View XML QR Code

Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks, 1918-1950

Overview of the Collection

Title
Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks
Dates
1918-1950 (inclusive)
Quantity
1.25 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0070swalogbooks (collection)
Summary
The Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks, spanning the period 1918-1950, document the daily work accomplished by various fishing crews working for canneries in Alaska.
Repository
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu
Access Restrictions

The collection is open to the public.

Languages
English.
Sponsor
Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Historical Note

The Squaw Harbor Cannery was located on Unga Island, one of the islands that composes the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. It was one of the canneries acquired by Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) in 1917 when demand for salmon increased during World War I.

Henry Loofs, who worked for the Alitak Cannery, maintained a 1941 logbook of fishing activities around Olga Bay, near Kodiak Island. Alitak Cannery was also purchased by PAF in 1935. The Petersburg Cannery was located on Mitkof Island south of Juneau and was also purchased in 1935 by PAF.

Return to Top

Content Description

The Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks, spanning 1918-1950, document the daily work accomplished by various fishing crews working for canneries in Alaska. The Squaw Harbor Logbooks span from 1918 to 1929, although two years are missing. The logbooks discuss ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather. Usually the logbooks begin in late February or late March and end in September.

Other logbooks include an unidentified journal from 1932, and logbooks documenting fishing activities at Olga Bay and Petersburg. The unidentified journal contains a small number of notations regarding supplies and fishing, and a brief log of a car trip from the West coast to the Midwest. The Olga Bay Logbook from 1941 was kept by Henry Loofs who worked for the Alitak Cannery. Like the Squaw Harbor Logbooks, it contains information regarding ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather. The Petersburg Logbook from 1950 also contains information regarding ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I: Squaw Harbor Logbooks and Journals, 1918-1929
  • Series II: Other Logbooks and Journals, 1932-1950

Custodial History

Galen Biery donated the logbooks to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

Processing Note

About Harmful Language and Content

To learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Canneries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Cod Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Cod Fishing -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon Fishing -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
  • Salmon canning industry -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.

Corporate Names

  • Pacific American Fisheries, Inc.

Geographical Names

  • Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Loofs, Henry.

Finding aid prepared by Rainbow Koehl
2006

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...