George Ritch White Diaries

The diaries of George Ritch White, which span from 1896 to 1954 (the diary for 1937 is absent), provide an extensive record of one man's life, work, interests, observations, and travels. Diary entries document in detail White's family life, friendships, and hobbies as a boy; his studies as a young man at Tufts University and Yale University; his work as a statistician for the New York, New Haven, & Hartford Railroad; his daily observations, social and housekeeping activities, and income and expense accounts; and, most notably, his extensive travels across the United States and Canada by train.

Beginning in 1912, the diaries record White's annual vacations, usually traveling by train to various locales across the United States and Canada. Entries often contain minute detail about train travel, including information about train lines, stops, arrival and departure times, quality of service, and condition of the roadbeds. Entries also contain lengthy descriptions of his travel in particular regions, such as the deserts and mountains of the West, the Pacific Coast, and the Southwest. Some of the western locations visited by White during his travels include: Albuquerque, NM; Billings, MT; Calgary, AB; Denver, CO; Glacier Park, MT; Grand Canyon, AZ; Lake Louise, AB; Livingston, CA; Los Angeles, CA; Medicine Hat, AB; Merced, CA; Missoula, MT; Phoenix, AZ; Portland, OR; Salt Lake City, UT; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; Sante Fe, NM; Seattle, WA; Spokane, WA; Vancouver, BC; Whitefish, MT; Winnipeg, MB; and Yosemite, CA.

The diaries also record White's trips to other countries, which he took at various times from the late-1920s to the mid-1950s.