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Gates family papers, 1888-1996

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gates family
Title
Gates family papers
Dates
1888-1996 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 linear feet.
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0050gates (collection)
Summary
The Gates family papers comprise articles and clippings, personal papers and photographs of a prominant Bellingham family. Collection materials were generated by businessman Cyrus and Mabel Huntoon Gates, and their children: Frances Ellen, Cyrus Kingsley, and Katherine Elizabeth.
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.
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Biographical Note

A prominent Bellingham businessman and civic figure, Cyrus Gates moved from Vermont to Fairhaven, Washington in 1890 to work as private secretary for C.X. Larrabee. Gates became actively involved in various Larrabee business enterprises, holding part-ownership in the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company, and serving as Secretary-Treasurer of the Pacific Realty Company until his death on January 13, 1927. Gates donated large amounts of time, money and land to civic and commercial development of the Fairhaven District and Chuckanut Drive. He was especially interested in the development of the city park system. Gates was survived by his wife Mabel Huntoon Gates and their three children: Frances Ellen, Cyrus Kingsley and Katherine Elizabeth. In 2004, the City of Bellingham purchased Woodstock Farm, the Gates’ family home along Chuckanut Bay, as a city park.

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Content Description

The Gates family papers comprise personal papers, photographs, and albums and scrapbooks spanning the period 1888-1996. Personal papers include articles and clippings, and papers generated by individual members of the Gates family. Cyrus Gates' papers include correspondence from Charles X. Larrabee encouraging his 1890 move from Vermont to Fairhaven, Washington. The collection also contains a small amount of material generated by Cyrus Gates’ wife, Mabel Huntoon Gates and their children: Frances Ellen, Cyrus “Cy” Kingsley, and Katherine “Betty” Elizabeth Gates. The bulk of the collection comprises photographs of the Gates family and friends, including images taken by Mabel Gates' brother, photographer Bert W. Huntoon, and images of Woodstock Farm, the Gates’ family home on Inspiration Point along Chuckanut Bay. There are also photograph albums and scrapbooks related to Mabel Huntoon Gates and her sister, Grace Huntoon Sheerer, as well as Cyrus Gates, which include photographs, personal papers, and news clippings.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Gates family papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The Gates family papers are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I. Personal Papers, 1890-1977
  • Series II. Photographs, 1899-1991
  • Series III. Photograph Albums and Scrapbooks, 1888-1994

Processing Note

The papers came to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies with no internal order. Center staff organized the Gates materials into two series: Personal Papers and Photographs of the Gates family. In November 2005 Emiley Jensen re-engineered the finding aid.

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

Related Materials

The Larrabee family papers at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies include business correspondence generated by Cyrus Lester Gates through his work for C.X. Larrabee.

Custodial History

Collection formally donated by Barbara Sheerer Morris in 2017.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Finding aid prepared by Emiley Jensen.
2006

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

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