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Cage 454
Elon James Gilbert
Papers, 1890-1977

The papers of Elon James Gilbert were donated to the Washington State University Libraries in June of 1979 (MS 79-24) by Mrs. Joan Gilbert. The papers were arranged and processed by Barbara Kovarik Gahl, September 1981 through March 1982.

BIOGRAPHY

Elon James Gilbert was born at Genesco, Illinois, in 1897 -- one of seven children -- to Horace M. and Marion Richey Gilbert. The Gilbert family moved to Yakima from Illinois in the late 1890s. There Gilbert developed a diversified series of businesses based in the fruit industry. The Gilberts soon became one of the prominent families in Yakima, figuring largely in both social and civic affairs. For anecdotal information on the Gilbert family, see: Winfield Boyd, Recollections and Impressions. (Yakima: Published by the author, n.d.), pp. 51-55. As a boy Elon Gilbert formed a close friendship with William O. Douglas, which he maintained throughout his life.

Gilbert received his B.A. from the University of Washington in 1920 and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1923. After his graduation from Harvard, he was given a position in one of his father's businesses -- the Richey & Gilbert Company, a fruit brokerage house -- and quickly became a successful businessman in his own right. The Gilberts were hit hard by the Great Depression, as were most growers in Yakima. By the time of Gilbert's death in 1934, the family business had acquired substantial debts. This was due in part to large investments in capital goods and commodities with little liquidity, e.g., orchards, equipment and warehouses. In these circumstances Elon and Curtis Gilbert set out to recover their losses. The Depression years were very difficult for the Gilbert brothers. When Curtis died in 1947 Elon became the principal owner of a still debt-plagued business.

During the mid and late 1950s, Gilbert began to sell and subdivide many of his orchard-land properties. During these years, he developed three subdivisions: Viewmont, Hilltop and the Uplands, all of which became part of Yakima proper. While in his early sixties, Gilbert invested in Charolais cattle, Arabian horse and Welsh ponies, and he settled into a life not unlike that of a country gentleman on his "Snow Mountain Ranch" on Cowychee Creek. His love for animals and for the outdoor life -- shared with Justice Douglas -- continued up to the time of his death in 1978.

ARRANGEMENT AND DESCRIPTION

The records and papers of Elon J. Gilbert are arranged in four series: Financial, 1905-1977; Subject File, 1893-1977; Agriculture, 1890-1977; and Photographs and Slides, 1948-1969. Despite these divisions, all materials are somewhat interrelated. For example, the financial records and correspondence of the early years of the Gilbert family orchard business are included both in the Financial series and in the Agriculture series.

The Financial series, 1905-1977, has two major parts. The first consists largely of individual federal income tax returns of several members of the Gilbert family, all of whom were active in the family's orchard and fruit-related businesses. Tax documents include those prepared for: Curtis R. Gilbert (Elon's brother), 1935-1948; Elon J. Gilbert, 1935-1976; and Horace M. Gilbert (father of Elon Gilbert), 1908-1926. In addition, tax records of the Richey-Gilbert Company, a fruit brokerage house founded by Gilbert and later managed by Elon Gilbert, are included, covering the years 1905-1954. No other materials from Gilbert's various business ventures have been identified.

The Financial series also encompasses a subject file which contains business-related records (chiefly pertaining to concerns of Elon Gilbert) such as financial statements, credit ratings, disbursement and cash journals, insurance documents, property tax papers, and stock transaction records. All materials are in alphabetically arranged folders with subject headings. Materials are evenly distributed through the period from 1905 to 1977.

The Subject File series, 1893-1977, assembed as a unit by the processor, brings together loosely ordered materials. The series contains both personal papers and business records indirectly related to the Gilberts' businesses. The personal items include correspondence with various family members, items concerning family history and a group of William O. Douglas material, which includes newspaper clippings, correspondence and a fragmentary biography by Marian D. Irish. The business records are made up of job applications, general correspondence, court cases, employee records, maps and building plans. All folders are arranged alphabetically by subject headings. The bulk of the material dates from 1950 to 1977.

The Agricultural series, 1890-1977, is the largest series within the papers. It covers four catagories: cattle, horses, land, and subject file. The Cattle section is made up of advertising for Snow Mountain Ranch; artificial insemination information; breeding records; correspondence from various associations, individuals and customers; notes; pedigree certificates and veterinary treatment records. Principal correspondents are Perry and Howard Blackham and Maynard Veum. The Horse file contains advertising; breeding records; correspondence with various associations, individuals and customers; memberships; notes and sales records. The Land subseries is divided into three sections: leases, orchards and subdivisions. The lease file includes records of various leases of Indian lands which Gilbert used for grazing and orchard purposes, as well as deeds of Gilbert. Orchard material is made up of general correspondence and correspondence from several nurseries; newspaper clippings; notes; patents for fruit box labels; photographs of fruit; postcards depicting the prize-winning fruit display of Gilbert; Snow Mountain Orchard materials and Woods Industries materials. The Subdivision records pertain to three areas of orchard land near Yakima, where Gilbert developed three residential subdivisions -- The Hilltop, Viewmont, and The Uplands -- during the 1950s. The Hilltop material consists of brochures, correspondence, general files, and protective covenants. Viewmont materials include brochures, correspondence, general files, "Mrs. America Home" promotional materials, a purchase contract, percolation records, general promotional material, real property petitions, soil data and survey maps. The Uplands file contains an abstract-of-title and correspondence. Also included within the Agricultural series is a subject file containing agreements with various persons, articles on subdivisions, Department of Natural Resources correspondence, court cases, general files, grazing permits, improvements on and leases of the Gilbert ranch at Cowychee, Nob Hill Water Company stock and soil conservation information.

All folders in this last series are arranged alphabetically by subject, with the exception of the leases where the arrangement is numerical by allotment number. The bulk of the material is from 1950-1977.

The fourth series, Photographs and Slides, 1948-1969, was also assembled from dispersed materials. The majority of the photographs bear no labels and accordingly they are grouped by subjects. Included are phtographs and negative of a livestock show, cattle and horses, as well as Elon Gilbert and his home. The folders are arranged alphabetically and most material is undated.

SERIES LIST

CONTAINER LIST