View XML QR Code

Edgar S. Booker Papers, 1890-1924

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Booker, Edgar S.
Title
Edgar S. Booker Papers
Dates
1890-1924 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 linear ft.
Collection Number
XOE_CPNWS0012booker (collection)
Summary
The collection contains textual materials relating to the businesses of building contractor and entrepreneur Edgar S. Booker of Bellingham, Washington. The materials document the structural development of the Bellingham Bay region, the gold mining industry in the Ruby Creek District of Mt. Baker and the exploitation of Mexican timber and mineral wealth at the turn of the twentieth century. The bulk of the textual materials are made up of building contracting construction estimates and bids as well as building contracts. Also included are gold mine placer claim notices, reports to shareholders, stock certificates and mining claims proof of labor documents.
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.
Return to Top

Biographical Note

Edgar S. Booker was an entrepreneur and prominent member of the Bellingham business community who was actively involved in the structural development of the area. His initial work in the 1890s with C.H. Stock and Company as a building contractor led to the establishment of his own contracting company with Donald B. Campbell. The names Booker & Campbell were well known at the time for their association with all manner of local construction projects. It was Booker and Campbell who were awarded the 1907 contract to build the Bellingham Bay Library, which was partially funded by a donation from Andrew Carnegie. Beyond the Bellingham Bay region Booker was also active in building contracting in Vancouver, British Columbia through another of his companies, Booker, Campbell & Whipple, Ltd.. This company was responsible for the construction of the Vancouver City Y.M.C.A. in 1913 as well as many other buildings in the area.

Edgar Booker was also a man of diverse financial interests who tended to be involved in numerous plans to generate fiscal prosperity. Around the turn of the century Booker became one of the primary partners in the Granite Creek Gold Mining Company which consolidated a large number of individual placer claims in the Ruby Creek gold mining district of the Mt. Baker gold fields. This company operated for many years and served to stimulate shareholders with dreams of quick riches and the potential for long-term financial returns. This endeavor led to Booker’s investment in 327,000 acres of timber lands in central Mexico through the Tehuantepec Land and Timber Co., Inc., of which he was a founding partner. Booker believed that this investment would also potentially expand into a mining operation and ultimately generate a highly successful return. Throughout this period, though, Edgar Booker steadfastly remained a prominent building contractor in the Puget Sound region and was responsible for much of the physical development of the locality. He died in 1924.

Return to Top

Content Description

The Edgar S. Booker Papers (1890-1924) contain textual materials that document the structural development of the Bellingham Bay region, the gold mining industry in the Ruby Creek District of Mt. Baker and the exploitation of Mexican timber and mineral wealth at the turn of the twentieth century. The bulk of the textual materials are made up of building contracting construction estimates and bids which could be useful in tracking the growth of the Bellingham Bay region as well as the interconnections of local businesses over a period of twenty-five years.

The materials relating to Ruby Creek gold mining help to document the transformation of small claim placer mining to large scale consolidated-claims gold mining. Placer claim notices and shareholders reports document ownership of original mining claims and their eventual transfer to the Granite Creek Gold Mining Company. There is also a file relating to the Mexico-based Sonora Gold Mines Limited and the Chicago Gold-Placer Mining Company which may have been invested in by Edgar Booker’s son, Guy Booker.

The timber materials relate to Edgar Booker’s involvement in the Tehuantepec Land & Timber Co., Inc. which comprised hundreds of thousands of timber acreage in Mexico. The collection also documents Booker’s interest in Mexican timber as well as the potential for mining in the region.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

Edgar S. Booker Papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection has been organized into the following two series:

  • Series I. Personal Papers, 1893-1924
  • Series II. Business/Financial Records, 1890-1923
    • Subseries 1 - Building Contracting, 1890-1923
    • Subseries 2 - Mining, 1901-1912
    • Subseries 3 - Timber, 1911-1912

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

Custodial History

Shirley Pettibone, the granddaughter of Edgar S. Booker, donated the collection to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 1989.

Return to Top

Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Building Estimates--British Columbia--Vancouver.
  • Building Estimates--Washington (State)--Bellingham
  • Construction Contracts--British Columbia--Vancouver.
  • Construction Contracts--Washington (State)--Bellingham.
  • Gold Mines and Mining--Washington (State)--Whatcom County.
  • Logging--Mexico--Oaxaca

Personal Names

  • Booker, Edgar S. (d.1924) --Archives. (creator)

Corporate Names

  • C.H. Stocks and Company
  • Booker and Campbell
  • Booker, Campbell and Whipple, Ltd.
  • Granite Creek Gold Mining Company
  • Tehuantepec Land and Timber Company, Inc.

Finding aid prepared by Jason Viers
2003

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

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...