MS 2: Papers of Allen E. Hasselborg, 1899-1955 Alaska State Library
Alaska State Library
Historical Collections
Hasselborg, Allen, 1876-1956
Papers of Allen E. Hasselborg, 1899-1955
MS 2
4 boxes / Processed by: Gladi Kulp, Nov. 19961.27 linear ft. / Revised by: Sandy Johnston, May 2014
Updated by: Jacki Swearingen, June 2014
ACQUISITION: The papers were donated by the Sitka Pioneers Home and Allen Hasselborg’s sister, Mrs. C.C. Merritt, Fort Myers, Florida, ca, 1956. John R. Howe donated another group of Hasselborg papers in 1996, Accession no. 96-36, given to him by Elinor Gardner, Hasselborg’s niece. Accession no. 96-42 was added to Ms 2 as a result of Barbara Stein’s research in the Alaska State Library, Historical Collections. Stein, from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California at Berkeley, sent photocopies of letters Hasselborg wrote to various Museum staff members. The original letters remain with the Museum. In December 1996, Robert Gardner, Hasselborg’s grand nephew, donated 5 items. Accession no. 96-47. Box 4, Folders 1-3, added in 2005 (Accession no. 2005-028). Box 4, Folders 4-13, added in 2012 (Accession no. 2012-003).
ACCESS: The collection is unrestricted.
COPYRIGHT: Request for permission to publish material from the collection must be discussed with the Librarian. PHOTOCOPYING DOES NOT CONSTITUTE PERMISSION TO PUBLISH.
PROCESSING: The collection was originally arranged and described by the staff of the Alaska Historical Library. It was re-arranged and described in June 1996 based on current description and arrangement principles. The papers are arranged and described at the folder level. Correspondence, journals, and licenses are arranged chronologically. Correspondence files include other documents originally attached to or enclosed in the correspondence.
With the acquisition of accession no. 96-36 a third box was added to the Hasselborg Papers. The correspondence, mostly written by Hasselborg to his family, was arranged in chronological order and numbered at page top by donor John R. Howe’s father, Calderon Howe. Because of paper deterioration, some of the letters were placed in mylar sleeves. Accession no. 96-42, the photocopied letters from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, was added to Ms 2 in November 1996. Accession no. 96-47, The Twin Grizzlies of Admiralty Island including annotations and items stored in the book, was added to Ms 2 in December 1996.
The original items in the collection were numbered in August 1997. Any item included with a letter, such as the envelope, is numbered the same as the letter. Photocopies from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology were not numbered. Please note that no. of items listed on folders does not include envelopes or items enclosed with correspondence.
Allen Hasselborg Chronology
[compiled by John R. Howe]
1876: Born November 18, Franconia, Minnesota.
1893: Moves with his family to St. Andrew, Florida.
1899: Leaves Florida, works at copper mine in Arizona.
1899: "Shanghaied" on fishing boat from Seattle to the Shumagin Islands.
1900: Salmon fishing with his brother Horace on the Columbia River.
1900-1901: "Bulldozer" in the Treadwell mines, Douglas, Alaska.
1901: Working in Prescott, Arizona; salmon fishing in Taku Inlet, Alaska.
1903-1904: Rows from Sitka to Juneau via Peril Strait and Seymour Canal.
1904: Begins hunting Alaska coastal brown bears.
1907: Guides 1907 Alexander Expedition, Southeast Alaska.
1908: Guides 1908 Alexander Expedition, Prince William Sound.
1909: Finishes building the Ebba, his first gas launch; collects specimens in Southeast Alaska for University of California Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
1911: Begins hunting bears for Dr. C.H. Merriam.
1912: Mauled by bear at Glacier Bay.
1913-1917: Living on Douglas Island, building dories for sale.
1916: Finishes building new gas launch, the Bulldogg.
1917: Settles at Mole Harbor, Admiralty Island.
1925: Guides Harold J. Coolidge and C. Day on bear hunt.
1920: Receives patent to Mole Harbor homestead; first visit from J. Holzworth; “Save-the Bear Campaign” begins.
1935: Buys last guiding license.
1938-1939: Mauled by bear at Pleasant Bay, Admiralty Island.
1953: Sells Mole Harbor homestead.
1954: Leaves for Washington D.C. and Florida.
1955: Returns to Alaska, admitted to Sitka Pioneers Home.
1956: February 19, dies in Sitka hospital.
SCOPE AND CONTENTS NOTE
There are two original series in the collection, Correspondence Received and Other Documents. The correspondence consists of letters received by Hasselborg. It also includes telegrams as well as acknowledgment of gifts of specimens he donated or sold to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California at Berkeley. Other documents include journals kept on hunting trips, weather journals, a brief trapping journal, licenses issued to Hasselborg, newspaper clippings, photographs, and miscellany. These two series cover the period from 1907-1955.
With the addition of accession no. 96-36 a third series, Correspondence Sent, was added in 1996. This series primarily contains letters and postcards written by Hasselborg to his sisters Flora and Ebba. It also contains a few letters written to his mother and other family members. In 1954-1955 there is a sub-series of letters between Ebba and Flora. The Hasselborg sisters’ letters were primarily about Allan Hasselborg’s condition and whereabouts after he left his Mole Harbor homestead in 1954. This series also includes the John Holzworth book The Wild Grizzlies of Alaska, annotated by Hasselborg, a few newspaper clippings, and photographs of bears. To retain the provenance of this accession, these items are included with the correspondence in the third series.
With accession no. 96-42, a fourth series, Correspondence with Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, was added to Ms 2. These letters were written by Hasselborg to various Museum staff members from 1909 to 1937 and document his activities during this time period.
Accession no. 2005-028 and 2012-003 total 13 folders which include photographs, negatives, and interviews collected during the research for the book Bear Man of Admiralty Island: A Biography of Allen E. Hasselborg by John Howe.
CORRESPONDENCE INDEX
MS 2, Box 1, Folder 1: Letters Received, 1907-1910 41 items
Date / Received from Correspondent: / # leaves1 / 8/22/1907 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 4
2 / 10/1/1907 / Joseph Dixon / 2
3 / 10/22/1907 / Annie M. Alexander / 2
4 / 11/25/1907 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 5
5 / 2/5/1908 / Joseph Dixon / 4
6 / 2/8/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 2
7 / 2/28/1908 / Annie M. Alexander / 2
8 / 3/10/1908 / Annie M. Alexander / 2
9 / 3/12/1908 / Joseph Grinnell, Dept. of Biology, Throop Polytechnic Institute, Pasadena, CA / 1
10 / 3/13/1908 / Joseph Dixon / 2
11 / 3/18/1908 / Annie M. Alexander / 2
12 / 4/16/1908 / Joseph Dixon / 2
13 / 4/19/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 2
14 / 6/1/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Yakutat / 2
15 / 6/15/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Orca, AK [postcard] / 1
16 / 6/15/1908 / Annie M. Alexander / 1
17 / 8/20/1908 / Commander, U.S. Navy, Hydrographer / 1
18 / 11/4/1908 / Joseph Dixon, Palo Alton, CA / 2
19 / 11/18/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 2
20 / 11/27/1908 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 5
21 / 12/3/1908 / Joseph Dixon, Palo Alto, CA / 2
22 / 2/4/1909 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 3
23 / 2/5/1909 / Annie M. Alexander / 1
24 / 2/14/1909 / Joseph Dixon, 235 Emerson St., Palo Alto, CA / 2
25 / 2/25/1909 / Annie M. Alexander, Oakland, CA / 2
26 / 3/19/1909 / J. Grinnell, Berkeley / 2
27 / 5/4/1909 / Joseph Dixon, Palo Alto, CAo / 1
28 / 8/4/1909 / J. Grinnell, Berkeley, California / 2
29 / 9/20/1909 / Joseph Dixon, Berkley CA / 2
30 / 10/13/1909 / J. Grinnell, Univ. of CA, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology / 1
31 / 11/15/1909 / Joseph Dixon, Palo Alto, CA / 2
32 / 11/17/1909 / J. Grinnell / 1
33 / 12/20/1909 / J. Dixon, Zoology Museum, Berkeley, CA / 1
34 / 10/20/1908 / ABSTRACT by Joseph Dixon (A New harvest Mouse from the Salt Marshes of San Francisco Bay, California)
35 / 12/20/1909 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1
36 / 1/14/1910 / J. Grinnell / 2
37 / 6/8/1910 / Joseph Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 2
38 / 7/23/1910 / J. Dixon, Zoology Museum, Berkeley, Calif / 1
39 / 8/28/1910 / Joseph Dixon, Escondido, CA / 2
40 / 10/2/1910 / Harry S. Swarth, King Edward Hotel, Victoria, BC / 2
41 / 11/19/1910 / J. Dixon, Escondido, CA / 2
MS 2, Box 1, Folder 2: Letters Received, 1911--1913 41 items
Date / Received from Correspondent: / # leaves42 / 2/8/1911 / G. Grinnell, Director, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley / 1
43 / 6/17/1911 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 2
44 / 4/10/1911 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley / 2
45 / 4/16/1911 / Joseph Dixon / 1
46 / 5/16/1911 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington D.C. / 3
47 / 6/27/1911 / J. Dixon, Escondido, CA / 1
48 / 7/18/1911 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley / 1 (2)
49 / 9/2/1911 / C. Hart Merriam / 1
50 / 9/21/1911 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley / 2
51 / 9/22/1911 / C. Hart Merriam / 1
52 / 9/24/1911 / J. Dixon, Escondido / 2
53 / 11/25/1911 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley / 1 (2)
54 / 2/7/1912 / H.S. Swarth, Berkeley / 2
55 / 2/14/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 2
56 / 2/16/1912 / Elton Clark, Ingersoll Amory & Co., Boston, MA / 1
57 / 3/2/1912 / Elton Clark, ditto / 1
58 / 3/13/1912 / Elton Clark, ditto / 1
59 / 2/18/1912 / J. Dixon, Escondido, CA / 1 (2)
60 / 5/11/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 2
61 / 6/13/1912 / Elton Clark, Ingersoll Amory & Co. / 1
62 / 7/9/1912 / C. Hart Merriam / 2
63 / 7/18/1912 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley / 1 (2)
64 / 8/17/1912 / Elton Clark, Boston, MA / 2
65 / 8/26/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas Marin County California / 1
66 / 9/9/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas Marin County California / 1
67 / 10/16/1912 / Harry S. Swarth, The Condor, Berkeley / 1
68 / 11/7/1912 / Joseph Dixon, Escondido / 1
69 / 11/8/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas Marin County California / 1
70 / 12/2/1912 / Elton Clark, Boston, Ma / 1
71 / 12/5/1912 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
72 / 12/5/1912 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas Marin County California / 1
73 / 12/12/1912 / J. Dixon, Escondido / 1
74 / 3/4/1913 / Joseph Dixon, Escondido Citrus Union / 1 (2)
75 / 4/21/1913 / Harry S. Swarth. Museum of History, Science, and Art, Los Angeles / 1 (2)
76 / 4/24/1913 / J. Grinnell, Berkeley, CA / 1
77 / 5/27/1913 / Elton Clark, Framingham, Mass
78 / 6/13/1913 / Chase Littlejohn, Redwood City, CA / 1
79 / 6/28/1913 / George S. Shiras(?), Marquette, MI / 1
80 / 8/2/1913 / Janie Guire???, Outdoor Life, Denver, CO / 1
81 / 8/8/1913 / Chase Littlejohn, Redwood City, CA / 2
82 / 8/9/1913 / Geo. Shiras? / 1
83 / 11/10/1913 / L.G. Cadbury, Kenai River - Seward, Alaska / 1 (2)
MS 2, Box 1, Folder 3: Letters Received, 1914--1919 41 items
84 / 1/16/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 285 / 3/4/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 2
86 / 3/28/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 2
87 / 4/16/1914 / L.J. Cadbury, The Manor House, Northfield / 2
88 / 5/5/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 1
89 / 6/24/1914 / Wells W. Cooke, Assistant, Biological Survey, Washington, D.C. / 1
90 / 7/2/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 1
91 / 7/9/1914 / L.J. Cadbury, the Manor House, Northfield / 1
92 / 9/19/1914 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas, CA / 1
93 / 3/21/1915 / Joseph Dixon, Escondido / 1
94 / 2/23/1916 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
95 / 3/18/1916 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
96 / 4/2/1916 / Joseph Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 2
97 / 4/20/1916 / Elton Clark, Boston, MA / 2
98 / 12/3/1916 / J. Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
99 / 12/7/1916 / Elton Clark, Boston, MA / 2
100 / 12/15/1916 / W. Wayne Babcock, Philadelphia, PA / 2
101 / 1/29/1917 / J. Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 1
102 / 3/24/1917 / Edward A. Preble, Assistant Biologist, Bureau of Biological Survey, Washington, D.C. / 1
103 / 5/25/1917 / C. Hart Merriam, Washington, D.C. / 1
104 / 8/28/1917 / C. Hart Merriam, Lagunitas, CA / 1
105 / 12/5/1917 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
106 / 12/15/1917 / V. L. Walker, Denver, CO / 2
Not found / early 1918? / [Elton Clark]-partial letter, handwritten / 1 (2)
107 / 1/30/1918 / Joseph Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 2
108 / 4/24/1918 / C. Hart Merriam, Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution / 2
109 / 6/5/1918 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
110 / 6/22/1918 / C. Hart Merriam, Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution / 2
111 / 8/12/1918 / Joseph Dixon, Berkeley, CA / 1
112 / 9/17/1918 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
113 / 10/1/1918 / C. Hart Merriam, Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution / 2
114 / 10/22/1918 / J. Walter Fewkes, Chief, Bureau of American Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. / 2
115 / 12/10/1918 / C. Hart Merriam, Bureau of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture, / 1
116 / 12/18/1918 / Joseph Dixon, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, U of C, Berkeley / 1 (2)
117 / 12/28/1918 / C. Hart Merriam, Research Associate, Smithsonian Institution / 1
118 / 1/11/1919 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
119 / 2/10/1919 / J. Grinnell, Director, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley / 1
120 / 3/19/1919 / Harry S. Swarth, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley / 1 (2)
121 / 5/13/1919 / Harry S. Swarth, Berkeley, CA / 1 (2)
122 / 5/20/1919 / Joseph Dixon, Wrangell, Alaska / 1
123 / 11/6/1919 / Joseph Dixon, Wrangell, Alaska / 1
MS 2, Box 1, Folder 4: Letters Received, 1920--1928 45 items