Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Building
808 25th St
Bellingham, WA 98225-9123
Phone: 360 650 7534
Email: cpnws@wwu.edu
XOE_CPNWS0050gates
Gates family
Gates family papers
1888-1996
3 linear feet.
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.
Collection materials are in English.
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.
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.
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
The collection is open to the public.
Gates family papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western
Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.
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.
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
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.
Collection formally donated by Barbara Sheerer Morris in 2017.
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.
Gates, Cyrus
--1858-1927.
Gates, Mabel Huntoon.
McCord, Frances Ellen Gates --
1900-
Gates, Cyrus Kingsley --
1905-1995.
Brooks, Katherine Elizabeth
Gates.
Huntoon, Bert W. --
1869-1947.
Gates family --Archives
Fairhaven (Bellingham, Wash.) --
History -- Sources.
Woodstock Farm (Bellingham,
Wash.) -- History -- Sources -- Photographs.
Washington
(State)
Home and
Family
Pioneers
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
Series I
Personal Papers
1890-1996
Personal papers include correspondence from C.X. Larrabee to Cyrus
Gates, encouraging his move from Vermont to Fairhaven, Washington in 1890. Cyrus
Kingsley Gates' papers also include correspondence with Robert B. Thomas (author of
Chuckanut Chronicles), Mary Bourque (daughter of C.X. Larrabee) and Consuelo Larrabee
regarding local and family history.
1/1
Articles and Clippings re: Gates family
1923
1929
1937
undated
Cyrus Gates
1/2
C.X Larrabee correspondence
1890
1/3
Resolutions upon his death
1927
1/4
Obituaries
1927
Cyrus Kingsley Gates
1/5
Correspondence (Incoming)
1920-1990
1/6
Correspondence (Outgoing)
1990-1991
undated
1/7
Diary
1918
1/8
Diary (trip to Alaska)
1920
1/9
Fairhaven High School Yearbook Aurora
1919
1/10
Fairhaven High School Memorabilia
undated
1/11
First National Bank Checkbook
undated
1/12
Fraternity membership card
undated
1/13
Letter announcing Cy’s death
1996
1/14
Oregon State Agricultural College degree certificate
1928
1/15
St. John’s military academy - commencement program
1923
1/16
St John’s military academy - rowing crew badge
undated
Frances Ellen Gates (McCord)
1/17
Baby Book
1900-1901
1/18
Bellingham Public School – First Grade Report
1907
1/19
Correspondence (Incoming) re: Chuckanut Bay Property
1977
1/20
Marriage Service and certificate
1923
1/21
Neale Bennett McCord (husband)- High School Yearbooks El Archivero
1916
1919
Mabel Huntoon Gates
1/22
Correspondence (Incoming)
1900
1927
1/23
Eldridge Family card and wedding invitation
1920
1/24
Washington State Teaching Certificate
1897
Series II
Photographs
1890-1991
1/25
Cyrus Gates
1899
undated
1/26
Cyrus Kingsley Gates
circa 1909-1929
1/27
Cyrus Kingsley Gates
circa 1929-1991
1
Cyrus Kingsley Gates
circa 1910s
1
Frances Ellen Gates
circa 1920s
1/28
Frances Ellen Gates
circa 1901- 1920s
1/29
Katherine Elizabeth Gates
undated
1936
1
Katherine Elizabeth Gates
circa 1936
1
Mabel Huntoon Gates
circa 1890
1/30
Mabel Huntoon Gates
1898-1899
undated
1/31
Gates Family Photographs
1900-1929
undated
1/32
Gates family friends
circa 1920s
1/33
Unidentified people and places
undated
1/34
Chuckanut Bay area
undated
1/35
North Cascade and Mt. Baker region (Huntoon photos)
1923
1925
1/36
Woodstock Farm
1915-1917
1923
1935
Series III
Photograph Albums and Scrapbooks
1888-1994
2/1
Grace Huntoon / Mabel Huntoon Gates binder with
photographs and miscellaneous documents
circa 1888-1920s
Assembled by Barbara Sheerer Morris and Tim Wahl.
2/2
Grace Huntoon Sheerer scrapbook with photographs and
news clippings
circa 1890s-1907
Includes items of interest to a young female student (the compiler) of the State
Normal School in Bellingham and University of Washington. Photos of women's bicycling,
sailing and picnic outings to Marietta and Chuckanut, etc. Social column clippings
from newspapers.
2/3
"Around the Old Home Town" photograph album made for
Betty Gates by Bert Huntoon
1923
Album contents include references to Woodstock as "Our Home..." reflecting the
Huntoon's role as elders to their niece, Betty Gates Brooks Clark, after the death of
her father.
2/4
Cyrus L. Gates binder with family photographs and
miscellaneous documents
circa 1890-1994
Assembled by Barbara Sheerer Morris and Tim Wahl.