View XML QR Code

Yakima Valley Grape Producers Records, 1934-1973

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Yakima Valley Grape Producers
Title
Yakima Valley Grape Producers Records
Dates
1934-1973 (inclusive)
Quantity
14 containers., (14 linear feet of shelf space.), (5700 items.)
Collection Number
Cage 368
Summary
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, financial statements, price and purchase information, production data, annual meetings, articles of incorporation and by-laws, and litigation materials of a grape producers' cooperative and its predecessors, the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association and the Valley Grape Growers Association.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

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

Historical Note

The Yakima Valley Grape Producers was established in 1934 as the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association, a non-profit corporation, to sell the products of the members through the Association and its manager.

In 1949 the association was reorganized so that stock could be issued under new state non-profit corporation statutes. At this time all grower equities in the form of certificates of indebtedness in the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association were exchanged for stock certificates in the Valley Grape Growers Association. Each member stockholder was permitted one vote only, regardless of the amount of Class A Common Voting Stock owned. A grower was required to own one share of Class A Common Voting Stock if he annually delivered 15 or more tons of grapes to the Association. While non-growers were permitted to hold stock they were not accorded voting privileges. This transfer of equity took place between 1949 and 1959.

In 1959 the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association was legally dissolved, leaving only the Valley Grape Growers Association, which was renamed the Yakima Valley Grape Producers in 1960.

Return to Top

Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

The correspondence files for 1970 through 1972 (folders 81-251) could not be used without permission until 10 years following the date of each individual folder, except that in no case could the restrictions extend past December 31,1982.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description]. Cage 368, Yakima Valley Grape Producers Records. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Return to Top

Administrative Information

Arrangement

The records of the Yakima Valley Grape Producers are divided into three series: Correspondence, Internal Organizational Files, and Financial and Fiscal Data.

The Correspondence Series includes alphabetically arranged grower files from 1942 through 1968 containing information on the disposition of stock and holdings of deceased members. General correspondence is arranged alphabetically by year from 1958 through 1972. The material from 1970 through 1972 is arranged alphabetically by subject and general areas. Included in the general correspondence are letters, memoranda, reports, tax returns, employee data, insurance forms, shipping orders, labels and publicity materials.

Internal Organization Files from 1934 through 1970 are arranged alphabetically and include annual meeting information, Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws, meeting minutes, news clippings, and data on litigation proceedings, such as several files on the case of Homer E. Evans vs. the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association, 1953-1958, that include court briefs, correspondence, memoranda and original evidence presented.

Financial and Fiscal Data, 1934-1973, are arranged alphabetically by subject, and chronologically within each subject heading. Accounts receivable, advances to growers, collateral reports, certificates of indebtedness, crop grower ledgers, general ledgers, grower account sheets, inventories, payroll data, trade account sheets, trial balances, and violator lists are included in the Financial and Fiscal Data Series. In 1949 the association was reorganized and renamed, and records for the old corporation (the Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association) as well as for the new corporation (the Valley Grape Growers Association) are both in the same ledgers. This has been noted on the file folder titles. Bound volumes of data have been counted as one item. Undelivered stock, dividend checks, and letters (Folder 390) were randomly sampled and approximately 10 percent of the material was retained.

Acquisition Information

The records of the Yakima Valley Grape Producers were donated to the Washington State University Libraries by the organization through General Manager, Robert Thompson in September 1977 (77-57).

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

  • Grapes--Washington (State)--Yakima--Marketing

Corporate Names

  • Yakima Valley Grape Growers Association
  • Valley Grape Growers Association
  • Yakima Valley Grape Producers--Archives (creator)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Thompson, Robert. WaPS (donor)

Finding aid prepared by Margot H. Knight
2012

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

About Creative Commons Licenses in Archives West

Loading...
Loading...