Frederick E. Smith papers

Frederick E. Smith papers, 1865-1988

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Smith, Frederick E. --1914-1979
Title: Frederick E. Smith papers
Dates: 1865-1988 (inclusive)
18651988

1898-1988 (bulk)
18981988
Quantity: 5 linear feet.
Collection Number: XOE_CPNWS0060smithfe (collection)
Summary: The Frederick E. Smith papers document the research of a self-trained historian born in Blanchard, Washington. The bulk of the collection comprises research material regarding the Equality Colony, a socialist Utopian settlement based near present-day Bow-Edison in Skagit County, Washington between 1897 and 1907.
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: Access to some oral history interviews will require advance permission from interviewees.
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

Born in Blanchard, Washington, Frederick E. Smith (1914-1979) held a keen interest in the history of his hometown and the surrounding region. Much of his research focused on the history of the Equality Colony, a socialist utopian community near present-day Bow-Edison between 1897 and 1907.

In the course of his research, Smith conducted numerous interviews with former colony members and nearby residents, and gathered photographs documenting the colony and its inhabitants. Smith’s research formed the basis for his manuscript Equality Colony, published posthumously by his sister, Florence Lowe, in 1988. His other research interests included socialism, the International Workers of the World (Wobblies), and the history and culture of Native Americans in the Northwest. At the time of his Equality research, Smith worked as a sign-painter and lived in Everett, Washington.

The Equality Colony was founded and financed by members of the Brotherhood of the Cooperative Commonwealth (B.C.C.). Organized in 1895 in Maine, the B.C.C. hoped to encourage the spread of socialism by establishing socialist colonies in the American West. In October 1897, B.C.C. member G.E. “Ed” Pelton purchased 280 acres near Blanchard, Washington for the site of “Equality”. At its height, the colony had an estimated population of 200-300 people. Colonists operated their own sawmill, creamery and school, and published a newspaper entitled Industrial Freedom. In 1905, under the influence of anarchist Alexander Horr, the colony re-organized as “Freeland Colony,” By 1907, however, suffering from financial difficulties and an increasingly factionalized membership, the colony disbanded and sold its property.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Frederick E. Smith papers document the research and interests of self-trained historian Frederick E. Smith. The bulk of the collection comprises research material regarding the Equality Colony, a socialist Utopian Colony based near present-day Bow-Edison in Skagit County, Washington between 1897 and 1907. Smith’s papers also reflect his broad interest in local and regional history, including labor and Native American history.

Smith’s research papers include correspondence with his sister, Florence E. Lowe, regarding the progress of his Equality Colony manuscript, as well as drafts and a final version of the manuscript completed and printed by Lowe in 1988. The collection also contains subject-based note cards compiled by Smith during the course of his research, a small number of copies of the colony newspaper, Industrial Freedom, and newspaper articles regarding “Equality.” Photographs document colony buildings and inhabitants, and include publicity shots taken by photographer P.L. Hegg.

Smith’s research papers also include a small number of photocopied articles regarding Native American tribes in Washington State, clippings about the Telegraphic systems and Telegraph Road, and a photograph of the steamship “Verona” (one of the vessels carrying I.W.W. members during the “Everett Massacre” of 1916).

Reel-to-reel audio recordings include Smith’s interviews with former members and nearby residents of the Equality Colony, and their descendents. The interviews include discussion of the individuals and families who lived at the colony and their experiences, as well as public perceptions of the colonists. Interviewees also discuss the history and changing landscape of Blanchard and surrounding Skagit County, and the history of the Samish people. Reel-to-reel tapes also contain copies of records and radio broadcasts recorded by Smith in the 1960s, including a 1967 program about the Everett Massacre, and programs from Moscow radio.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies requires advance notice for use of reel-to-reel audio recordings.

Preferred Citation

Frederick E. Smith papers, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham WA 98225-9123.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The Frederick E. Smith papers are organized in accordance with the following series and subseries arrangement:

Series I: Research Projects 1854-1988, bulk 1898-1988
- Sub-series 1. Equality Colony 1898-1988
- Sub-series 2. Puget Sound and Pacific Northwest History 1854-1978
Series II: Audio Materials 1967-1970

Acquisition Information

The provenance of the Frederick E. Smith papers is unknown.

Processing Note

Ruth Steele processed the Frederick E. Smith papers for the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies in 2006.

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

Bibliography

Smith, Frederick E. Equality Colony Bellingham, 1988 LeWarne, Charles Pierce. Utopias on Puget Sound, 1885-1915. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1975.

Related Materials

University of Washington Libraries in Seattle houses issues of the newspaper, Industrial Freedom, letters written by Equality Colony member Henry Demarest Lloyd, and records of Whidbey Island's Freeland Colony (including Equality Colony materials).

Additional images of the Equality Colony are housed at the Museum of History and Industry in Seattle, and in the Mickey Neylan Collection at University of Washington Special Collections.

Interviews from the 1962-1979 Skagit County Oral History Project include discussions of the Equality Colony. Transcripts are available at the Skagit County Historical Museum in La Conner, and the Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Washington University.

The Charles Pierce LeWarne collection at Western Washington University Libraries' Special Collections contains reference material regarding collective settlements in the Pacific Northwest.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

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

Series I: Research Projects , 1854-1988 , (bulk 1898-1988 ) Return to Top

Container(s)	Description	Dates
	Subseries 1 : Equality Colony research	1898 – 1988
Box/Folder
1/1	Correspondence re: Equality Colony manuscript	circa 1971-1972
	Equality Colony manuscript
Box/Folder
1/2 - 1/5	Drafts and revisions	undated
2/1 - 2/2	Handwritten draft	undated
2/3 - 2/4	Typed Manuscript (unbound)	1988
2/5	Typed Manuscript (bound)	1988
	Research Note Cards
Box
3	People (A-Z)	circa 1960-1970
4	Subjects	circa 1960-1970
5	Subjects	circa 1960-1970
Box/Folder
6/1	Newspapers - Industrial Freedom (Equality Colony Newspaper)	1900, ; 1974
6/2	Newspapers - clippings re: Equality Colony	1898, ; 1900, ; 1961
	Photographs
Box/Folder
6/3	Prints - Buildings	circa 1900-1910, ; undated
6/4	Prints - Landscapes	1900, ; 1969, ; undated
6/5	Prints - People	circa 1898-1900, ; undated
6/6	Prints - People	circa 1900-1908, ; 1941, ; 1969, ; undated
6/7	Negatives	undated
OversizeFolder
1	Proof sheets for Equality Colony manuscript	circa 1988
Box/Folder
6/8	Socialist Party Membership card (copy)	1901
6/9	Souvenir of Equality School membership	1902
6/10	Student Paper: Bradley Gamroth “Equality Colony: Reasons for the Founding of the Colony and its downfall”	1993
	Subseries 2 : Puget Sound & Pacific Northwest History	1854-1978
	Articles re: Northwest Native Americans
Box/Folder
7/1	Indian Story-telling and folk-tales.	1953
7/2	Gibbs, George, Extract from Indian Tribes of Washington Territory	1854
7/3	Collins, June M. “Distribution of the Chemakum language”. Extract from Indians of the Urban Northwest	1949
7/4	Lambert, Mary Ann, “Circumstantial Evidence,” extract from Dungeness Massacre and other Regional Tales	1961
Box/Folder
7/5	Articles and clippings re: telegraphic systems and the Telegraph Trail ,	1865, ; undated
7/6	Image of the Steamship Verona (“the Wobbly battleship”)	undated

Series II: Audio Recordings, 1967-1970 Return to Top

All recordings are on reel-to-reel tape (1⅞ speed unless otherwise noted). Interviews and phone conversations are sometimes interspersed with Smith's comments - much of the identifying description is taken from Smith's notes on the reel-to-reel boxes. Where noted, the tapes are damaged or contain poor quality recordings.

Container(s)	Description	Dates
box-reel
8/1	“Dwayne and Brenda” (family recording. )	1967 October.
8/2	“Dave” (family recording – poor quality)	1967 October 13.
8/2	Charles LeWarne [minor tape damage circa 0025]	1967 December 17.
8/3	child – barely audible	1967 November 4
8/4	Nellie Halladay re: Equality Colony and Blanchard.	November 17, 1967.
8/4	Edna Boherns Rogers re: Equality Colony	1967 November 19
8/4	Mary Blanche Smith re: EC	1967 November 19
8/4	Frederick Smith comments re: Edna Boherns Rogers / Labor Songs.	Undated
8/4	Edna Boherns Rogers re: Native Americans in Blanchard.	1968 March 5
8/5	Edna Rogers re: Blanchard, Barbeau North, Native Americans, Canadian Plains, Equality	1967 November 21; ; 1967 November 22
8/5	Mary Blanche Smith	1967 November 22
8/6	Edna Rodgers, Colony Photos	1967 November 29
8/6	Edna Rogers	1968 January 29
8/7	African-American High School Students on Bus / Izak Jesson & Mary Jane Redcay	1967 December 1
8/7	Emma Peterson re: Equality	1967 December 4
8/8	Emma Peterson	1967 December 4
8/9	Alice & George Lawson, Blanchard	1967 December 5
8/10	Edison: Howard Morrison / Mrs Prentice re: Pearsons	1967 December 6
8/10	Mrs and Mrs (Tillie?) George Coble	undated
8/11	Hans Solie	1967 December 8
8/12	Edith Hovig on Bow	1967 December 18
8/12	Emma and Johnson on Vernona and Colony	1967 December 12
8/13	Etta Kenyon Kerr – Blanchard and Colony	1967 November 30
8/13	Etta Kenyon Kerr/Grace Kenyon Peterson/Colony	1967 December 31
8/14	Phone conversation with Mrs Geneva Graham, Secretary of Samish Tribe [Tape damage at 0179] 10 min.	1968 January 5
8/15	Interview with Mrs Geneva Graham (Secretary, Samish Tribe). [Tape damage at 0035 and 0080]	1968 January 7.
8/16	R.A. “Bob” Pierson and Charles Lewarne (Freeland and Equality)	1968 January 27
8/17-8/18	Mel Brann on Samish, Blanchard, and Colony	1968 March 1
8/19	Phone conversation with Mrs. Harriette Dover (Tulalip, Samish and Books)	1968 March 8
8/19	Mrs Nellie Halladay re: Colony	1968 March 13
8/20 - 8/21	Bill Giles, Wenatchee	1968 March 28
8/22	Freeland - Ernie Lieseke	1968 April 13
8/22	Austin Marshall, Fred Smith, Steven Uthoff	1968 April 13
8/23 - 8/25	Charles Marquart, Sedro-Woolley (Equality)	1968 July 18
8/26	E & K. Kallstrom	1968 August 20
8/26	Mrs Edna Rogers	1968 August 27
8/27	“Emma Hertz and Johnson”	1968 September 24
8/28	Mary Scott – Samish Island	1968 October 2
8/29	Howard C. Ault	1968 October 11
8/30	Howard C. Ault, Tacoma.	1968 October 11
8/31 - 8/32	Dick Lewis, Amy Lewis, Ruby May Johnson (Seattle)	1968 October 15
8/33 - 8/34	Roland Lewis, Anacortes	1968 October 18
8/35	Minnie Missoura Lang re: Equality (Everett)	1968 December 4-5
8/36	Mrs Dora McClintock and Mrs Otis Metcalf “concerning Charles H. Pelton”	1968 December 9
8/37	Rose Savage, Scotty Eichholtz (Anacortes)	1969 April 7
8/37 - 8/38	Thomas Scott Eicholtz	1969 April 7
8/38	Bernard Halladay	1970 June 7
8/39	Mary Eddy Chown re: Equality (Olympia)	1969 April 11
8/40	Giles and Dodge at Bow	1969 June 9
8/41	Giles at Burlington / Giles and Dodge at Bow	1969 June 9
8/42	Bernard Halladay, Everett	1969 June 22
8/43	Blanchard picnic with Florence Pelton Clark, Bud Ault, Gladys Ault Gray, Mr. and Mrs. Howard Ault, Mrs “Mickey” Cunningham, Mrs. “Babe” Bridgeman, George Gray, Mel Brann, Bill Giles .	1969 August 17
8/44 -8/45	Gladys Ault Gray, Mrs Mickey Cunningham, Mrs Bridgman (Seattle)	1970 June 20
8/46	Charles Marquat, Sedro-Woolley	undated
8/47	Lawson	December 5
8/48	Suzanne and Janna Dohner	undated
8/49	Songs and Dances of Washington Coast Indians (Neah Bay, La Push)	January 30, 1968
8/50	Recording of Indian music, Northwest (Puget Sound) from Library of Congress	undated
8/51	Indian Music of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Folkways Record)	December 8, 1967
8/52	Everett Waterfront Wobblies - radio program	1967 November 13
8/52	Loggers Tavern Scene	1967 November 14
8/53	Songs of the Revolution / “News .. Songs..Mao”	1967 November 8
8/54	International Music / Voice of Lenin	1967 October 23
8/55	Radio Moscow: 50th Anniversary Songs to Lenin; News; Speech by Chedi Jagan; Science and Engineering Space Link-up / Kosmos 186/188 link	November 7-8
8/56	Speech by Lin Piao 50th Anniversary (Mao Tse Tung’s Thought)	1967 November 8
8/56	News; Moscow 50th Anniversary / 10 Days that Shook – Reed	1967 November 8
8/57	Peking; NHK; Moscow / Music From Moscow; News and comment	1967 November
8/58	Commentary on Cultural Revolution; Cuba; Songs of the People / Chou En Lai; Radio Moscow	1967 October 8-9
8/59	Cuba: Havana; Latin America / Vietnam	1967 October 3
8/60	Peking: Inner Mongolia Revolutionary Committee; Music and News / Inner Mongolia; Music	1967 November 2
8/61	Peking: 18th Anniversary of Chinese Revolution	1967 October 1
8/62	Mockba: What is Communism?; Jazz; Vietnam Solidarity Week / Pravda Commentary / Threat of Federal Germany ; Moscow University Choir; News	1967 December 15
8/63	Music from Mockba / Ira Blue	1967 November 15
8/64	Cuba; Vietnam	1967 October 25
8/65	Mao Quotes; Moscow; Venus Landing / Cultural Revolution	October 21
8/66	Peking: 18th Anniversary Celebration; Radio Moscow News and Commentary	1967 October 1
8/67	Peking; Russian drama and music; Nihon Tamra (?)	undated
8/68	US In Vietnam; Red Guard Cultural Revolution / Venus Probe; News; What is Communism?	1967 October 23
8/69	“Fragment” (Radio program with music)	October 25
8/70	Radio Moscow broadcast	1967 October 25
8/71	Radio Moscow broadcast	1967 October 25
8/72	Family recording	undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

Indians of North America -- Washington (State) -- History -- Sources.
Indians of North America -- Washington (State) -- Skagit County -- History -- Sources.
Collective settlements -- Washington (State) -- Skagit County -- History -- Sources.
Communal living -- Washington (State) -- Skagit County -- History -- Sources.
Everett Massacre, Everett, Wash., 1916 -- History -- Sources.
Labor disputes -- Washington (State) --Everett -- History -- Sources.
Socialists -- Washington (State) -- Skagit County -- History -- Sources.
Utopian socialism -- Washington (State) -- Skagit County -- History -- Sources.

Personal Names

Frederick E. Smith -- 1914-1979--Archives

Geographical Names

Blanchard (Wash.) -- History -- Sources.
Equality Colony (Skagit County, Wash.) -- History -- Sources -- Photographs.
Equality Colony (Skagit County, Wash.) -- History -- Sources.

Titles within the Collection

Equality Colony

Other Creators

Personal Names
- Hegg, P.L. -- (Peter L). (creator)

Archives West Finding Aid

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