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Larrabee family papers, 1840-2007

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Gates, Cyrus, -- 1858-1927.
Title
Larrabee family papers
Dates
1840-2007 (inclusive)
1890-2000 (bulk)
Quantity
9.5 linear feet
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0018larrabee
Summary
The Larrabee family papers document the interests and activities of a prominent family in Bellingham, Washington. The collection spans the period 1840-2007, with the bulk of materials dating between 1890 and 2000. The majority of the collection comprises business records, personal papers, photographs, architectural drawings, and property and real estate records documenting the activities of businessman Charles X. Larrabee and family members including Frances Payne, Charles Francis, Edward Payne and Consuelo McMillan Larrabee.
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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Historical Note

Charles X. (C.X.) Larrabee was born November 19, 1843 in Portville, New York, and moved to Omro, Wisconsin with his family in 1849. In 1875, Larrabee moved to Montana, where his brother, S.E. Larrabee (Larabie) had established himself as a successful banker. C.X. became a partner in the Larabie Bros. banking firm in Deer Lodge, Montana, and engaged in prospecting, discovering the prosperous Mountain View copper mine near Butte, Montana. He also established the Brook-Nook Stock Ranche, near Dillon, Montana, which became renowned for the breeding of Morgan race horses. In 1887, having sold off large portions of his mining interests, C.X. Larrabee moved briefly to Portland, Oregon, purchasing the Holladay addition east of the Willamette River in partnership with his brother and Nelson Bennett, the founder of Tacoma.

Between 1889 and 1890, Larrabee moved to Fairhaven, Washington, where he established the Fairhaven Land Company with Nelson Bennett, E.M. Wilson, E.L. Cowgill and his brother S.E. Larabie. In addition to his real estate concerns, Larrabee was a leading investor in the Fairhaven & Southern Railroad, and the first president of the Citizen's Bank of Fairhaven. In 1890, Larrabee hired Cyrus Lester Gates from Vermont as his private secretary. Gates played a key role in several of Larrabee's business enterprises, and held part-ownership of ventures including the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company.

On August 3, 1892, C.X. Larrabee and Miss Frances Payne (1867-1941), of St. Charles, Missouri, were married. Frances was an accomplished pianist and became highly regarded in Bellingham for her philanthropic work. The Larrabees had four children: Charles Francis (1895-1950), Edward Payne (1897-1944), Mary Adele (1902-1988), and Benjamin Howard (1906-1944). Following C.X. Larrabee's death on September 16, 1914, Frances Payne Larrabee and later their two eldest sons took over the family business interests. The Larrabees were noted for making substantial gifts of money and land for charitable and public use, including their donation of Larrabee State Park along Chuckanut Bay, the site of the Fairhaven Public Library, and the YWCA building in Bellingham.

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Content Description

The Larrabee family papers document the interests and activities of a prominent family in Bellingham, Washington. The papers span the period 1840-2004, with the majority of records dating between 1890 and 2000.

Larrabee business records document several of the real estate and mining concerns of Charles X. Larrabee, and his two eldest sons, Charles Francis and Edward Payne Larrabee. The series includes letter books of outgoing correspondence from Charles X. Larrabee and Cyrus Gates regarding their management of real estate interests in Whatcom County, and Larrabee's stock ranch in Montana. Remaining business records are organized alphabetically by name of company, and include financial records, stock inventories, and catalogs reflecting operations at the Brook-Nook Stock Ranche in Montana, and financial records and reports reflecting operations of the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company. The series also includes three Oregon Company financial ledgers documenting Larrabee's real estate investments in Portland, Oregon) and a small amount of material generated by the Citizen's Bank of Fairhaven, Fairhaven Land Company, Fairhaven & Southern Railroad, and Larrabee Real Estate Company.

Larrabee personal papers comprise general information regarding family history and genealogy, personal correspondence, and papers generated by individual family members. Biographical and genealogical information dated 1890-2000 includes obituaries and articles regarding the Larrabees, and detailed correspondence concerning Larrabee and Payne family history. The majority of this correspondence was written and circulated by Mary Adele "Mainey" Bourque (daughter of Charles X. and Frances Payne Larrabee), and her nephew C.X. "X" Larrabee (son of Charles Francis and Mary Larrabee). Personal correspondence is organized alphabetically by name of correspondent, with incoming and outgoing letters arranged separately. This correspondence includes letters to and from Charles X. and Frances Payne Larrabee, their two eldest sons, and Edward Payne's wife Consuelo McMillan Larrabee. The series also contains a small number of papers of individual Larrabee family members, including sheet music belonging to Frances Payne Larrabee, marriage announcements and various souvenirs.

In addition to family photographs, the collection contains architectural records documenting the 1914-1917 design and construction of the Larrabee family residence (now named "Lairmont Manor"), and 1920 specifications for Charles Francis Larrabee's family home. Property and real estate records comprise correspondence, clippings and maps documenting Larrabee property and real estate in Whatcom County (including property around Chuckanut Bay and present-day Larrabee State Park), and includes two 1936 maps of coal mines operated by the Roslyn-Cascade Coal Company.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Larrabee 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 Larrabee is organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

  • Series I. Larrabee business records, 1890-1991 (bulk 1890-1942)
  • Series II. Larrabee personal papers, 1840-2004 (bulk 1890-1994)
  • Series III. Larrabee photographs, approximately 1850-2007
  • Series IV. Larrabee architectural records, 1914-1928
  • Series V. Larrabee real estate and property records, 1890-2004

Acquisition Information

Copies of the Gould architectural drawings of the Larrabee mansion were donated by Barry Gough. Consuelo Larrabee formally donated the Larrabee family papers to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 2005. C.X. Larrabee donated additional records in 2006. The most recent donations were in December 2008 when Consuelo Larrabee tranferred additional materials, and in January 2009 through a loan from K.B. Milton.

Processing Note

The collection contains only a fragmented part of the papers probably created by the Larrabee family. The Larrabee papers arrived at the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies with no internal order. J. Gordon Daines III processed the Larrabee Family Papers for the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in February 2000. In February 2004, Ruth Steele re-engineered the collection. Following transfers of additional Larrabee family papers in 2005-2006, Ruth Steele re-engineered the collection and its finding aid, with assistance from Emiley Jensen. Rozlind Koester incorporated the 2008 addition and copied the loaned materials in 2009, returning the originals to the donor's possession. At this time she also updated the finding aid.

Separated Materials

The Montana Historical Society Research Center in Helena, Montana houses a collection of Charles X. Larrabee papers.

Processing Note

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 our Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content.

Bibliography

Larrabee, Charles Xavier. Larrabee Anacortes, Wash.: Fairhaven Alumni Association, c2003 Petruzzi, Tom. "Larrabee, Frances Payne (1867-1941): Community Builder and Consummate Clubwoman ." History Link: http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=8603 2008 May 11.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Center for Pacific Northwest Studies staff
2006

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

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