Most of the photos on this site were extracted from reference images (high-resolution tiffs, 20 to 200 megabytes in size) from the Library of Congress research archive. (To query the database click here.) Many were digitized by LOC contractors using a Sinar studio back. They are adjusted by your webmaster for contrast and color in Photoshop before being downsized and turned into the jpegs you see here.

April 1943. "Chicago & North Western R.R. Tracks leading into the freight house at Proviso yard. This is said to be the largest covered freight house in the world." View full size. 4x5 Kodachrome transparency by Jack Delano for the OWI.
Today's Top 5