Pacific Mail Steamship Company collection, 1851-1929

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Summary

Creators:
Pacific Mail Steamship Company.
Abstract:
The collection consists of the business records of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, dating from 1851-1929. The collection also contains some records of the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company.
Extent:
298 Linear Feet (534 boxes, 643 volumes, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Pacific Mail Steamship Company collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of the business records of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company. The records are made up ships' logs, waybills, manifests, personnel records, financial records, notes of protest, freight claims and other business papers. The collection also contains some records of the Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company.

Biographical / historical:

The Pacific Mail Steamship Company was incorporated in 1848 to engage in the steamship business after receiving a contract from the Unite States government to provide mail service between Panama and the Oregon coast. The organizer and first president of the company was William H. Aspinwall. The company prospered, expanded its fleet, and began service to Asia in 1867. By the mid-1880s they were sailing to 47 ports across the Pacific Ocean, including ports in Central America and Mexico. The Occidental and Oriental Steamship Company, formed in 1874 by western railroad interests, merged with Pacific Mail Steamship Company in 1900. The company controlling stock was acquired in 1915 by W.R. Grace & Co., and in 1925 the company's house flag, name, and goodwill were sold to the Dollar Line.

Acquisition information:
Gift of the Pacific Mail Steamship Company, 1937-1938.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Pacific Mail Steamship Company collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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