William S. Lagen papers, 1894-2002

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Lagen, William S
Title
William S. Lagen papers
Dates
1894-2002 (inclusive)
Quantity
39.29 cubic feet
Collection Number
2292
Summary
Papers of Bellevue businessman, civic activist and outdoorsman
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users, but access to portions of the papers restricted. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Some records are stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

William S. Lagen was the only child of Marc Lagen and Emily Schupp. Emily was a modern dancer who took the stage name " Lada " in 1914. The Schupp family fortune was made in the insurance business, and this was eventually complemented by success in the whaling industry. William was born in the Schupp family home at Pawling Manor, New York on July 29, 1923, and he subsequently moved to Seattle with his parents and grandfather in 1925. Marc Lagen managed the American Whaling Company, which was headquartered in Bellevue, Washington's Meydenbauer Bay. A family home was built in the area in 1941. William went to Port Hobron, Alaska during the summers with his parents, where he enjoyed fishing, sailing, rowing, and playing with his dog, Bolo. He also enjoyed skiing and other outdoor activities as a young man, and traveled to Europe for the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. William attended the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and became an officer in the U.S. Navy. As an officer, he was stationed on the aircraft carrier Franklin D. Roosevelt in Greece in the late 1940s, and later in New Mexico. After his military service, William returned to Bellevue and expanded the Meydenbauer Bay Marina that had been built by his parents. The original whaling dock can be seen today as the center of the Marina. William also owned Trident Seafoods in Akutan, Alaska. He was married twice, and had two children named Marc and Deborah.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Correspondence, financial records, journals, ledgers, catch records, reports and blueprints primarily of three family whaling companies: Consolidated Whaling Corporation, North Pacific Sea Products and American Pacific Sea Products. Also includes family letters and photographs, diaries, memorabilia, publications and other items about whaling; related materials of the Schupp and Lagen families and their business interests; business records of William S. Lagen in Akutan, Alaska and in the Seattle area; and interviews with Lagen.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged in 7 accessions:

  • Accession No. 2292-001, William S. Lagen papers, 1912-1952 (bulk 1920-1945)
  • Accession No. 2292-002, William S. Lagen interview, 1974
  • Accession No. 2292-004, William S. Lagen microfilmed catch records (negative), 1919-1943
  • Accession No. 2292-005, Negatives of William S. Lagen record books, 1924-1939
  • Accession No. 2292-007, William S. Lagen family papers, 1894-1998
  • Accession No. 2292-008, William S. Lagen papers and oral history interview, 1940-2002
  • Accession No. 2292-009, William S. Lagen microfilmed catch records (positive), 1919-1943

Preservation Note

Some records are stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 2292-001: William S. Lagen papers, 1912-1952 (bulk 1920-1945)Return to Top

ca. 29.62 cubic feet (68 containers (14 boxes, 35 tubes and 16 oversize packages))

Scope and Content: Correspondence, interview transcript, legal and financial records, ships logs, catch records, reports, and visual materials; 1912-1952 (bulk 1920-1945). This accession consists primarily of the records of three companies, Consolidated Whaling Corporation, North Pacific Sea Products and American Pacific Sea Products, which hunted whales and sold whale oil, fertilizer and bone meal.

Other Descriptive Information

General Notes: Consolidated Whaling was purchased by William Schupp, the grandfather of William Lagen, in approximately 1917-1918. Schupp also purchased North Pacific Sea Products of Bay City, Washington at about the same time and changed the name to American Pacific Sea Products. He subsequently moved its headquarters to Bellevue, Washington, where the whaling ships wintered on Meydenbauer Bay. American Pacific Sea Products originally operated ships from two stations, Bay City on Grays Harbor and Akutan in Alaska, which was built in 1912. Akutan was the most successful. The Bay City station was closed in the late 1920s and a station was built at Port Hobron on Kodiak Island in 1927, but was never as successful as Akutan. American Pacific operated seven "killer" boats: the Moran, Patterson, Aberdeen, Westport, Unimak, Kodiak and Tanginak.

Consolidated Whaling Corporation operated six or seven "killer" boats along the coast of British Columbia, first at Sechart and Kyoquot. These stations operated into the 1920s, after which Consolidated's boats then whaled from stations at Rose Harbor and Naden Harbor in the Queen Charlotte Islands.

These companies were probably the last full scale whaling operations in North America. Dwindling catches, rising labor costs and poor prices paid by their primary customer, Proctor and Gamble, contributed to the decline of the companies, but World War II was the final blow. During the war, the American boats were leased to the U.S. Coast Guard and Akutan was leased to the Navy, which turned it over to the Russians. When the Russians left, they dismantled and removed the station. After the war, American Pacific attempted to recover its losses from the Navy.

Physical/Technical Access: Records are stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Records are stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Arrangement: Arranged in 7 series:
  • Historical features
  • General correspondence
  • Legal records
  • Financial records
  • Ships logs
  • Catch records
  • Visual materials
No attempt was made in arranging the papers to separate materials of the three companies represented because of the interconnections among them. Some of the journals and ledgers begin as North Pacific and change to American Pacific in about 1926-1928. The correspondence is predominantly American Pacific, although there is a substantial interorganizational correspondence with Consolidated Whaling and a lesser amount of other correspondence of Consolidated. The financial records have been grouped by company. Some of the financial reports also contain statistics of whales caught.

Acquisition Info: Gift of William S. Lagen, Bellevue, July 1, 1974.

Processing Info: Merger of accession numbers 2292 (received July 1974 and November 26, 1974) and 2292-003.

In 1983 and 1984, several missing catch records were replaced with copies made by Stephen Leatherwood during his research. They were accessioned as 2292-003 and added to this accession Box 11. They are catch and production records for Sechart, Bay City, Naden Harbor, Rose Harbor, Kyuquot and Akutan stations, 1908-1923; not known if this is complete. In August 1984, the missing catch records were returned from an unknown source.

The Provincial Archives in Victoria B.C. has pilot house logs from Consolidated Whaling's Canadian stations. The last 6 pages from Consolidated Whaling Corp., Canadian Stations, 1925-39 catch records were found in Fisheries-Oceanography Library and returned to Manuscripts via National Marine Mammal Library, NOAA.

Processing Info: Photographs were relocated to the William S. Collection, PH Coll 412, on November 27, 1974.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box Accession
1 2292-001
Historical features
Scope and Content: Includes transcript of tape-recorded interview conducted by Lucile McDonald.
undated
General correspondence
Box Accession
1 2292-001
Miscellaneous
2 folders
1926-1939
1 2292-001
B
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Government -- miscellaneous
1933-1934
1 2292-001
H
1933-1934
1 2292-001
N
1933-1934
1 2292-001
O
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Railroad rates
1933-1934
1 2292-001
U
1933-1934
1 2292-001
V
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Wright, Jones & Bronson
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Whalers -- sale
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Payroll orders
1934
1 2292-001
Akutan wires
1934
1 2292-001
Akutan letters
1934
1 2292-001
Alaska Steamship Company
1934
1 2292-001
Ambergris
1933-1934
1 2292-001
Eivind Andersen & Company
1934
1 2292-001
1934
5 folders
1934
1 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp.
3 folders
1934
1 2292-001
George R. Donovan
1934
1 2292-001
F
1934
1 2292-001
Frango
1934
1 2292-001
Government -- Territory of Alaska
1934
1 2292-001
I
1934
1 2292-001
J
1934
1 2292-001
L
1934
1 2292-001
Lawson & Davis
1934
1 2292-001
M
1934
1 2292-001
David Geddes & Son -- miscellaneous
1934
1 2292-001
Port Hobron wires
1934
1 2292-001
Port Hobron letters
1934
1 2292-001
R
1934
1 2292-001
R.E. Robertson Juneau
1934
1 2292-001
Corwin S. Shank
1934
1 2292-001
S
1934
1 2292-001
William Schupp
1934
1 2292-001
T
1934
1 2292-001
W
1934
1 2292-001
The White House
1934
1 2292-001
Press clippings
1934
1 2292-001
Directors Meetings -- Wright, Jones & Bronson
1934
1 2292-001
Mc
1934-1935
1 2292-001
L
1935
1 2292-001
Lake Washington Shipyard
1935
1 2292-001
K
1935
1 2292-001
Reconstruction Finance -- Loan $300,000
1935
1 2292-001
R
1935
1 2292-001
R.E. Robertson
1935
1 2292-001
Port Hobron telegrams
1935
2 2292-001
O
1935
2 2292-001
Olympic Insurance Agency
1935
2 2292-001
N
1935
2 2292-001
Mc
1935
2 2292-001
Mackenroth
1935
2 2292-001
M
1935
2 2292-001
Machinery
Scope and Content: Includes brochures and one photo)
1935
2 2292-001
United States Government Signal Corps
1935
2 2292-001
G
1935
2 2292-001
Government -- miscellaneous
1935
2 2292-001
National Recovery Administration
1935
2 2292-001
H
1935
2 2292-001
I
1935
2 2292-001
Government Inspectors
1935
2 2292-001
J
1935
2 2292-001
Government -- Alaska
1935
2 2292-001
F
1935
2 2292-001
James Farrell & Company
1935
2 2292-001
E
1935
2 2292-001
Employment letters
1935
2 2292-001
D
1935
2 2292-001
George R. Donovan
1935
2 2292-001
C
1935
2 2292-001
George S. Bush & Company
1935
2 2292-001
Harry Bold & Company Lagen House
1935
2 2292-001
B
1935
2 2292-001
A
1935
2 2292-001
Addresses
1935
2 2292-001
Corwin S. Shank
1935
2 2292-001
Standard Oil Company
1935
2 2292-001
S
1935
2 2292-001
Wright, Jones & Bronson regarding: R.F.C. Loan
1935
2 2292-001
T
1935
2 2292-001
U
1935
2 2292-001
V
1935
2 2292-001
W
1935
2 2292-001
Wages, unions, etc.
1935
2 2292-001
Whalers repair
Scope and Content: Includes diagram
1935
2 2292-001
Wright, Jones & Bronson -- Directors' Meetings
2 folders
1935
2 2292-001
William Schupp
1935
2 2292-001
Wright, Jones & Bronson
1935
2 2292-001
P
1935
2 2292-001
Port Hobron letters
1935
2 2292-001
Whales -- Ovaries corpus luteum
1935-1937
2 2292-001
Buckerfield's Ltd., American Pacific Whaling Company -- bone meal
1937
2 2292-001
Canadian Industries Ltd., Consolidated Whaling Corp. Ltd. -- bone meal
1937
2 2292-001
J.W. Dunn & Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- bone meal
1937
2 2292-001
J.W. Dunn & Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- meal & blood
1937
2 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- American whale oil
1937
2 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- Canadian sperm
1937
2 2292-001
Scott & Peden, Consolidated -- meat & blood
1937
2 2292-001
James Farrell & Company -- offgrade whale oil
1937
2 2292-001
Chas. H. Lilly Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1937
2 2292-001
1937
1937
2 2292-001
Agner & Fredrickson -- sperm teeth
1937
2 2292-001
Balfour Guthrie & Company, Ltd., American Pacific Whaling Company -- bone meal
1937
2 2292-001
Balfour Guthrie & Company, Ltd., Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- meat & blood
1937
2 2292-001
Buckerfield's Ltd., Consolidated Whaling -- meat & blood
1937
2 2292-001
Free whale oil
2 folders
1937
2 2292-001
Eli Lilly -- corpus luteum
1937
2 2292-001
Magnolia Fertilizer Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1937
3 2292-001
Pacific Guano & Fertilizer, American Pacific Whaling Company -- whale meat & blood
1937
3 2292-001
Proctor & Gamble, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- #1 whale oil
1937
3 2292-001
Prospective sales: oil
1937
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith, American Pacific Whaling Company -- American sperm
1937
3 2292-001
Western Sun Fertilizer Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- whale meat & blood
1937
3 2292-001
Extra copies
4 folders
1937
3 2292-001
Western Sun Fertilizer Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp.
1937
3 2292-001
Miscellaneous general whale
2 folders
1937
3 2292-001
Miscellaneous
1937-1938
3 2292-001
Free whale oil
3 folders
1938
3 2292-001
Agner & Fredrickson, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- sperm whale teeth
1938
3 2292-001
Dell Thomas, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- sperm teeth
1938
3 2292-001
Ashcraft Wilkinson, American Pacific Whaling Company
1938
3 2292-001
Buckerfield's Ltd., Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- 50 tons meat & blood & 100 tons bone meal
1938
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp.. -- sperm oil
1938
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- sperm oil
1938
3 2292-001
Burns & Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- 50 tons bone meal
1938
3 2292-001
J. W. Dunn & Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- bone meal
1938
3 2292-001
Canadian Industries Ltd., Consolidated Whaling Corp.
1938
3 2292-001
Layton Cooperage Company -- Mt. iron drums
1938
3 2292-001
Magnolia Fertilizer Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1938
3 2292-001
Proctor & Gamble Company, Consolidated Whaling Corp.. -- whale oil
1938
3 2292-001
Scott & Peden, Consolidated Whaling Corp.. Ltd. -- 35 tons meat & blood, 5 tons bone meal, 15 tons meal & bone
1938
3 2292-001
Proctor & Gamble Company, American Pacific Whaling -- whale oil
1938
3 2292-001
Western Sun Fertilizer Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1938
3 2292-001
Whale teeth
1938
3 2292-001
Extra copies
1938
3 2292-001
Scott & Peden, American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company, American Pacific Whaling Company -- American sperm oil
1939
3 2292-001
Magnolia Fertilizer Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Marine By-Products Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Agner & Fredrickson
1939
3 2292-001
Ashcraft-Wilkinson, American Pacific Whaling Company -- meat & blood
1939
3 2292-001
Alaska Steamship Company -- contaminated sperm oil
1939
3 2292-001
Proctor & Gamble Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Prospective sales
1939
3 2292-001
Balfour, Guthrie & Company, American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Buckerfield's Ltd., American Pacific Whaling Company -- whale meat & blood
1939
3 2292-001
Canadian Industries Ltd., American Pacific Whaling Company
1939
3 2292-001
Miscellaneous general whale
1939
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- Whale oil with Proctor & Gamble Company
1939
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- Fertilizer & bone meal contracts
1940
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- #1 sperm oil contract
1940
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. Ltd. -- Whale oil sold, Werner G. Smith Company
1941
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company with American Pacific Whaling Company -- whale oil, sperm oil
1941
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company with Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- sperm oil
1941
3 2292-001
Canadian fertilizer & bone meal shipments
1941
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. Ltd., Proctor & Gamble of Canada Ltd. -- whale oil
1942
3 2292-001
Werner G. Smith Company Ltd., Consolidated Whaling Corp. -- sperm oil
1942
3 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp. Ltd. -- government
1942
3 2292-001
1942-48
1942-1948
3 2292-001
R.F.C. mortgage
1944-1951
3 2292-001
Claim of: American Pacific Whaling Company versus United States of America (Navy)
1946
Legal records
Box Accession
3 2292-001
Labor agreements -- American Pacific Whaling Company
1939, 1942
4 2292-001
Legal documents and exhibits
2 folders
1935-1952
Financial records
Box Accession
4 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company
Box Accession
4 2292-001
Financial reports
7 items
1919, 1943
4 2292-001
Accounts
1912
4 2292-001
Report and accounts
2 items
1937-1938
4 2292-001
Trial balances
2 items
1926, 1944
Consolidated Whaling Corp.
Box Accession
4 2292-001
Audit reports
5 items
1919-1923
4-5 2292-001
Financial reports
158 items
1919-1941
5 2292-001
General balances
6 items
1919-1921
5 2292-001
Report and accounts
7 items
1918-1942
5 2292-001
Preliminary statements
3 items
1927-1941
5 2292-001
Balance sheets
2 items
1933, 1945
Box Accession
5 2292-001
Victoria Whaling Company--accounts
1917
5 2292-001
Canadian Consolidated Underwriters--balance sheet
1929
5 2292-001
Western Insurance Agency--audit report
1918
5 2292-001
Seattle Insurance and Vessel Agency
Box Accession
5 2292-001
Balance sheets
3 items
1919-1921
5 2292-001
Financial reports
4 items
1928
Appraisals
Box Accession
5 2292-001
Consolidated Whaling Corp.
7 items
1928
5-6 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company
3 items
1928, 1934
Box Accession
6 2292-001
Inventories -- American Pacific Whaling Company
5 items
1929-1937
Sales journals
Box Accession
12 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company
1928-1939
package:oversize
57 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products
1913-1925
69 2292-001
American Pacific and North Pacific Sea products
1918-1940
Payrolls
Box Accession
12 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products
1918-1946
package:oversize
59 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products --Akutan
1926-1942
70 2292-001
American Pacific
2 ledgers
1937
71 2292-001
American Pacific and North Pacific Sea Products
1926-1940
Box Accession
13 2292-001
General journal vouchers--American Pacific Whaling Company
1929-1943
Ledgers
Box Accession
13 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products
1927-1934
package:oversize
63 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company
1935-1939
64 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Company
1929-1941
Stores issued
package:oversize Accession
65 2292-001
Port Hobron
1926-1937
66 2292-001
Akutan
1926-1939
Accounts received and Accounts Payable
package:oversize Accession
67 2292-001
American PacificWhaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products
1920-1932
68 2292-001
American PacificWhaling Company and North Pacific Sea Products
1934-1944
Ships logs
Aberdeen
Box Accession
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1923
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1923
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 July-October
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 October-November
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1928-1929
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 May-July
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 July-October
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 October
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1930 May-August
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1930 August-October
7 2292-001
Engine Room
1933
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1933
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 May-July
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 July-September
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1934 April-September
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 April-July
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 July-October
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1935
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1936
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1936
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 April-July
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-October
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1937
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 May-August
7 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 August-October
7 2292-001
Engineer's
1938
Westport
Box Accession
8 2292-001
Engineer's
1924
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1926
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1928
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 May-July
8 2292-001
Pilot house
2 items
1929 July-October
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1932 May-August
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1932 August-October
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 May-August
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 August-October
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1935
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1938
8 2292-001
Pilot house
undated
8 2292-001
Engineer's
undated
Kodiak
Box Accession
8 2292-001
Repair journal
1924-1925
8 2292-001
Engineer's
1928
8 2292-001
Engine Room
1929
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 May-July
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 August-October
8 2292-001
Engineer's
1930
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 April-July
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 July-October
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 May-July
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 August-October
8 2292-001
Engine Room
1937
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-October
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1937-1939
8 2292-001
Engineer's
1938
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 May-August
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 August-October
8 2292-001
Engineer's
1939
8 2292-001
Pilot house
1939 August-October
Tanginak
Box Accession
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1925-1926
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 August-November
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1927 August-October
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1927
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1928 July-October
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 May-August
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 May-July
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 July-September
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1935
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 April-July
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-August
Moran
Box Accession
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1927
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1929
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1934
9 2292-001
Engineer's (?)
1935
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 April-August
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 August-October
9 2292-001
Engineer's
1936
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 April-July
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 April-July
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-October
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 May-September
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 July-October
9 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 September-October
Box Accession
10 2292-001
Unimak
Box Accession
10 2292-001
Repair journal
1917
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1917 August-October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1923 September-November
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1924 May-June
10 2292-001
Repair Journal
circa 1925
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 May-August
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 August-November
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 May-August
10 2292-001
Engineer's
1929
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 August-October
10 2292-001
Engineer's
1934
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 May-July
10 2292-001
Engineer's
1935
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 July-October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 May-July
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 July-October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 October
10 2292-001
Engineer's
1937
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 May-July
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 May-August
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 August-October
10 2292-001
Pilot house
1938 October
11 2292-001
Paterson
Box Accession
11 2292-001
Work in port journal
1925
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 May-July
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 July-September
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1926 September-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1927 May-August
11 2292-001
Engineer's
1928
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1928 May-August
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1928 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1929 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1930
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1932 May-July
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1932 July-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1933 June-September
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1933 September
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1934 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1934-1935
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 May-August
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1935 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 May-August
11 2292-001
Engineer's
1936
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1936 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 April-July
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1937 July-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
1939 August-October
11 2292-001
Pilot house
? July-October
11 2292-001
Miscellaneous
Box Accession
11 2292-001
Elihu Thompson -- Port work
1920
11 2292-001
William Nottingham -- Pilot house
1926
11 2292-001
Akutan -- Radio message
1938-1939
11 2292-001
Timebook -- employees
1942
11 2292-001
Unidentified Whaler -- Pilot house
1920
11 2292-001
Port Hobron -- Doctor's
1927-1928
Catch records
package:oversize Accession
50 2292-001
All stations except Hobron
1918-1924
51 2292-001
All stations
1934 June -1939 October
box:oversize
52 2292-001
Naden Harbor, Rose Harbor, Kyuquot, Bay City, Port Hobron, Akutan
1924-1939
package:oversize
53 2292-001
Canadian stations only
1925-1943
54 2292-001
Rose Harbor, Naden Harbor, Port Hobron, Akutan, Kyuquot, Bay City
1920-1927
55 2292-001
Akutan, Port Hobron
1919-1939
56 2292-001
Canadian stations only
1936-1943
Box
11 2292-001
"Catch Book" selections
1 volume and 2 folders
Scope and Content: Originals and photocopies of selections from catch and production records for Sechart, Bay City, Naden Harbor, Rose Harbor, Kyuquot and Akutan.
1903-1923
11 2292-001
Catch records and telegrams
2 items
1937-1941
Visual materials
Blueprints
Ships
tube Accession
14 2292-001
Floating Whale Factory
undated
15 2292-001
Proposed conversion of T.S.S. Achilles to Whaling Factory
undated
16 2292-001
Motorship Ambassador
undated
Places
tube Accession
17-19 2292-001
Port Hobron Whaling Station
3 items
undated
20 2292-001
Akutan Whaling Station
undated
21 2292-001
Cottage at Akutan Station
undated
22 2292-001
Bay City Whaling Plant
undated
23-24 2292-001
American Pacific Whaling Plant at Bay City and map of Bay City
2 items
undated
Equipment
tube Accession
25 2292-001
Dryer
undated
26 2292-001
Boiler, marine boiler, boiler pipes, ice machine, steam gear, boiler settings
undated
27 2292-001
Lines of molded whaler
undated
28 2292-001
Tank foundations, fuel oil systems, bone boiler, bone grinder, refrigerator foundation, disintegrator and revolving screen
undated
29 2292-001
Akutan Station -- boiler, 45 feet dryer, ice machine, layout for fuel oil tanks
undated
30 2292-001
Tank foundation, boiler setting, piping layout for oil tanks, boiler pipes, bone pressure tanks, blubber knife door, door frame, charging cover and door ring bar bone boiler
undated
31 2292-001
Bone boiler, hook, concrete uptube dryer, boiler pipes, meat and bone tank, steam pipes
undated
32 2292-001
Cold storage building, 16 man bunkhouse, meat cooler
undated
33 2292-001
Oil fuel tank, fuel oil system
undated
34 2292-001
Three cylinder dryer, foundation for three cylinder dryer, general arrangement of new tankage picker
undated
Drawings
Equipment
tube Accession
35 2292-001
Standard Tank Bucket, Oil Storage Boiler, Plan of Plant, Boiler Setting
undated
36 2292-001
Akutan Station -- Boiler, 45 ft. Dryer & Misc.
undated
37 2292-001
Hook, Whaling Gun, Harpoon
undated
38 2292-001
Wharf, Bone Tanks
undated
39 2292-001
Water Gauge Line, Bone Boiler, Tank Foundation, Blubber Knife, Oil Fuel Tank
40 2292-001
Water Service Piping, Tail Pieces, Meat & Bone Tank Steam Pipes, Boiler Pipe, Blubber Knife, Gun Mount
Places
tube Accession
41-42 2292-001
Port Hobron Station
2 items
undated
43 2292-001
Akutan Whaling Station
undated
44 2292-001
Bay City Whaling Plant
45 2292-001
Floating Whale Factory
tube Accession
46-48 2292-001
Property maps: American Pacific Whaling Plant at Bay City, Washington
3 items
undated

Accession No. 2292-002: William S. Lagen interview, 1974Return to Top

.04 cubic feet (1 audiocassette)

Scope and Content: Tape-recorded interview conducted by Richard C. Berner, November 26, 1974.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Gift of William S. Lagen, November 26, 1974

Accession No. 2292-004: William S. Lagen microfilmed catch records, 1919-1943Return to Top

.48 cubic feet (4 reels negative microfilm)

Scope and Content: Microfilm of selected catch records, 1919-1943.

Contents of microfilms: North Pacific Sea Products, American Pacific Whaling Company and Consolidated Whaling Corporation; stations at Akutan, Port Hobron, Bay City, Kyuquot, Rose Harbor, Naden Harbor, 1924-1939; Consolidated Whaling Corporation: Canadian stations, 1925-1943; American Pacific Whaling Company and Consolidated Whaling corporation: Canadian stations, 1936-1943.

Restrictions on Access: Presume open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Filmed from originals in University of Washington Libraries given by William S. Lagen, July 7, 1974, November 1, 1974 and August 16, 1984.

Processing Info: Merger of Accession Nos. 2292-004 (William Lagen, July 7 and November 1, 1974) and 2292-006 (William Lagen, August 16, 1984).

Positive microfilm copies are available in Accession No. 2292-009.

Accession No. 2292-005: Negatives from William S. Lagen record books, 1924-1939Return to Top

3 negatives

Scope and Content: Photo negatives, 1924-1939.

Negatives of three individual pages from log books and catch record in Accession No. 2292-001.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Photographed from originals in University of Washington Libraries given by William S. Lagen, July and November 1974.

Accession No. 2292-007: William S. Lagen family papers, 1894-1998Return to Top

5.67 cubic feet (14 boxes)

Scope and Content: Correspondence, diaries, memorabilia, photographs, publications and other items about whaling, and related materials of the Schupp and Lagen families and their business interests; circa 1894-1998.

The papers include correspondence, in German, and photographs of Lagen's maternal antecedents (Lagen's mother's parents and maternal grandparents, in German); materials from his paternal side, as well as correspondence of both his parents. Correspondence and photographs date from the 1890s. Business records from the Schupp businesses (insurance, Pawling Manor, and the American Whaling Company) date from the early 1900s. Includes photographs of family life in the 1920s and 1930s, mostly from the Seattle-Bellevue area, but also from the Port Hobron whaling station in Alaska from the mid-1930s. Also includes memorabilia from Lagen's childhood, from his years at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and from his years as an officer in the United States Navy; records from Trident Foods, a business venture in Akutan, Alaska; records from Meydenbauer Bay Marina, built by Lagen's mother and stepfather, and enlarged by Lagen; blueprints, maps and navigational charts. Includes some papers and memorabilia from Lagen's years on Bellevue's city council and other civic activities.

Major figures in this accession include Lagen's maternal grandparents, Emily Victoria (Kugler) Schupp (1868-1922) and William Schupp (1864-1948), his mother Emily (Schupp) Lagen (later Grill; also stage name as dancer "Lada") (1889-1964), and his father Marc Aloysius Lagen (1882-1946).

Other Descriptive Information

General Notes:

  • Grandmother: Emily Victoria Kugler, born in Michigan, May 24, maybe 1868 . She and William Schupp had three children, two daughters and one son; only Emily survived babyhood, and she had a terrible bout with diphtheria. Beginning in 1901, she took daughter Emily to Europe for two very extended trips, and attended university courses as they traveled. Later, traveled with her daughter Emily (who was dancing on concert stages as "Lada") until her death in 1922. Included in the collection is her scrapbook from her early home in Saginaw, with camping at "The Point" on Lake Superior, and hunts at a hunting camp in northern Michigan.
  • Grandfather: William Schupp, born in Saginaw, Michigan, February 22, 1864. Married Emily V. Kugler in Michigan; after a rough start, made a fortune in the insurance business, then bought Pawling Manor Farm in New York State. He bought two whaling companies, the Canadian Whaling Company (out of Vancouver, Canada) and the American Whaling Company, which he moved from Westport, Washington to Meydenbauer Bay, Bellevue, Washington. (The two companies, in accordance with the law at that time, remained completely separate.) He kept an office in the Smith Tower until the depression, at which time he moved his office to his home on Meydenbauer Bay. The home was on property which now houses the condominiums behind the Meydenbauer Bay Marina. When Lagen planned to build the condos, he bought the lot to the north, sold the small frame house to a man who barged the house over to Vashon Island and reestablished it there. Lagen then moved his grandfather's estate house to the north lot and established it as the basis of his home. The original whaling dock can easily be seen today as the center of the Meydenbauer Bay Marina (sold to the city of Bellevue in 1998). Schupp died in Bellevue in 1948.
  • Mother: Emily Schupp (later Lagen, later Grill). Daughter of William Schupp and Emily Kugler Schupp, born May 24, 1889. Educated in Europe while traveling with her mother, then at a boarding academy in Washington D. C. Performed for about 10 years as "Lada", interpretive dancer, on concert stages all over the United States. She was the first woman in New York State to receive a driver's license. Married her manager Marc Lagen on July 7, 1922; their only child, William, was born in July 1923. After the deaths of her husband and father, she remarried in 1950 to William Grill, who had been the family lawyer. Died in Bellevue, 1964.
  • Father: Marc Aloysius Lagen, born in Dubuque, Iowa, July 11, 1882, the 7th of 9 brothers (one did not survive infancy). During World WarI, he was a commissioned officer with the Reconnaissance Balloons, serving in France. Shortly before the war, and afterwards, he was a theatrical manager, and was "Lada's" manager. After his marriage to Emily, and the birth of their son, the family moved to Seattle, where Marc became the manager of his father-in-law's business. During World War II, he continued to manage the business and worked with the Coast Guard, which had taken over the whaling boats as coast guard defense boats. They were returned after the war, in very poor shape, and were eventually sold for scrap. Lagen was a founding member of the Meydenbauer Bay Yacht Club. He continued to try to re-activate the whaling industry until his sudden death in 1946 from a heart attack.
  • Other people referenced in collection:
    • Dorothy Kugler (Mrs. Henry Nesbitt, also called "Dodo"): favorite sister of Emily Kugler Schupp, later Executive Assistant to Eleanor Roosevelt during White House years. Collection includes some White House memorabilia.
    • Elsie Schupp Kugler (William Schupp's sister, then married to Emily's brother): Her daughter Elsie was married to Gano Fotheringham; their daughter, also Elsie was Lagen's cousin, died in late 1940s of polio.
    • Henry Schupp (William Schupp's brother): William always employed Henry during his lifetime and generally took care of him. Henry managed the Fort Hobron whaling station until Marc Lagen took over.
    • Johanna Rieche (later Olsen, later Uran): Emigrated from Germany as teenager; she and her brother Karl were both employed by William Schupp; Karl as gardener and baker, Johanna as his Secretary. Both lived on the estate with Schupp. Johanna took William S. Lagen to Germany in 1936 for the Winter Olympics. She was very athletic and took Lagen on all sorts of skating, mountain climbing, and skiing outings. During the 1920s, Rieche won annual "Walk around Lake Washington" so many times that she retired the trophy. She also established a record for the shortest time to climb Mount Rainier, a record which Lagen believes still stands, as of July, 2001.
    • Stanley and Elsa Griffiths: Stanley was the son of Captain James Griffiths, owner of the Sueja, a yacht built by famed nautical designer Ted Geary. The Marc Lagens spent a great deal of time with them on the yacht and at their farm on Whidbey Island.
    • Various Whaling Station personnel (identified as remembered by Lagen with photographs)

Restrictions on Access: Minimally processed accession. Access by permission of curator only. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Gift of William S. Lagen, August 16, 2001.

Processing Info: Processed by Carolyn S. McClurkan, C. A., January-August, 2001

The box numbering in this accession (Boxes 1-14) is continued in Accession No. 2292-008 (Boxes 15-22).

Accession No. 2292-008: William S. Lagen papers and oral history interview and other materials, 1940-2002Return to Top

3.00 cubic feet (8 boxes)

Scope and Content: Business records of William S. Lagen in Akutan, Alaska and in the Seattle area, family letters and photographs, and oral history interview; 1940-2002.

The oral history interview was conducted by Carolyn S. McClurkan on April 10, 2002. This accession includes the audiotape masters and a 62 page transcript of the interview.

Restrictions on Access: Minimally processed accession. Access by permission of curator only. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Gift of William S. Lagen, June 5, 2002.

Processing Info: Minimally processed by Carolyn S. McClurkan.

The box numbering in this accession (Boxes 15-22) continues the sequence started in accession 2292-007 (Boxes 1-14).

Accession No. 2292-009: William S. Lagen microfilmed catch records, 1919-1943Return to Top

.48 cubic feet (4 positive microfilm reels)

Scope and Content: Microfilm of selected catch records; 1924-1943.

Content of microfilms--Reels 1-3: North Pacific Sea Products, American Pacific Whaling Company and Consolidated Whaling Corporation; stations at Akutan, Port Hobron, Bay City, Kyuquot, Rose Harbor, Naden Harbor, 1924-1939. Content of Reel 4: Stations at Rose Harbor, Naden Harbor, Port Hobron, Akutan, Kyuquot, Bay City, 1919-1939.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Friends of the Library grant, March 24, 2003.

Processing Info: Merger of Accession Nos. 2292-009 and 2292-010.

Positive microfilm created by Preservation Resources from the original negative microfilm reels that form accession # 2292-004.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Whaling--Pacific Ocean

Personal Names

  • Lagen, William S.--Archives
  • Lagen, William S.--Interviews

Corporate Names

  • American Pacific Whaling Co.--Records and correspondence
  • Consolidated Whaling Corporation--Records and correspondence
  • North Pacific Sea Products Co.--Records and correspondence

Geographical Names

  • Meydenbauer Bay (Wash.)

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Personal Papers/Corporate Records (University of Washington)