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Alaska Steamship Company records, 1908-1971

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Alaska Steamship Co
Title
Alaska Steamship Company records
Dates
1908-1971 (inclusive)
Quantity
approximately 169 cubic feet
Collection Number
1566, 1585
Summary
Records of a steamship company that shipped freight and passengers between Seattle and Southeast Alaska
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Some records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Historical Note

The Alaskan shipping industry began to grow in the late 1800s with the expansion of fishing and cannery activities. As a result, there was a dramatic increase in the need for transportation of other products to and from the lower 48 states. In 1894, six men, recognizing this need, incorporated; they gathered $30,000 by selling 300 shares at $100 each, and then set about scouting for a ship to begin hauling. They found and purchased the Willapa , which could carry passengers as well as freight. Their timing could not have been better; soon after the Alaska Steamship Company (ASC) opened for business, Alaska began to experience major economic benefits resulting from the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. In addition to fish products, ASC began hauling mining equipment, dog sleds, cattle, and miscellaneous supplies.

The company began by servicing Southeast Alaska, running only between Skagway and Seattle. Another shipping company, the Northwest Steamship Company, had organized the northern route as a result of the Nome gold strike in 1900, servicing Valdez, Cook Inlet, and the Bering Sea ports. A third party, the Guggenheim Company, bought out both ASC and the Northern Steamship Co., keeping the ASC name. They expanded the fleet into 18 ships and expanded service to all Alaskan ports from Ketchikan to Kotzebue.

For the next quarter of a century, ASC relied on copper from the Kennecot mines, gold, and salmon for backhauls from northern cities to the lower 48 states. By 1938, the copper mine had closed and the gold rush had subsided. With backhauls now significantly reduced, the Alaskan shipping industry was severely impacted. In addition, the much relied-upon fishing industry was only seasonal. The one-way haul was one of the great problems of the Alaska run; the other problem was the weather. Ships were constantly threatened by fierce Alaskan weather patterns.

Eventually, the Kennecot Company acquired controlling interest from Guggenheim Company. In 1944, G.W. Skinner of Seattle purchased all interests and retained the management identified with the Alaska Steamship Company for the next several years.

The ASC joined the war effort in 1942, losing five ships in various campaigns. In 1953, they expanded into container service. The holds of the vessels were paved to accommodate fork lifts. New masts were engineered to lift massive vans. New generators were installed to provide power for van refers (refrigerated vans) and heater equipment. Containerization was recognized as the most significant development in ocean transport since the steam engine. There was less damage to freight, less pilfering, and labor costs were significantly reduced as there was no more piece by piece handling of cargo.

In 1954, the company ceased passenger operations due to high costs of labor and union standards. By then, ASC had established itself as a pioneer in containerization. At one point, the company pumped $11 million into the economy by employing dockworkers, ship workers, and stevedores, hauling freight, and operating ship and dock facilities. However, because of increased fuel and insurance costs, increased competition from barges, ferries, and tugboats, and continual union demands, the Alaska Steamship Company ceased operations in 1971.

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Content Description

Ship logs, hearings, court papers, applications, scrapbook, speeches, correspondence, freight tarriffs, passenger tarriffs, advertisements, and passenger's identification check tickets. The Alaska Steamship Company shipped freight and passengers between Seattle and Southeast Alaska from the early 1900's until the early 1950's. These records list shipping rates, as regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission, for commodities between certain ports as well as passenger rates.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries. Consult the restrictions governing reproduction and use for each of the accessions listed below.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Organized into 5 accessions.

  • Accession No. 1566-001, Alaska Steamship Company records, 1917-1969 (bulk 1939-1961)
  • Accession No. 1585-001, Alaska Steamship Company records, 1908-1971
  • Accession No. 1585-002, Alaska Steamship Company records, 1950-1960
  • Accession No. 1585-003, Alaska Steamship Company records, 1965
  • Accession No. 1585-004, Alaska Steamship Company ephemera, 1940

Preservation Note

Some records stored offsite; advance notice required for use.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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2014 (Last modified: 6/26/2024)

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