Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks

Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks, 1918-1950

Overview of the Collection

Title: Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks
Dates: 1918-1950 (inclusive)
19181950
Quantity: 1.25 linear feet
Collection Number: XOE_CPNWS0070swalogbooks (collection)
Summary: The Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks, spanning the period 1918-1950, document the daily work accomplished by various fishing crews working for canneries in Alaska.
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.

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Squaw Harbor Cannery was located on Unga Island, one of the islands that composes the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. It was one of the canneries acquired by Pacific American Fisheries (PAF) in 1917 when demand for salmon increased during World War I.

Henry Loofs, who worked for the Alitak Cannery, maintained a 1941 logbook of fishing activities around Olga Bay, near Kodiak Island. Alitak Cannery was also purchased by PAF in 1935. The Petersburg Cannery was located on Mitkof Island south of Juneau and was also purchased in 1935 by PAF.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Southwestern Alaska Cannery Logbooks, spanning 1918-1950, document the daily work accomplished by various fishing crews working for canneries in Alaska. The Squaw Harbor Logbooks span from 1918 to 1929, although two years are missing. The logbooks discuss ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather. Usually the logbooks begin in late February or late March and end in September.

Other logbooks include an unidentified journal from 1932, and logbooks documenting fishing activities at Olga Bay and Petersburg. The unidentified journal contains a small number of notations regarding supplies and fishing, and a brief log of a car trip from the West coast to the Midwest. The Olga Bay Logbook from 1941 was kept by Henry Loofs who worked for the Alitak Cannery. Like the Squaw Harbor Logbooks, it contains information regarding ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather. The Petersburg Logbook from 1950 also contains information regarding ship arrival and departure, personnel, daily duties accomplished, injuries, and the weather.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Southwestern Alaska Cannery logbooks are organized in accordance with the following series arrangement:

Series I: Squaw Harbor Logbooks and Journals, 1918-1929
Series II: Other Logbooks and Journals, 1932-1950

Custodial History

Galen Biery donated the logbooks to the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies.

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

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

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

Series I: Squaw Harbor Logbooks , 1918-1929 Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
1/1	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1918
1/2	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1919
1/3	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1920
1/4	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1922
1/5	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1923
1/6	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1924
2/1	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1925
2/2	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1926
2/3	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1927
2/4	Squaw Harbor Logbook	1929

Series II: Other Logbooks and Journals, 1932-1950Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
Box/Folder
2/5	Journal	1932
3/1	Olga Bay Logbook	1941
3/2	Petersburg Logbook	1950

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Canneries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Cod Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Cod Fishing -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Salmon Fisheries -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Salmon Fishing -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.
Salmon canning industry -- Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.

Corporate Names

Pacific American Fisheries, Inc.

Geographical Names

Alaska, Southwest -- History -- Sources.

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Loofs, Henry.

Archives West Finding Aid

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