Arnold P. Hansen materials related to crimes against Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of an album that belonged to Arnold P. Hansen, and which he may have compiled. It contains 23 black and white identification photographs of criminal suspects; each photograph is accompanied by text describing the individual, the criminal incident, and information about the suspect's arrest. Some text blocks refer to photographs that are now missing from the album. Incidents described in the album occurred in Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, and Colorado, and all occurred on or in relation to Union Pacific Railroad trains or property. In addition to the album, the collection includes a photocopy of a signed confession by Roy DeAutremont to the attempted robbery of a Southern Pacific train in 1923; attached to the end of the confession is an interview that postal inspectors and government agents conducted with DeAutremont about the attempted robbery.
Dates
- 1920-1950
Creator
- Hansen, Arnold P., 1900-1979 (Compiler, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Biographical Note
Arnold P. Hansen (1900-1979) was a special agent at Union Station in Portland, Oregon, from the 1930s through 1968.
Sources: Information provided by Arnold Hansen's granddaughter, Deborah D. Hansen.
Historical Note
On October 11, 1923, the DeAutremont brothers (Hugh, Ray and Roy) attempted to rob a Southern Pacific train in the Siskiyou Mountains near Jackson County, Oregon. The brothers ambushed the train as it emerged from a tunnel, then used dynamite to attempt to gain access to the mail car, but set off an explosion so large that it killed the mail clerk and set the car on fire. The brothers also fatally shot the train's engineer, fireman, and brakeman. The DeAutremonts eluded capture for four years; they were arrested in 1927, and all three were sentenced to life in prison.
Sources: "How a botched train robbery led to the birth of modern American criminology," Berkeley News, accessed April 2024, https://news.berkeley.edu/2019/04/30/heinrich-collection-at-the-bancroft-library; "Tragedy at Tunnel 13," Smithsonian National Postal Museum, accessed April 1, 2024, https://postalmuseum.si.edu/exhibition/tragedy-at-tunnel-13/exhibition; "DeAutremont Brothers Train Hold-up at Tunnel 13," The Oregon Encyclopedia, accessed April 1, 2024, https://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/deautremont-brothers-train-hold-up-at-tunnel-13/
Extent
0.36 Cubic Feet (1 oversize flat box)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Collection consists of materials that belonged to Arnold P. Hansen, a special agent at Union Station in Portland, Oregon. Materials include a photo album of suspects apprehended for crimes committed against or in relation to the Union Pacific Railroad, as well as a photocopy of a signed confession by Roy DeAutremont to the robbery of a Southern Pacific train near Jackson County, Oregon, in 1923.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gifts of Deborah D. Hansen in September 2023 (RL2023-042) and November 2023 (RL2023-073).
Creator
- Hansen, Arnold P., 1900-1979 (Compiler, Person)
- DeAutremont, Roy (Author, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the Arnold P. Hansen materials related to crimes against Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Railroads
- Status
- Under Review
- Author
- Jax De La Cruz-Luera
- Date
- 2024
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240
libreference@ohs.org