Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Biography / Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Related Material
Separated Material
Descriptive Summary
Title: Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records
Dates: 1948-2013
Collection number: MS0035
Creator:
Campbell Soup Company
Collection Size:
3 linear feet
(5 boxes)
Repository:
Center for Sacramento History
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Abstract: The Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records document the plant's culture and history from 1948 to 2013. The majority
of the collection is made up of photographs of plant activities and employee events, and company publications, including annual
reports, newsletters, magazines, and anniversary celebrations. Also included are an employee scrapbook and various food industry
magazines.
Physical location: 1:K:6
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research use.
Publication Rights
All requests to publish or quote from private collections held by the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) must be submitted
in writing to csh@cityofsacramento.org. Permission for publication is given on behalf of CSH as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the patron.
No permission is necessary to publish or quote from public records.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item and/or item number], [box and folder number], Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records, MS0035,
Center for Sacramento History.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Matthew H. Valine (accession number 2014/030).
Biography / Administrative History
Joseph Campbell and Abram Anderson formed Campbell Soup Company in 1869. Their first plant was located in Camden, New Jersey,
and the company went through several changes in name and ownership before it began to expand its products and plants across
the United States and the world. In 1947, Campbell opened its third soup plant, and its first on the West Coast, in Sacramento,
California.
From 1947 to 2013, the Campbell Sacramento plant operated at 6200 Franklin Boulevard, covering 146 acres along Franklin from
38th to 47th avenues. Construction of the plant started in 1946 and the first day of production was on September 8, 1947.
Material shortages and restrictions during the Korean War delayed the official opening of the plant until 1954, when construction
of the plant’s kitchen, cafeteria, and W-1 office areas were completed. The plant continued to expand over the years, with
the addition of more warehouses in 1976, a 121,000-square-foot distribution center in 1994, and a 34,000-square-foot cold
storage building and 14 acre, 2 megawatt solar power array in 2010.
Campbell’s Sacramento plant helped develop the area’s robust canning industry and created stable well-paying jobs for 66 years.
During its operation, the plant produced thousands of products, including soups, sauces, and beverages, and employed up to
2,000 people at a time. In 2013, Campbell Soup Company closed the plant and shifted production and equipment to plants in
other states, stating Sacramento was its oldest and most expensive plant to operate. With the closure, 700 full-time jobs
were eliminated.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records document the plant's culture and history from 1948 to 2013. The majority
of the collection is made up of photographs of plant activities and employee events, and company publications. Photographs
include negatives, prints, and digital files that are mostly undated, though some are dated from the late 1940s to the early
1950s. Publications include annual reports, newsletters, magazines, and anniversary celebrations. Also included in the collection
are an employee’s scrapbook, various food industry magazines, and a can of soup from the final day of production.
Arrangement
The collection is organized into 3 series:
Series 1: Publications
Series 2: Photographs
Series 3: Other records
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Campbell Soup Company
Campbell Soup Company--History
Cannery workers--California--Sacramento
Industries--California--Sacramento
Related Material
Materials related to the Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records may be found in the following collections at the Center
for Sacramento History:
Illa Collin papers (MS0001)
Alexander Media Services videotapes (2003/098/TEMP1035), "Campbell Soup Sacramento."
Separated Material
One unopened can of pasta with chicken soup from the last date of production on the line, January 31, 2013, was separated
from the archival material.