The collection is comprised of records of the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad Company (1901-1976). The construction of this railroad led to the founding of Las Vegas, Nevada and the creation of the Empire Construction Company and Las Vegas Land and Water Company. The records document the company's operations and include correspondence and contracts relating to lots in the Las Vegas townsite, payments and accounts, invoices and other audit materials from 1905 to 1923. The collection also includes the records of the railroad agent at Arden Station, located ten miles south of the Las Vegas Station, which contain correspondence, ledgers, freight and way bills, shipping orders, and telegrams.

Collection is comprised primarily of files from approximately the early 1980s to 2017 detailing Joshua Abbey's theater and film career; his involvement with environmental efforts in Southern Nevada such as the Citizens Against Nuclear Waste in Nevada (CANWIN); and his involvement with the Jewish community in Las Vegas, including the Jewish Film Festival, the Jewish Federation, Temple Beth Sholom, and other organizations. The collection also includes information about the Jewish Community Center from the 1950s and a file on the film production of The Brave Cowboy, a novel written by his father, Ed Abbey.

The Jean Ford Photograph Collection (1964-1977) contains black-and-white photographic prints, contact sheets, and transparencies of Nevada politician and activist Jean Ford. The collection includes photographs of Jean Ford with the Nevada State Park Commission and various Nevadan politicians; Ford lecturing and campaigning; and of the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas.