Washington State University Libraries, Manuscripts, Archives and Special Collections
PC 159
North Pacific Grain Growers Photographs
1918-1982
2 Linear feet of shelf space
4 boxes
Approximately 1000 photographs
The North Pacific Grain Growers Company (NPGG) came into existence as a regional cooperative in late 1929 in Lewiston, ID, and organized as a company in April of 1930 in Spokane, WA. In 1938 the NPGG moved its headquarters to Portland, OR, where it would remain until 1983, when it merged with the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association to become the Harvest States Cooperatives. The collection consists of three very separate sets of materials: a scrapbook theorized to have originally been created by some sort of government agency; loose photographs primarily relate to the business of the North Pacific Grain Growers Company; and NPGG records, almost all of which relate to the ownership and operation of the NPGG's Spokane grain terminal.
Collection materials are inEnglish
The North Pacific Grain Growers Company (NPGG) came into existence as a regional cooperative in late 1929 in Lewiston, ID, and organized as a company in April of 1930 in Spokane, WA. Following the stock market crash of 1929, agricultural prices plummeted to the point that farmers would be selling their crops at a loss. To prevent the collapse of the U.S. agricultural system, the Federal Farm Board's Grain Stabilization Corporation arranged loans for farmers. The NPGCC was created to handle initial loans of $3,500,000 for northwest farmers. Following that crisis, it remained in existence as a cooperative for the benefit of regional farmers. In 1938 the NPGG moved its headquarters to Portland, OR, where it would remain until 1983, when it merged with the Farmers Union Grain Terminal Association to become the Harvest States Cooperatives. In turn, that was merged into Cenex in 1998.
Grain elevators are towers which use (usually) bucket elevators or pneumatic conveyors to move grain from near-ground levels into a silo. The technology was developed in the 1840s, and allowed grain to be transported in bulk in vehicles rather than having to be bagged. Most small eastern Washington communities had their own grain elevators, usually located alongside railways ort rovers. The elevators in the scrapbook in this collection were photographed in 1918-1919, and most no longer exist due to improvements in agricultural technology, the natural decay of what were primarily wooden buildings, and changes in transportation capabilities. The river-based elevators in the loose photographs portion of the collection are mostly still in existence.
The collection consists of three very separate sets of materials. There is one 104 page scrapbook containing approximately 356 black-and-white photographs, most about 3.5" x 5.5" in size. A few are 7.5" x 9.5". Most photographs are both captioned and dated; all dates are in the 1918-1919 range, excepting a dozen or so 1925 photos. Based solely on descriptions of images, we theorize this scrapbook to have originally been created by some sort of government agency, though which one is unclear.
The other, loose, photographs primarily relate to the business of the North Pacific Grain Growers Company, and most focus on grain terminals built or run by them on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. These frequently lack identifiers and dates.
Finally, 1/4 linear feet of space is NPGG records, almost all of which relate to the ownership and operation of the NPGG's Spokane grain terminal.
Also present are two CDs containing 96dpi jpeg image scans from the scrapbook and the loose items, created by the donor.
The scrapbook is maintained in the order it was received in. Following that are the loose photographs, reorganized alphabetically in a subject-based order. One oversized mounted photo is located with the scrapbook solely due to size considerations. Following the photographs are the NPGG records.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply.
[Item Description]
North Pacific Grain Growers Photographs, 1918-1982 (PC 159)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections,
Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
The materials in this collection were donated to the Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC) on March 10, 2015 by Ed Hoffman of Clarkston, WA. Mr. Hoffman says this and other scrapbooks were in the possession of the North Pacific Grain Growers Company of Portland, OR, when that company was bought out circa 1983, at which point they were thrown away by the company and rescued by him. As the North Pacific Grain Growers only date to 1930, the scrapbook photos clearly predate the company, but their origins and how the company acquired them are both unknown. The materials were accessioned as UPC 2015-05.
This collection was processed by University Archivist Mark O’English in July and September of 2015.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
North Pacific Grain Growers.
North Pacific Grain Growers.
Grain -- Northwest, Pacific
Grain trade -- Northwest, Pacific
Agriculture
Businesses and Corporations
Washington (State)
Oregon
Series I: Grain Elevator Photographs Scrapbook, 1918-1925 (356 photos)
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1
All of the scrapbook photographs deal with the wheat industry in some form or another, and most deal with grain elevators of various types. Elevators present can be found in Washington state cities of Almira, Alstown, Batum, Bluestem, Cheney, Colville, Connell, Coulee City, Creston, Cunningham, Curry Siding, Davenport, Ditman, Dixie, Douglas, Edwall, Ewan, Farmington, Frischneckt, Govan, Gravalles, Hammer, Hanson, Harrington, Hartline, Hatton, Hay, Hunts Ferry, Irby, Krupp, LaCrosse, Latah, Lavista, Lind, Manito, Mansfield, Marcellus, Molson, Mondovia, Moody, Negel, Oakesdale, Odessa, Paha, Pasco, Pickard, Pine City, Plaza, Pomeroy, Prescott, Pullman, Ralston, Reardon, Ritzville, Rock Island, Rockford, Rocklyn, Rosalia, Ruff, Seabury, Seiler, Spangle, Sprague, St. John, Steptoe, Stratford, Tekoa, Thornton, Tokio, Tonasket, Touhey, Uniontown, Walla Walla, Waterville, Wenatchee, Wheeler, Wilbur, Wilson Creek, and Withrow. One Astoria, OR image is also present.
Some of the other topics and/or locations include: Schooner Forest Home, transporting wheat from Melbourne to Portland. A 1918 Advance Rumely and some wheat testing, all from Ohio. Smut fans, smut dust, a smut explosion, and an Aultman-Taylor 32, all taken near Vollmer, ID. A 1917 New Racine. A Port Huron experimental smut separator. A Russell experimental separator. A Nichols and Shepard experimental thresher. Wheat samples from various combines, with fan on and fan off. Various threshers destroyed in fires and explosions, as well as various harvesting photos (mostly in Nez Perce and Latah Counties, ID). Stacks of wheat in Portland, OR docks. A Bates Laboratory Aspirator (dated 1925; these photos are the only ones present outside 1918-1919). Threshers, a transfer bin, and a grain elevator. from California (Salinas, Paso Robles, Dixon, and Livermore).
The initials or names of the individual photographers are present on many of the individual photographs. These include R.L. Baldwin, E.N. Bates, P.J. Bollman, Paul E. Brady, J.H.C., R.T.C., V. Fitzimons, W.L. Frank, B.I. Lockwood, E.L. Ludwick, J.R. Nevius, F.E. Price, C.C. Ruth, G.J.S., C.M. Sly, M.K. Snyder, P.B. Sweeney, Prof. W.R. White, R.C. William.
Series II: Loose Images, ca. 1961-1981 (600 photos)
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Oversized mounted photograph: First Grain Loading from North Pacific Grain Growers' Port of Kalama Elevator to M.S. Taichung, July 17, 1962. (1 photo)
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3
Barge construction, ca. 1979 (11 photos)
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4
Barge launching, 1979 (6 photos)
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5
Exchanges (5 photos)
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6
Grain silos and terminals, misc. northwest (39 photos)
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7
Grains and food products (10 photos)
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8
Groups and individuals (27 photos)
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9
Irrigation (15 photos)
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10
Kalama grain terminal (76 photos)
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11
Kalama grain terminal - plans and reception, ca. 1961 (30 photos)
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12
Kennewick grain terminal (35 photos)
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13
Kennewick grain terminal - hoist accident, 1975 (7 photos)
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14
Kennewick grain terminal - hoist accident, undated (8 photos)
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15
Kennewick grain terminal, wind damage, 1972 (3 photos)
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16
Kitchens - historic simulations (4 photos)
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17
Lewiston grain terminal (1 photos)
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18
Longview grain terminal (8 photos)
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19
Midwest - grain silos and other images (24 photos)
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20
NPGG office (110 photos)
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21
Offices, historic (Portland, not NPGG) (4 photos)
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22
Portland (7 photos)
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23
Railroad cars (3 photos)
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24
Ships/shipping – historic (4 photos)
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25
Spokane grain terminal (4 photos)
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26
Tillamook blimp hangar (10 photos)
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27
Tomlinson's Dairy (SE Washington tour) (29 photos)
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28
Trips to Japan (25 photos)
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29
Vancouver (WA) grain terminal (2 photos)
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30
Wheat / Fields / Harvesting (100 photos)
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31
Partial listing of photographs (2 pages)
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32
CDs (donor created) of photographs, 2015 (2 CDs)
Series III: NPGG Records, ca. 1938-1982
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33-36
Spokane Elevator records: leases, budgets, maintenance, contracts, payments. 1938-1963
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37
NPGG, misc. paperwork, 1977-1982