Con B. Trumbull is the archivist and assistant trainmaster of the Nevada Northern Railway.
Like many, my Wikipedia journey started as a casual user, quickly looking up facts and figures to answer a question. Though I knew that the platform was user-generated and could be edited freely, I had no understanding of what the process was or how Wikipedia could serve as a vital resource to quickly research a topic, then springboard into the academic and professional sources the articles were based upon.
The “250 by 2026” editing course provided by Wiki Education and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), geared towards those working in the museum and archival fields, completely changed my perception of Wikipedia and the vital resource that it truly is. Beyond the basics of how to edit and discuss topics on the back end, there was one thing that stood out to me more than any other: There are missing articles.
With the majority of my museum background centering around American railroading and military history, I set out to try and find something that I could use to write a new article for the editing class. I didn’t have high hopes as both of those subject areas are extremely well-covered. Little did I expect I would find a gap in articles set in my own hometown.
In July of 1865, a young lieutenant named Caspar W. Collins was killed in a battle with Native Americans at a post called Platte Bridge Station near present-day Casper, Wyoming. Collins’ death would lead to Platte Bridge Station being renamed Fort Casper (though misspelled) in his honor, which in turn became the name of Wyoming’s second-largest city. His father was Colonel William O. Collins, for whom Fort Collins, Colorado is named.
I found Wikipedia articles for the fort, the battle, William Collins, and the City of Casper, all referencing Caspar Collins, yet there was no article about him specifically. I was shocked to say the least, but quickly jumped on the opportunity to begin to pull together a new article for Caspar W. Collins. For the most part this was easy. Pulling references and citations from the existing articles created a base to build from, and then I filled in the gaps with additional sources.
The result was a brand-new start level article, filling a gap in what is considered a very well-covered and researched aspect of history on Wikipedia!
After this experience I began looking at my day job as the archivist of the Nevada Northern Railway, a National Historic Landmark in Ely, Nevada. Railroading is a subject that is also well-covered on Wikipedia, and yet I have started to find gaps and places where our collection can help, specifically with the people who deserve to have their stories told.
I recently came across many documents regarding Earl Tappan Stannard, who was appointed president of the Kennecott Copper Company and served as president or director of numerous other companies, including the Nevada Northern Railway, J.P. Morgan, and Johns Manville. His influence in the production of copper, which made modern America a reality, is unquestioned and yet his story ended abruptly on September 9, 1949. On a flight to Quebec to inspect potential holdings for the company, Stannard and 23 others were killed in what was one of the first in-flight bombings in aviation history.
His story is an important part of American mining and railroad history and yet, no Wikipedia article exists for him or his legacy, providing an opportunity to create another article!
As those of us in the history and archives fields work through our collections, what other stories deserve to be told and have the notability for new articles? What stories do we keep that could improve articles that already exist? One thing is for certain, we’re nearing a quarter of a century since it began, and Wikipedia still needs our help to build and improve it!
Interested in learning how to add your expertise to Wikipedia? Explore Wiki Education’s upcoming courses for subject-area experts.
