Biographical Note
Norman Nienstedt Rupp was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1882. He was a prosperous business man in
numerous areas including investments, timber, mining, and logging. While his father John Rupp based
his companies in Michigan, Norman based his in Portland, Oregon. Through numerous businesses and
dealings, Norman Rupp acquired land in California, Florida, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Louisiana, and Michigan.
He was a member of the board for the Rupp-Holland Logging Co. which was formed in 1917 and disincorporated in 1929.
Norman Rupp was also the president of the Rupp Timber Company, which was formed in 1928 and dissolved in 1936. Rupp
also held numerous executive positions in various other companies.
One primary company that Norman Rupp was affiliated with was the Rose Gold Mining and Milling
Company which was owned and operated by his father. The Rose Gold Mining and Milling Company was
incorporated in 1898 and dissolved in 1928. Norman Rupp was married and had at least 2 children. He
died on November 25, 1942.
Content Description
The Norman N. Rupp Papers contain correspondence, legal documents and a variety of business records.
Maintained in the order in which they were received, the papers are roughly organized in reverse chronological order for correspondence
and by subject in other records. Therefore, there is a
lot of overlap of material. Researchers are encouraged to go through all the papers,
especially if they are researching a specific recipient for outgoing correspondence.
Some of the correspondence may
include letters to and by both Norman Rupp and John Rupp. The contracts are divided by
type of contract, not subject or person involved in the business deal. The Rose Gold Mining and Milling
Company also has material in Series VII, Oversized Material. The first series is contained
in three boxes.
The second series contains contracts and business dealings. This
series is roughly organized by person or company involved in the deal. The contracts are
divided first by individual contracts and related correspondence, then by company contracts
and correspondence. The rest of the series contains correspondence and contracts divided by
subject ending with miscellaneous contracts from the entire series. All divisions, while not
categorized by subseries, are arranged alphabetically. This series also has material
contained in Series VII, Oversized Material. The second series is contained in five boxes.
The third series contains correspondence by both John and Norman Rupp. It is divided into
incoming, outgoing and miscellaneous materials relating to the correspondence. This series
is arranged as they were received. Therefore there may be confusion in the
subject headings. The subject headings do relate to either sender or recipient. In some
cases, the letters are divided into letters either to or from Norman Rupp or John Rupp. In
those cases, it is specified on the folder title. A substantial amount of the correspondence is by a third
party, Norman Rupp or John Rupp having received a carbon copy of the letter. In this case, the
letters are filed as incoming. This series also has material contained in Series VII,
Oversized Material. The third series is contained in three boxes.
The fourth series contains the estate records of Norman Rupp. While primarily containing
Norman Rupp estate material, this series also contains material regarding the estate of John
Rupp. Material about the John Rupp estate can be located throughout the collection, as the
material was not separated out initially. The John Rupp estate material is indicated on the
folder title. The estate papers are divided into records and correspondence. The records
are miscellaneous contracts, papers and anything that is not a letter. They are organized
roughly by subject. The correspondence is in reverse chronological order and divided into
incoming and outgoing. The fourth series is contained in three boxes.
The fifth series contains small pocket books of John Rupp. They are divided into journals,
land books, and ledgers. The books are arranged chronologically and by type. The fifth
series is contained in seven boxes.
The sixth series contains free-standing volumes.
The first part of the series is documents produced by John Rupp. These books include letters, ledgers,
journals (business) and land books. They are arranged by type of book. The
second part of the series contains documents by Norman Rupp. These documents include ledgers, journals
and volumes regarding the Rupp Investment Company. The series is concluded by estate books
for the John Rupp estate. This subseries contains a land inventory, a journal and ledgers.
The entire series contains 29 volumes.
The seventh and final series contains the oversized materials. It contains material from correspondence, Rose Gold Mining and Milling Company,
and contracts and business dealings. The fifth series contains three oversized boxes.