Alaska Livestock and Trading Company records

Collection

Identifier: Mss2385

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of the correspondence and records of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, which was based in Portland, Oregon, and operated a sheep and cattle ranch on Unalaska Island, Alaska. Correspondence includes letters to and from legal counsel James Cole and ranchers H. D. Catron, Arthur J. Harris, Jack Handley, Milton Holmes, and W. A. McLaughlin. Additional correspondence pertains to topics such as legislation about a mail boat service, radio installations on Unalaska, and the company's fishing vessel, "Maud." Records include financial documents, work reports, inventories, and documents relating to boats and equipment. Memorabilia and ephemera include historical data about the company and wool samples. Photographs primarily consist of prints and negatives depicting the ranch on Unalaska and its operations. Some materials in the collection predate the incorporation of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, and may relate to its predecessor firm, the Western Pacific Livestock Company.

Dates

1927-1977

Creator

Alaska Livestock and Trading Company (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Administrative History

In 1936, Dr. Adam C. Smith (1856-1943), a physician in Portland, Oregon, approached Roy T. Bishop (1881-1950), president of the Oregon Worsted Company. Smith suggested that Bishop purchase a controlling share in the Western Pacific Livestock Company, a sheep-ranching enterprise in Alaska that Smith had founded. The enterprise had fallen on hard times and was in receivership. Bishop followed Smith's advice and purchased 51% ownership of the firm, which he renamed the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company. The Alaska Livestock and Trading Company operated a ranch at Chernofski Harbor on Unalaska Island, Alaska, that raised sheep and cattle. After Roy T. Bishop died, his sons Thomas B. Bishop (1915-1981) and William H. Bishop (1922-) operated the business. The company was liquidated during a period from 1965 to 1977.

Extent

7.62 Cubic Feet (6 Paige cartons; 2 legal document cases; 1 card file box (12x3x5); 1 flat box (11x14))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Correspondence and records of the Alaska Livestock and Trading Company, which operated a sheep and cattle ranch on Unalaska Island, Alaska. The company had previously been the Western Pacific Livestock Company before Roy T. Bishop (1881-1950) of Portland, Oregon, purchased a controlling share in 1936 at the behest of the Western Pacific Livestock Company's founder, Dr. Adam C. Smith. After Roy T. Bishop's death, the company was managed by his sons Thomas B. Bishop and William H. Bishop until the 1970s.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in three series: Series 1. Correspondence and related records; Series 2. Business records; Series 3. Photographs, ephemera, and memorabilia.