University of Oklahoma Libraries Western History Collections John Lefeber Des Champs Collection Des Champs, John Lefeber. Papers, 1905 1994. 1 foot. Amateur historian. Typewritten and handwritten copies of manuscripts, reminiscences, and research materials (1905 1994) regarding the Des Champs and Lefeber families and various railroad companies, including the Midland Valley Railroad Company, the Kansas, Oklahoma, and Gulf Railway Company, and the Oklahoma City Ada Atoka Railway Company. BX1 FF1 Manuscripts and Related Materials The Short Line Midland Valley A Class I Railroad by John Lefeber Des Champs, typewritten manuscript. n.d. Section headings: "Genesis," "How The Midland Valley Helped Build Eastern Oklahoma," "Profitability - Corporate Good and the Public Good," "Decline," "Charles Edward Ingersoll: Banker, Railroad Builder, Chief Executive, and Director," "About the Forebears of Charles Edward Ingersoll," "As A.W. Lefeber Remembered the Midland Valley," "As Bob Lomax Remembers MV-KO&G-OCAA," "Muskogee and the Midland Valley," "The Midland Valley, Tulsa, and Oil," "The Midland Valley in the Osage," "Culture and Economics of Early-Day Employees," "As Lefeber Des Champs Remembers the Midland Valley," "The Work of the Brakeman and the Conductor," "As Jim Wilkinson Remembers the Midland Valley," "As E.A. Izell Remembers the Midland Valley," "Conductor Jack O'Neil," "Conductor Frank Pigg on the Midland Valley," "As Clint Milam Remembers the Midland Valley," "The Work of the Switch Crew," "As Fred Burgess Remembers the Midland Valley," and "Bob Skinner Remembers the Midland Valley." FF2 The Short Line Midland Valley A Class I Railroad by John Lefeber Des Champs, typewritten manuscript. n.d. Sections headings continued: "The Work of the Fireman," "As W.E. Collins Remembers the Midland Valley," "The Work of the Engineer," "Ballad of Casey Jones," "Jim Brown," "As J.W. 'Johnny' De Schamps remembers the Midland Valley," "O.B. Gray, His Wife Peggy, and the Bransons," "Bob Howard on the Midland Valley as Remembered by His Son Gene," "As Paul Kapp, Jr. Remembers His Father," "Hugh Rooney," "Schuyler Stubbs and His Son Walter," "Carl White," "Sam White," "John Wimer," "The Work of the Dispatcher," "As Ivan Kendall Remembers the Midland Valley," "The Work of the Agent - Operator," "As Bonnie Oakley Remembers the Midland Valley," "As Raymond Dowd Remembers MV-KO&G-OCAA," "Rip Track - Back Shop - Car Shop," "John Hinds Remembers the Midland Valley," "Section Gangs and Bridge Gangs," "As Bill Corn 1
Remembers the Midland Valley," "As Bill Longley Remembers the Midland Valley," "The Call Boy," "Accidents," "Derailments Wholesale," "Wreck Just East of Grainola," "A Wreck that Didn't Happen," "O.B. Gray-Oslee Skinner Head-on Collision at Bokoshe," "Scheduled Train Service," "Uniquely railroad Humor," "Railroad Language Explained," and "Serendipity." FF3 Midland Valley by J.L. Des Champs. 1990 Includes "Author's Foreword," index by sections, and Des Champs' "pitch" to possible publishers. 15 pages. FF4 "Muskogee and the Midland Valley" by John Lefeber Des Champs. n.d. Typewritten manuscript, 7 pages. FF5 "The Railroads in Osage County" by John Lefeber Des Champs. n.d. Typewritten manuscript and copy, 4 pages. FF6 "John William DeSchamps and John Lefeber DeSchamps" by John Lefeber Des Champs.n.d. Typewritten manuscript and copy, 2 pages. FF7 Lefeber, A.W. Remembrances. 1957 "Midland Valley Railroad Company A.W. Lefeber's Kind Remembrances of 51 Years (1903-1954) of Association with Mr. Charles Edward Ingersoll and Family (Without Access to the Railroad's Records and from Memory, except as Quoted)." 76 pages, typed manuscript (2 copies). Also includes note cards and other notes. FF8 Lefeber, A.W. Remembrances. 1914, 1988 A.W. Lefeber "remembrances" which are not in the final "Remembrances." 27 pages. Also letter from Lefeber to Hugh Rooney. FF9 Lefeber, A.W. Notebook. 1905-1912 Copies of pages from A.W. Lefeber's notebook showing construction and rolling stock information; operating expenses (1905-07); coal traffic (1905-07); freight information (1905-07); and station information (1912). F10 Pitts, J.J. Correspondence, etc. 1980-1984 Includes "The Doodlebug Era Arrives" (20 pages), correspondence, news clippings, copies of photos, etc. pertaining to Pitts' considerable contribution to the Midland Valley "book" project. 2
BX2 Manuscripts and Related Materials FF1 Correspondence. 1978-1992 Correspondence concerning the Midland Valley project between J.L. Des Champs and Ivan Kendall, Robert H. Lomax, J.R. Dowd, Arrell M. Gibson, Jared Roberts, C. Jared Ingersoll, W.E. Collins, E.H. Howard, and Betty Kolb. F2-3 Manuscript, handwritten. 1979 Includes sections of handwritten, Midland Valley manuscript by John Lefeber Des Champs; Treve Wimer notes; Midland Valley Railroad Company seniority rosters; story and notes from Tulsa Democrat, Oct.-Nov. 1904; and transcripts of Bob Skinner tape, Carl White tape and Jim Brown tape. FF4 Notes, handwritten. Notebooks and note cards. n.d. FF5 Photograph Log. 1982 Log includes the following categories of information: from, subject, large negative in hand. size, large print in hand. size, 35 MM negative group and number, proof, remarks, and commercial lab. FF6 Printed Materials. Midland Valley Railroad Co. Rules, Regulations and Rates of Pay for Locomotive Engineers and Firemen, 1920. Midland Valley Railroad Co. Rules, Regulations and Rates of Pay for Trainmen and Yardmen, 1920. Midland Valley Railroad Co., Kansas, Oklahoma and Gulf Railway Co., Oklahoma City- Ada-Atoka Railway Co. Rules of the Transportation Department, 1931. "Oklahoma Corporation Commission State Railroad Map," 1969. "Oklahoma Industrial Development Department State Railroad Map," 1976. "Oklahoma Department of Transportation State Railroad Map," 1989. Railroads of Oklahoma June 6, 1870-July 1, 1974, State of Oklahoma Department of Highways, 1974. Excerpts from "Official Guide to Railways" pertaining to MV Railroad Co. KOG Railway Co., and OCAA Railway Co., 1940 and 1958. Excerpts from "Oklahoma Corporation Commission Report," 1908. 3
BX3 Research Materials FF1 Central Oklahoma Railfan Club, Ltd. 1980, 1982 Copies of photos of Midland Valley Railroad locomotives from 1982 calendar. Also copies of The Dispatcher, newsletter of the Central Oklahoma Railfan Club, Ltd.. FF2 "Description of Locomotives K.O.G. Ry. System" (copy). n.d. Includes diagrammatic sketch of locomotives and detailed information such as weight of engine, dimensions of heating surface tubes, size of cylinders, driving wheels, etc. Also "Statement of Locomotives" with the following information: engine number and size, boiler pressure, weight on driver, weight of engine, water gallons, coal tone, driving center, builder and number, year and cost. FF3 Magazine Articles. 1979, 1982, 1994 "Answering the Call," Trains, Nov. 1994; "Wichita-Busy Prairie Crossroads," Locomotive Quarterly, Fall 1979; Model Railroader, Apr. 1982. FF4 Midland Valley Railroad - Hours of Services Act. 1978 Includes letter from John Sytsma, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers to J.L. Des Champs re. the Midland Valley Railroad and the Hours of Service Act. Also contains copy of Public Law 91-169, copy of the Medals of Honor Act and the Hours of Service Act, court decision on Stoker Order - no. 5741 - ATS&F Railway Co. v. U.S.A, and statement of E.L. McCulloch in hearing on S. 1938 to amend the Hours of Service Act. FF5 Midland Valley/Choctaw (historical). various Photocopies of magazine, journal and newspaper articles, pages from books, and other printed materials. Subjects covered include histories of ATS&F Railway Co., KATY Railroad, Santa Fe Railroad, Choctaw-Oklahoma-Gulf Railway, Midland Valley Railroad, etc. FF6 Moody's. 1925, 1930, 1945, 1965, 1967 Statistics relating to the Midland Valley Railroad printed in Moody's Analyses of Investments, Moody's Manual of Investments, and Moody's Transportation Manual. FF7 Midland Valley Railroad Co., Timetables (copies). 1909, 1913, 1915, 1925, 1930, 1944, 1953, 1955, 1962, 1965 Tell arrival and departure times at various stations, names of officials - yard masters and dispatchers, and include maps of lines and connections. Also include timetables for Kansas, Oklahoma & Gulf RY. Co., Oklahoma City-Ada-Atoka Ry. Co., and Missouri Pacific Railroad Co.. 4
FF8 Newspaper clippings. various Subjects covered include train wrecks, and the history of the Midland Valley Railroad and fireman James A. Brown FF9 Pawhuska/Osage Profiles. 1977-1978 Includes excerpts from "Osage Oil" by Bill Burchard in Chronicles of Oklahoma, Osage Agency map and drawing of Council House, assorted correspondence pertaining to Des Champs manuscripts - "The Railroads in Osage County" and "John William DeSchamps and John Lefeber DeSchamps," and biography of John Lefeber Des Champs in Who's Who in the South and Southwest. F10 Photographs (copies). various Copies of photographs from several repositories including Missouri Pacific Historical Society, Olin Research Center, KATY Railroad Historical Society, Southern Methodist University Library, etc. The photographs depict railroad locomotives and cars, and other railroad structures. F11 Seniority Rosters. 1910-1980 Copies of Midland Valley Railroad Co. seniority rosters which give names of employees, seniority dates, titles of positions, and sometimes rates of pay. F12 U.S./Oklahoma Agency Publications. ICC Docket - Oklahoma Corporation Commission.1908-1978 Copies of Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) Valuation Docket No. 675 - Midland Valley Railroad Co. et al. ICC Reports. Oklahoma Corporation Commission Reports. Notes and some correspondence. 5