Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Alaska Livestock and Trading Company records, 1927-1977
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Alaska Livestock and Trading Company
- Title
- Alaska Livestock and Trading Company records
- Dates
- 1927-1977 (inclusive)19271977
- Quantity
- 7.62 cubic feet, (6 paige cartons; 2 legal document cases; 1 card file box (12x3x5); 1 flat box (11x14))
- Collection Number
- Mss 2385
- Summary
- Correspondence and records of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, which operated a sheep and cattle ranch on Unalaska Island, Alaska. The company had previously been the Western Pacific Livestock Company before Roy T. Bishop (1881-1950) of Portland, Oregon, purchased a controlling share in 1936 at the behest of the Western Pacific Livestock Company's founder, Dr. Adam C. Smith. After Roy T. Bishop's death, the company was managed by his sons Thomas B. Bishop and William H. Bishop until the 1970s.
- Repository
-
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
In 1936, Dr. Adam C. Smith (1856-1943), a physician in Portland, Oregon, approached Roy T. Bishop (1881-1950), president of the Oregon Worsted Company. Smith suggested that Bishop purchase a controlling share in the Western Pacific Livestock Company, a sheep-ranching enterprise in Alaska that Smith had founded. The enterprise had fallen on hard times and was in receivership. Bishop followed Smith's advice and purchased 51% ownership of the firm, which he renamed the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company. The Alaska Livestock and Trading Company operated a ranch at Chernofski Harbor on Unalaska Island, Alaska, that raised sheep and cattle. After Roy T. Bishop died, his sons Thomas B. Bishop (1915-1981) and William H. Bishop (1922-) operated the business. The company was liquidated during a period from 1965 to 1977.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The collection consists of the correspondence and records of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, which was based in Portland, Oregon, and operated a sheep and cattle ranch on Unalaska Island, Alaska. Correspondence includes letters to and from legal counsel James Cole and ranchers H. D. Catron, Arthur J. Harris, Jack Handley, Milton Holmes, and W. A. McLaughlin. Additional correspondence pertains to topics such as legislation about a mail boat service, radio installations on Unalaska, and the company's fishing vessel, "Maud." Records include financial documents, work reports, inventories, and documents relating to boats and equipment. Memorabilia and ephemera include historical data about the company and wool samples. Photographs primarily consist of prints and negatives depicting the ranch on Unalaska and its operations. Some materials in the collection predate the incorporation of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, and may relate to its predecessor firm, the Western Pacific Livestock Company.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.
Preferred Citation
Alaska Livestock and Trading Company records, Mss 2385, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
Collection is arranged in three series: Series 1. Correspondence and related records; Series 2. Business records; Series 3. Photographs, ephemera, and memorabilia.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Series 1: Correspondence and related records, 1936-1975Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
Subseries 1: Correspondence by individual's surname |
1936-1974 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1-4 | Correspondence with I. M. C. Anderson and related records |
1957-1974 |
| 1 | 5 | Correspondence with Dick Browning |
1958-1961 |
| 1 | 6-11 | Correspondence with H. D. Catron |
1943-1949 |
| 1 | 12-37 | Correspondence with James Cole |
1936-1960 |
| 1 | 38-39 | Correspondence with and about John Dushkin and Lavera Dushkin |
1954-1965 |
| 1 | 40-42 | Correspondence with Carlyle C. Eubank, president of Aleutian Livestock Company, and related records |
1936-1940 |
| 2 | 1 | Correspondence with and about Jack L. Graham |
1949-1952 |
| 2 | 2 | Correspondence with Donald Green |
1940-1943 |
| 2 | 3-7 | Correspondence with Arthur J. Harris |
1936-1940 |
| 2 | 8-14 | Correspondence with and about Jack Hanley |
1951-1960 |
| 2 | 15-24 | Correspondence with Milton Holmes and Beverly Holmes |
1950-1972 |
| 2 | 25 | Correspondence with and about Frank Irick |
1951-1952 |
| 2 | 26-28 | Correspondence with E. M. Johnson and Judy Johnson |
1951-1958 |
| 3 | 1 | Correspondence with Ed Kimbrell, president of Lawrence-Kimbrell Transportation, Inc., and related records |
1955-1963 |
| 3 | 2-4 | Correspondence with William A. McLaughlin and Millie McLaughlin |
1957-1965 |
| 3 | 5 | Correspondence with Richard L. McRoberts |
1962 |
| 3 | 6 | Correspondence with Jesse Masters and Brenda Masters |
1959 |
| 3 | 7 | Correspondence with J. Roland Parker |
1952-1956 |
| 3 | 8 | Correspondence with Charles H. Platt |
1956-1957 |
| 3 | 9 | Correspondence with Frank E. Richmond |
1952-1953 |
| 3 | 10 | Correspondence with Verne Robinson |
1952-1963 |
| 3 | 11 | Correspondence with Clinton E. Specht |
1960 |
| 3 | 12 | Correspondence with Don C. Wright |
1958-1962 |
Subseries 2: Correspondence by name of business or agency |
1937-1964 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 13 | Correspondence with Alaska Steamship Company and related schedules |
1937-1941; 1956-1957 |
| 3 | 14 | Correspondence with Aleutian Marine Transport |
1954-1963 |
| 3 | 15 | Correspondence with banks |
1964 |
| 3 | 16 | Correspondence with Barnett, Sedig & Co. |
1951-1959 |
| 3 | 17 | Correspondence with Northern Commercial Company |
1950-1957 |
| 3 | 18 | Correspondence with Northern Electric Company about radio station |
1953-1964 |
| 3 | 19 | Correspondence with Reeve Aleutian Airways |
1952-1964 |
| 3 | 20 | Correspondence with Umnak Company |
1956-1962 |
| 3 | 21 | Correspondence with U.S. Army Corps of Engineers district engineer about property lease and sale of surplus |
1951-1952 |
| 3 | 22 | Correspondence with U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management |
1951-1964 |
| 3 | 23 | Correspondence with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service about fox control |
1957-1958 |
Subseries 3: Correspondence by subject |
1936-1975 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 24-26 | Correspondence and related records about fishing vessel "Maud" |
1962-1969 |
| 3 | 27 | Correspondence about light at Cutter Point, Chernofski Harbor |
1961-1964 |
| 3 | 28-30 | Correspondence about mail boat service proposals and legislation |
1948-1964 |
| 3 | 31 | Correspondence about marine lifts and boats |
1957-1960 |
| 3 | 32 | Correspondence and inquiries about mutton canning |
1938 |
| 3 | 33 | Correspondence and related records about radio station in Chernofski, Alaska |
1940-1947 |
| 3 | 34 | Correspondence about ranch radio equipment |
1952-1954 |
| 3 | 35 | Correspondence about slaughterhouse |
1963-1965 |
| 3 | 36 | Correspondence and inquiries about sheep pellets |
1956-1957 |
| 3 | 37-38 | Correspondence about shipping and supplies |
1944-1949 |
| 4 | 1-2 | Correspondence about shipping and supplies |
1950-1963 |
| 4 | 3-19 | Miscellaneous correspondence |
1936-1975 |
Series 2: Business records, 1927-1977Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
Subseries 1: General records |
1927-1975 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 4 | 20 | Applications for employment on the ranch |
1956-1962 |
| 4 | 21-23 | Corporate records |
1936-1975 |
| 4 | 24 | Court records, Alaska Livestock and Trading Company v. Aleutian Marine Transport, Inc. |
1962 |
| 4 | 25 | Climatological data for Alaska |
1934-1937 |
| 4 | 26-28 | Legal records including agreement resolutions, leases, and articles of incorporation |
1927-1957 |
| 4 | 29 | Legislation authorizing the postmaster general to contract a boat for mail service in Alaska |
1959 |
| 4 | 30 | Maps of ranch and Alaska |
undated |
| 4 | 31 | Regulations and information about livestock and produce |
1951-1957 |
| 4 | 32 | Regulations |
1928-1960 |
| 4 | 33 | Records of Roy T. Bishop's visit to Alaska ranch |
1944 |
| 4 | 34 | Records of Thomas B. Bishop's visits to Alaska ranch |
1951; 1953 |
| 4 | 35 | Wool incentive program records |
1955-1964 |
Subseries 2: Equipment and supplies |
1932-1966 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 5 | 1 | Equipment catalogs and rate lists |
1957-1963; undated |
| 5 | 2-3 | Equipment and supply catalogs and brochures |
1957-1964; undated |
| 5 | 4 | Notes and information on equipment |
1958; undated |
| 5 | 5 | Electric power generators |
1951-1957 |
| 5 | 6 | Diesel marine engine from Lister Blackstone Marine Limited |
1957 |
| 5 | 7 | Gasoline engine parts from Fairbanks, Morse & Co. |
1951-1962 |
| 5 | 8 | Pacific Stove and Foundry Co. products and price lists |
1960 |
| 5 | 9 | Information on universal marine engines |
1965-1961 |
| 5 | 10 | Inventories |
1932; 1940-1966 |
| 5 | 11 | Supply orders |
1936-1940 |
Subseries 3: Financial records |
1936-1977 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 5 | 12-69 | Accounts payable |
1951-1960 |
| 5 | 70 | Cash book |
1957; 1960-1961 |
| 10 | 1-3 | Cash ledgers |
1950-1964 |
| 5 | 71-73 | Insurance and workers' compensation records |
1950-1964 |
| 5 | 74 | Disbursements |
1965-1975 |
| 5 | 75 | Liquidation figures |
1965-1977 |
| 5 | 76-79 | Financial reports and statements |
1936-1958 |
| 6 | 1-2 | Financial reports and statements |
1958-1975 |
| 6 | 3 | Sale contracts and receipts |
1936; 1957; 1964 |
| 6 | 4-7 | Tax records |
1951-1975 |
| 6 | 8 | Vouchers |
undated |
| 6 | 9-48 | Vouchers |
1937-1963 |
| 6 | 49 | Vouchers |
1964; 1969 |
| 6 | 50 | Financial worksheets |
1950-1961 |
Subseries 5: Reports |
1937-1974 | ||
| Box | Folder | ||
| 6 | 51 | Cattle and sheep reports |
1971 |
| 6 | 52 | Chernofski Harbor and Unalaska Island operations reports |
1941; undated |
| 6 | 53 | Grazing reports for U.S. Bureau of Land Management |
1950-1964 |
| 6 | 54 | Alaska predator and rodent control reports |
1958-1962 |
| 6 | 55 | Sheep, cattle, and wool reports |
1937-1964 |
| 6 | 56 | Soil analysis of Unalaska Island |
1945-1952 |
| 6 | 57 | Work reports |
1939-1949 |
| 7 | 1-5 | Work reports |
1950-1974 |
Series 3: Photographs, ephemera, and memorabilia, 1936-1969Return to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 7 | 6 | Copies of The Alaska Farmer and other publications |
1951-1953; 1958 |
| 7 | 7 | Historical information and articles about Alaska Livestock and Trading Company |
1945-1952 |
| 7 | 8 | Newspaper clippings |
1936-1965 |
| 7 | 9 | Wool samples |
1960 |
| 8 | 1-2 | Photographs, boats and equipment |
1941-1966 |
| 8 | 3-5 | Photographs, livestock and buildings |
1944-1969 |
| 8 | 6-7 | Photographs, people and scenery |
1937-1964 |
| 9 | Panoramic photograph of Unalaska |
1937 | |
| Folder | |||
| 8 | 8 | Postcards |
1937; undated |
| 8 | 9 | Black and white negatives |
undated |
| 8 | 10 | Color negatives |
undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Livestock--Alaska
- Ranching--Alaska
- Sheep farming--Alaska
Personal Names
- Bishop, Roy T., 1881-1950
- Bishop, Thomas B. (Thomas Bur), 1915-1981
- Bishop, William H. (William Henry), 1922-
Corporate Names
- Alaska Livestock and Trading Company
Form or Genre Terms
- administrative records
- correspondence
- financial records
