Toivo Ranta worked as a commercial fisherman from the 1930s through the 1950s. Ranta and his brother emigrated from Finland to join their father in Alaska working summers for the Alaska Packers' Association and Libby, McNeill and Libby. Both companies manufactured and packaged canned salmon. Ranta worked as a fisherman during the early days of commercial salmon fishing in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Washington, Canada, and Alaska. He also worked during the transition from the industry being fleets of smaller sailing ships to larger ships with internal combustion engines. Ranta left the fishing industry during this transition and his family started a plywood mill in Port Angeles, Washington to replace fishing as their main economic activity.
Materials are arranged by material type.
Materials include photographs and fishing "tally books" that document Toivo Ranta's career as a commercial fisherman in Alaska primarily from 1930 to 1960. The tally books are a record of the daily catch offloaded from fishing boats and the photographs show workers fishing, fishing vessels, various locations in Alaska, and Ranta's family and friends. Some photos record the transition from sailing ships to internal combustion power ships in Bristol Bay. One image shows a fleet of new stern-pickers lined up outside Bryant's Marina in Portage Bay.
Forms part of the Labor Archives of Washington.
No restrictions on access.
Creator's copyrights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries Special Collections.
Materials donated by Rick Ranta, 2013-10-03.