View XML QR Code

Edward Huggins papers, 1850-1905

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Huggins, Edward, 1832-1907
Title
Edward Huggins papers
Dates
1850-1905 (inclusive)
Quantity
0.21 cu. ft. (1 box)
1 microfilm reel
Collection Number
(Accession No. 4760-001)
Summary
Papers of a British employee of the Hudson's Bay Company and later a U.S. citizen relating to his activities
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. Due to the fragile state of the original papers, researchers should use the film copy which duplicates the whole collection.

Request at UW

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Edward Huggins was born in London, June 10, 1832. In October 1849 he joined the Hudson's Bay Company, sailing on the "Norman Morrison" for Fort Victoria, arriving there in March 1850. Sir James Douglas, in charge at Fort Victoria, sent Huggins to Fort Nisqually, where he arrived on Apri1 13, 1850, to work under the direction of William Fraser Tolmie.

During the Indian War he was given charge of the Company's installation "Muck Farm," ten miles east of Nisqually; he encountered no hostile Indians.

In 1857 Huggins married Lettice Work. When William F. Tolmie took over the duties of Sir James Douglas at Fort Victoria in 1859, Huggins was placed in charge of Fort Nisqually. In June 1870, the Puget Sound Agricultural Company (which Huggins contended was not affiliated with the Hudson's Bay Company) surrendered rights claimed under the Treaty of 1846, and Huggins was ordered to move to the interior of British Columbia. Instead, he resigned, and became a United States citizen.

Huggins then pre-empted his residence, and a few years later purchased the quarter section upon which the buildings of Fort Nisqually stood. He then began farming and stockraising "on his own account," and eventually acquired the remainder of the Nisqually farm, and in addition purchased about 1,000 acres from the Northern Pacific Railroad Company.

In the late 1870s Huggins was elected County Commissioner on the Republican ticket, serving three terms until he was elected County Auditor in 1886. He then moved to Tacoma and joined the staff of the National Bank of Commerce, ultimately becoming its vice-president. When his health began to fail, he returned to his farm at Nisqually, where he died in 1907.

He wrote a great deal, contributing a large number of articles to the Portland Oregonian in 1900. Clarence Booth Bagley was a friend of Huggins; it is through Bagley's auspices that these and many other Puget Sound Agricultural Company materials were acquired.

Return to Top

Content Description

Correspondence (1854-1903), speeches and writings (1850, 1900- 1904), financial records (1856-1896), photographs, and a scrapbook of newspaper articles (1904-1905). Some materials relate to Huggins' activities for the Hudson's Bay Company and National Bank of Commerce in Tacoma, Wash. Major correspondents include Clarence Booth Bagley, Roderick Finlayson, George Suckley, Alexander Munro, and E.N. Fuller.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Alternative Forms Available

A microfilmed copy of the papers is available in Special Collections and may be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Related Materials

The Washington State Historical Society has Huggins' journals, in five volumes, for the years 1870-1896.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

 

  • Description: Biographical Features
    Container: Box/Folder 1/1

  • Incoming Letters

    • Description: Anderson, Alexander C.
      Dates: 1877
      Container: Box/Folder 1/2
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Applegate, Jesse
      Dates: 1868
      Container: Box/Folder 1/2
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Atkinson, G.H.
      Dates: 1879
      Container: Box/Folder 1/2
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Biles, Lee T.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/2
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Biles (James B.) & Co., Tumwater
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/2
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Billings, William
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/3
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Clarke, Frank
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/3
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Clarke, Fred A.
      Dates: 1859, 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/3
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Coleman, Edward T.
      Dates: 1872
      Container: Box/Folder 1/3
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Crandill, C.F.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/4
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: DeJester, James E.
      Dates: 1863, 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/4
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Durgin, L.D.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/4
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Dye, Eva Emery
      Dates: 1903
      Container: Box/Folder 1/4
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Faulkner, Inason
      Dates: 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/5
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Finlayson, Roderick
      Dates: 1854-1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/5
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Fleming, John R.
      Dates: 1861
      Container: Box/Folder 1/6
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Ford, Giles
      Dates: 1867-1868
      Container: Box/Folder 1/6
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: George, J.W.
      Dates: 1889
      Container: Box/Folder 1/7
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Gibbs, George
      Dates: 1869
      Container: Box/Folder 1/7
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Giddings, E.
      Dates: 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/7
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Grainger & Davis, Olympia
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/7
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Hale, C.H.
      Dates: 1874
      Container: Box/Folder 1/7
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Haller, Granville 0. [With Thomas Coupe to Haller on verso]
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/8
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Hays, W.S.
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/8
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Hewitt, R.H.
      Dates: 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/8
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Hines, H.K.
      Dates: 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/8
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Kautz, August
      Dates: 1861-1862
      Container: Box/Folder 1/8
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Kendall, Beniamin F.
      Dates: 1862
      Container: Box/Folder 1/9
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Kistler, A.C.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/9
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Kittson, Edwin
      Dates: 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/9
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Lane, Richard
      Dates: 1862, 1864
      Container: Box/Folder 1/9
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Lee, John B.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/10
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Lee & Biles, Tumwater
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/10
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Light, E.A.
      Dates: 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/10
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Lightner & Frankel
      Dates: 1862
      Container: Box/Folder 1/10
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: McFadden, O.B.
      Dates: 1860-1861
      Container: Box/Folder 1/10
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: McKenny, T.
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/11
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Maxon, H.I.G.
      Dates: 1856
      Container: Box/Folder 1/11
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Meeker, Ezra
      Dates: 1903
      Container: Box/Folder 1/11
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Meigs, George A.
      Dates: 1859
      Container: Box/Folder 1/11
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Miller, William Winlock
      Dates: 1859
      Container: Box/Folder 1/11
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Munro, Alexander
      Dates: 1860, 1862
      Container: Box/Folder 1/12
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Nugen, John
      Dates: 1854
      Container: Box/Folder 1/12
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Packwood, William
      Dates: 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/12
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Pickering, William
      Dates: 1864
      Container: Box/Folder 1/13
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Pontius, R.W.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/13
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Roberts, George B.
      Dates: 1864
      Container: Box/Folder 1/13
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Roland, C.B.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/13
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Schroter, E.
      Dates: 1865
      Container: Box/Folder 1/13
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Suckley, George
      Dates: 1854-1869
      Container: Box/Folder 1/14
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Tilton, James
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/14
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Tucker, E.H.
      Dates: 1866
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Wark, John M.
      Dates: 1855
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Williams, S.D.
      Dates: 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Winsor, H.
      Dates: 1870
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Wirtz, D.
      Dates: 1860
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Wood, William H.
      Dates: 1867
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters
    • Description: Young, William
      Dates: 1858
      Container: Box/Folder 1/15
      Location: Incoming Letters

  • Outgoing Letters

    • Description: Bagley, Clarence B.
      Dates: 1905, n.d.
      Container: Box/Folder 1/16
      Location: Outgoing Letters
    • Description: Fuller, E.N.
      Dates: 1900, 1901
      Container: Box/Folder 1/16
      Location: Outgoing Letters
    • Description: Henderson, Alice P. (Mrs.)
      Dates: 1901
      Container: Box/Folder 1/16
      Location: Outgoing Letters
    • Description: Legard, Joseph
      Dates: 1893
      Container: Box/Folder 1/16
      Location: Outgoing Letters

  • Speeches and Writings

    • Description: "About the Fur Trade on Puget Sound from 1850 'til 1880"
      Container: Box/Folder 1/17
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "Christmas in Brazil" (Mrs. William Huggins)
      Dates: 1904
      Container: Box/Folder 1/18
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "Copy from Journal of Occurrencies [sic], Fort Nisqually, Washington Territory, by Dr. H.F. Tolmie, the Hudson Bay Company's officer, then in charge"
      Dates: 1950
      Container: Box/Folder 1/19
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "A Few Remarks About the Fur Trade, in the Puget Sound Country, from 1850 'til 1880--continued"
      Dates: 1900
      Container: Box/Folder 1/20
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "Items from the Old Fort Nisqually Journals and from letters received from various Hudson Bay Company' s officers..."
      Dates: n.d.
      Container: Box/Folder 1/21
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "List of E. Huggins' historical stories, reminiscences of Puget Sound, published in the SundayOregonian"
      Dates: 1900
      Container: Box/Folder 1/22
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "The story of the coming, via the Nachess [sic] Pass, of the Hudson Bay Co. brigade with the furs, returns of 1855 (outfit) from the various posts in the Oregon department, and the return of same packed with goods"
      Dates: 1901
      Container: Box/Folder 1/23-24
      Location: Speeches and Writings
    • Description: "The Story of Tom"
      Dates: 1904
      Container: Box/Folder 1/25
      Location: Speeches and Writings
  • Description: Financial Records
    Dates: 1856-1869
    Container: Box/Folder 1/25

  • Photograph

    • Description: "An Old Settlers' Meeting"
      Container: Box/Folder 1/27
      Location: Photograph
  • Description: Scrapbook
    Dates: 1904-1905
    Container: Box/Folder 1/28


1996 (Last modified: 4/16/2018)

CC0

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West