This includes research notes, drafts of books, railroad corporate records, photographs, and other documents collected and generated by Western railroad historian and author David L. Myrick.
Scope and Content
This collection represents one part of Western railroad historian David L. Myrick's papers. Additional archival material, photographs and maps pertaining to Nevada are available at the Nevada State Railroad Museum. Material pertaining to Mr. Myrick's book about Western Pacific can be found at Colorado Railroad Museum Archives in Golden, Colorado.
This collection has been arranged into the following six series:
1. RESEARCH
2.WRITINGS
3. CORRESPONDENCE
4. RAILROAD CORPORATE RECORDS
5. PHOTOGRAPHS
6. CLIPPINGS
7. EXCURSIONS / EPHEMERA
History / Biographical
David Myrick was born on June 17, 1918 in Santa Barbara. He went to college in Santa Barbara State College (liberal arts) for two years and Babson College, Wellesley, Massachusetts (business administration).
From 1940 to 1944, Mr. Myrick worked for Consolidated Aircraft Corporation, San Diego. In 1944, he became a general clerk in the Southern Pacific President's Office in San Francisco and was Assistant to the Vice President of the Treasury Department by the time he retired in 1977. Mr. Myrick generally received assignments related to financial matters, bond refinancing, stockholders' relations, special studies concerning a variety of phases of the Company's activities and mergers or acquisitions. He served as corporate director of several affiliates such as Southern Pacific Communications Company (Sprint).
Myrick wrote many books about the history of railroads in Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico. Additionally there have been about 140 published articles, book reviews, and pamplets relating to railroad history.
A partial bibliography of David F. Myrick's writings are available in Series 2. Writings.
Books include: RAILROADS OF NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA (1962-1963, 1992, 2007)
A BRIEF SURVEY OF THE HISTORIES OF PIONEER ARIZONA RAILROADS (1968)
REFINANCING AND REBUILDING THE CENTRAL PACIFIC (1969)
NEW MEXICO'S RAILWAYS: AN HISTORICAL SURVEY (1970)
SAN FRANCISCO'S TELEGRAPH HILL (1972)
RAILS AROUND THE BOHEMIAN GROVE (1973)
RAILROADS OF ARIZONA, 6 VOLS. (1975-2001)
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY RAILROADS: A CENTENNIAL HISTORY (1987)
MONTECITO AND SANTA BARBARA (1988-1991)
THE DETERMINED MRS. RINDGE AND HER LEGENDARY RAILROAD: A HISTORY OF THE HUENEME, MALIBU AND PORT LOS ANGELES RAILWAY (1996)
NEW MEXICO'S RAILROADS: AN HISTORICAL SURVEY, 1970
VENTURA COUNTY RAILROADS (1987-1988)
MONTECITO AND SANTA BARBARA, Vol. 1, 1988, Vol. 2., 1991
RAILROADS OF ARIZONA, Vols. 1-4. (1975-2001)
WESTERN PACIFIC: THE LAST TRANSCONTINTENAL RAILROAD (2006)
SOUTHERN PACIFIC WATER LINES: MARINE BY AND RIVER OPERATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN PACICIF SYSTEM (2007)
RAILS AROUND THE BOHEMIAN GROVE, 1973
SAN FRANCISCO'S TELEGRAPH HILL, 1972
Myrick was the editor and publisher of the TELGRAPH HILL BULLETIN (San Francisco, 1955-1960), and the Vice President & Director of THE DAKOTA FARMER (Aberdeen, South Dakota, 1961-1967).
He belonged to the Santa Barbara Historical Society, Nevada Historical Society, Arizona Historical Society, Center for Latin American Studies, Book Club of California, Roxburghe Club of San Francisco, American Association for State & Local History, Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum, San Francisco, the Westerners - S.B. Corral, Tucson Corral, and Casa del Herrero Foundation.
David Myrick died on September 24, 2011 at the age of 93.
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research at our off-site storage facility with one week's notice. Contact Library & Archives staff to arrange for access.