The Northern Pacific Railway Company had a great influence on the history of the northwestern frontier. The company was a pioneer in business and encouraged farming and other development along it routes. This collection is divided into three sections, corporate history including minutes and bylaws, the labor section which tells the story of the workers on the railroad and the third section documents the company's efforts to recruit settlers along its routes. The lines that were built in these years stretch from Lake Superior to Puget Sound, crossing the states and territories of Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.

Professor. Correspondence and papers (1978-1990) of William F. Muhs a professor of finance at Washington State University and Montana State University and research materials (1847-1990) he collected about industrial efficiency pioneer Harrington Emerson. These include records and publications of Emerson's businesses the Emerson Company, Emerson Engineers, and Emerson Institute. Also included are photographs (1879-1929) of Harrington Emerson and his family, and sound recordings (1978-1982) from Muhs' research on Emerson, and from management conferences he attended.