Preliminary Inventory to the Arthur W. Marshall Madeira-Mamoré Railroad Records 1909-1968


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Table of Contents

• Descriptive Summary
• Information on Use
• Access
• Citation
• Scope Note
• INVENTORY

Descriptive Summary

Information on Use

Access

This collection is open for research.

Citation

When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Marshall, Arthur W., Madeira-Mamoré Railroad. Records, Acc 2024-021, Box #, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library

Scope Note

Arthur William Marshall was an engineer, born in Terre Haute, Indiana. Marshall worked as a clerk and an engineer for railroads in the Midwest in the early twentieth century. In 1909, he notably served as an engineer for the construction of the Madeira-Mamoré Railway in Brazil. American entrepreneur Percival Farquhar spearheaded the construction of the railway to connect Porto Velho on the Maidera River to Guarajará-Mirim on the Bolivian border. The railway would facilitate the transportation from rubber from central South America to global markets by connecting the navigable rivers and ports in the region. Built between 1907-1912, the project became known as the Devil’s Railway after approximately 6,000 people died during its construction from disease and dangerous conditions. The railway never proved successful as Malaysian rubber quickly eclipsed Amazonian rubber.

The collection consists of material related to Marshall’s engineer career and employment with the Madeira-Mamoré railway. It includes employee newsletters from the time of construction, photographs of construction, maps, and news clippings from the mid-twentieth century. The collection also contains papers from the Madeira-Mamoré Association for “survivors” of the construction, including the association’s reunion events in the mid-twentieth century. Finally, the collection includes Marshall’s recollections of his life and experience working on the railway.

INVENTORY