Archives West Finding Aid

Allan Yost was an employee of the American Mail Line between 1931 and 1936. Yost acquired many of the materials in this collection through correspondence with employees of each company and by visiting offices when companies went out of business.

The companies represented in this collection provided mail, shipping, and passenger services, first along the American west coast, and later between the west coast and Asia--and around the world. Goodall, Nelson, and Perkins was organized as a steamship shipping company in the 1860s. The company reorganized in 1876 as the Pacific Coast Steamship Company. In 1916, Pacific Coast Steamship Company merged with the Pacific Alaska Navigation Company to form the Pacific Steamship Company.

The American Mail Line was formed when the Dollar Shipping Company, known commonly as the Dollar Line, acquired the Pacific Mail Steamship Company and renamed it the American Mail Line. American Mail Line officially merged with American President Line in the 1950s; however, it continued to operate under its original name until it was completely consolidated with American President Line in 1973.

Beginning in 1958, American President Line began using containerization, a shipping method that became increasingly more common and profitable. American President Line provided its final passenger service in 1973, although its shipping business continued to grow.