357
Email: copper at mtu.edu or enordber at mtu.edu

Most of the collection is housed at the Peter White Public Library in less than ideal conditions. The J. M. Longyear Research Library holds some documents that Perron turned over to them near the time of his death. While the Copper Country Historical Collections has items only relating to the Copper Range and Mineral Range railroads. Enquires about portions of the Perron Collection should be directed to the appropriate institution.

Contents of the Collection

Peter White Public Library

There is no guide for the Perron collection at the Peter White Public Library. The materials are haphazardly stored in two lawyer's glass cabinets on the second floor of the library. The following information is from my notes taken on two visits to this collection in 1996.

Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic (red binders):

	1865-1887
	1888
	1889-1890
	1891-1892
	1893-1895
	1896-1899
	1900
	1906
	1907-1910
	1911-1914
	1915-1922
	1923-1929 [1928 see Copper Country Historical Collection]
	1930-1931
	1932-1935
	1936-1940
	1941-1947
	1948-1950
	1951-1954
	1955-1958
	1959-1960
	1961-
	DSS&A Locomotive Pictures 2-311
	DSS&A Locomotive Pictures 400-1000
	DSS&A Freight Equipment
	DSS&A Passenger Equipment

Annual DSS&A reports in a folder with reports for 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, and 1959.

Other Railroads binders:

	DM&M 1884—Detroit, Mackinac, & Marquette
	DM&M 1879-1883
	DM&M 1885
	Manistique & Lake Superior RR
	Ann Arbor RR
	MH&O 1886—Marquette, Houghton, and Ontonagon
	M&O Marquette and Ontonagon
	M&W Marquette and Western Munising Ry (RR)
	RR Lines A-G
	[RR Lines H-O, not found on my 1996 visit]
	RR Lines P-Z
	Lines Straits to Marquette to Duluth
	Wisconsin Central Wisconsin Central Ltd. 1987-1988
	Wisconsin & Michigan Ry.
	Lake Michigan Car Ferry Transportation Co.

Railroad stations:

	RR Stations A-B-C [found no binders for D-M]
	RR Stations A-H Houghton Co. [found no binders for I-Z Houghton Co.]
	RR Stations Alger County
	RR Stations Baraga County
	RR Stations Chippewa County
	RR Stations Gogebic County
	RR Stations Mackinaw & Menominee
	RR Stations N-P-R-S-T-Y
	RR Stations Nagaunee & Soo Line, Loose Materials
	RR Stations Schoolcraft

Miscellaneous binders:

	Place Names
	Mines A-K
	Mines [L-Z?]
	Jackson / Fayette
	Docks
	Mackinaw Transportation Co. 1885-1899
	Mackinaw Transportation Co. 1950-1989
	Ferry Services, The Straits 1873-1900
	Loco's General

Miscellaneous boxes and folders:

5 boxes, 48 issues, of The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society Bulletin [latter known as Railroad History], 1921-1989, not a complete set, some other society info included among these issues

3 boxes, 1 large expanding folder, misc., there seems to be more materials from the Perron collection in the next lawyer's cabinet. Box 1 contents: Blue soft binder: "Interstate Commerce Commission, Bureau of Valuation, Central District" Some typed notes and photographs, mostly concerning the DSS&A, but I am not sure what these are. Are these duplicates and things he meant to file and did not get to? One folder among them is labeled "filling." Box 2 contents: Looks like more materials that Perron meant to check and file. One folder is labeled "to check." Includes some hand written notes: Notes 1: Mortgage DSS&A 1 January 1949, some typed information, but mostly notes, concerning more than just a 1949 mortgage. Notes 2: More handwritten notes, many if not all with a wiggly vertical line through them. Are they already typed and filed? Some photocopies and typed pages included. Notes 3: This looks like his last working notebook, all handwritten notes. Again, some with wiggly vertical lines. Folder [legal size brown tie up folder]: Photographs, some in color, negatives, notes, news clippings, and other miscellaneous items, no apparent order. Box 3 contents: 4 spiral notebooks Many photographs, some in color, large and small. Again, were these meant to be filed? Are they duplicates? DSS&A, "Rules and Instructions Governing Free Travel and Passes," effective 1 January 1912, little booklet. DSS&A, "Catalogue of Forms and Miscellaneous Stationery," effective 1 January 1917, little booklet. Note: in this box are some color snapshots, they look recent, and seem to have been taken at a railroad museum. Among them are: A DSS&A coach, no. 213, showing all maroon body, with gold lettering, and a greyish black roof; a small railroad building painted flat maroon; box car 18052, a reddish brown; and an 8-wheel caboose, no. 570, painted a reddish orange. Later I learned that most of these color photographs came from Mid-Continent Railway Museum, North Freedom, Wisconsin. Box 4 contents: A stand-up archival box This is a hodgepodge of partially completed binders, like one on the LS&I dock. File Card Box, Place Names G-N, some pictures, 3 x 5 inch postcards Did not see any other such boxes for A-F and M-Z.

Lastly, there were several uncatalogued books and periodicals are found with the Perron Collection:

Gjevre, John A. 1973. Saga of the Soo: West from Shoreham. La Crosse, WI: N.p.

Soo Line, Annual Reports, 1960-1969, 1975-1976 [a folder containing these reports]

The Soo, The Soo Line Historical and Technical Society [a folder containing 4-83. 7-83 (cover only), 1-84, 7-84, 10-84, 4-85, and 7-85].

North Western Line & Membership Roster, North Western Newsliner, appears to be 39 issues, vols. 1-14, in a box. This is the newsletter for the C&NW Historical Society. Most seem to be from 1976-1987.

Howard, Neal D., ed. 1948. Railway Engineering & Maintenance Cyclopedia, (1948: Track, Bridges, Water Service, Buildings, Signals. [A book]). 7th ed. New York: Simmons-Boardman Publishing Corp.

White, John H. 1982. A Short History of American Locomotive Builders in the Steam Era. Washington, DC: Bass, Inc.

Publication No. 2—American Association for Railroad and Locomotive History, August 1931 [folder].

Fowler, George L. 1906. Locomotive Dictionary. New York: The Railroad Gazette.

Beck, James H., ed. 1978. Rail Talk: A Lexicon of Railroad Language. Gretna, NE: James Publications.

Forney, Matthias N. [1879] 1974. The Railroad Car Builder's Pictorial Dictionary. With an introduction by John F. Stover. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.

Bulletin No. 54, The Railway and Locomotive Historical Society, January 1941, "History of the Wisconsin Central," by Roy L. Martin [photocopy in a folder].

There may have been more materials, but I did not find them on my visit in 1996.

J. M. Longyear Research Library

The following information comes from my notes taken during a visit in 1996 and information in the author-title card catalog.

	Bay de Noquet and Marquette Railroad, clippings, etc., 1863-1889, 1990, 1 vol., accession #12868, 385, B34
	Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, clippings, etc., 1876-, 1989, 11 vols., #12815, 385,C43c
	Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, clippings, 1925-1985, 1990, 2 vols, #12851-3 v., 385,C43ch
	Duluth, South Shore & Atlantic Railway, clippings, 18??-, 1990, 2 vols, 1901-1905, 1990, #13105, 385,D889
	Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad, clippings, etc., 1898-, 1990, 4 vols., #12852, 385,Es1
	Marquette and Ontonagon Railroad, clippings, etc., 1990, 1 vol. #12870, 385,M34c
	Railroad Stations—Marquette Co., 1991, 2 vols., #12985, 385.3 R13
	There are also materials done around 1989-1991, loose-leaf, typed: "First steam railroad in the Upper Peninsula" Iron Mountain Railroad, 1853-1980, 1 vol. Iron Mountain Railway, 1 vol. Iron Range & Huron Bay Railroad, 1 vol. Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad, 1893-; 4 vols. Law of Michigan transportation, 1847-1891, 1 vol. Marquette & Southeastern Railway, 1 vol. Peninsula Railroad, 1863-1944, 3 vols. Plan roads, railroads, affairs in the Upper Peninsula, 1 vol.

Copper Country Historical Collection

Perron, Wesley, Collection, account no. 447, received 5 March 1990. The following information is based on my notes taken during a visit to this collection in 1996 and from the guide for the collection. The Perron materials were removed from their original binders and placed in folders within boxes. Neither the guide, nor the folders within the boxes are in the chronological order I have indicated below.

Box 1 of 2: DSS&A, 1928 M&R [sic, Mineral Range], 1884-1887 M&R, 1888-1889 M&R, 1888-1893 M&R, 1894-1900 M&R, 1901-1903 M&R, 1904-1912 M&R, 1913-1924 M&R, 1925-1933 M&R, no dates on folder but appears to cover 1934-1980's M&R, Rolling Stock M&R + LB—MRRR [Mineral Range Railroad] 1865-1883 H&C [Hancock & Calumet], 1885-1892 H&C, 1893-1901 H&C, 1901-1980 H&C, Rolling Stock The last folder in the box is labeled Calumet and Hecla, on the guide it says it should be in box 2!

Box 2 of 2, unless otherwise noted, the folders in this box concern the Copper Range railroad: Prologue Equipment Locomotives 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 [no 1941 mentioned in the guide] 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 [no 1953 mentioned in the guide] 1954 1956 [no 1957 mentioned in the guide] 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1967 [no 1968 mentioned in the guide] 1969 1970 [no 1971 mentioned in the guide] 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 [no 1980-1982 mentioned in the guide] 1983 [no 1984 mentioned in the guide] 1985 1986 1987 Copper Range 1889-1906 Clarence Monette's The Copper Range Railroad, book Copper Range Railroad White Pine Mine White Pine Mine 1914 Calumet and Hecla [found in Box 1 or 2] Q&TL [Quincy & Torch Lake] Keweenaw Country Railroads

Although I believe I have tracked down the majority of the Perron Collection, I am confident that I have missed some of the collection. For instance, the above list shows several gaps in the records that might still exist. Please notify me if you have any additions or corrections of this information.

Please contact me should you have any questions or comments.

This page, and all contents, are Copyright © 1996 by John P. DuLong, Berkley, MI. Created 15 May 1996. Last modified 31 December 1996.