Guide to the Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records

Ruby Buentello
Center for Sacramento History
551 Sequoia Pacific Blvd.
Sacramento, California 95811-0229
Phone: (916) 808-7072
Fax: (916) 264-7582
Email: csh@cityofsacramento.org
URL: http://www.centerforsacramentohistory.org/
© 2019
Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Campbell Soup Company Sacramento Plant records

Collection number: MS0035

Center for Sacramento History

Sacramento, CA
Processed by:
Ruby Buentello
Date Completed:
9/13/2019
Encoded by:
Ruby Buentello
© 2019 Center for Sacramento History. All rights reserved.

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.

 

Series 1. Publications

Physical Description: 1 linear foot

Series Scope and Content Summary

Includes publications from the company in the form of annual reports, newsletters, magazines, and anniversary celebrations ranging from 1948-2013.
 

Subseries 1.1 Campbell People, Sacramento Edition

Box 1 , Folder  1-14

Campbell People, Sacramento Edition 1948-1961

 

Subseries 1.2 Campbell People, Other Locations

Box 1 , Folder  15-16

Campbell People, Other Locations 1952, 1958

 

Subseries 1.3 Harvest

Box 1 , Folder  17

Harvest 1970-1975

 

Subseries 1.4 Annual Reports

Box 1 , Folder  18-25

Annual Reports 1955-2004

 

Subseries 1.5 Quality Times

Box 1 , Folder  29

Quality Times 1952, 1958

 

Subseries 1.6 Sacramento Plant 60th Anniversary Booklet

Box 1 , Folder  30

Sacramento Plant 60th Anniversary Booklet 1947-2007

 

Subseries 1.7 Sacramento Plant “Pride Book” and photocopy of book

Box 1 , Folder  31

Sacramento Plant “Pride Book” & photocopy of book 1947-2013

 

Subseries 1.8 The Eleventh Decade

Box 1 , Folder  32

The Eleventh Decade 1977-2007

 

Series 2. Photographs

Physical Description: 1.78 linear feet

Series Scope and Content Summary

Photographs includes negatives, photographs, and digital content that are mostly undated, but a few are from the late 1940s to the early 1950s and display plant activities and employee events.
 

Subseries 2.1 Negatives

Box 3-4

Negatives ca. 1945-1955

 

Subseries 2.2 Photographs

Box 5

Photographs undated

 

Subseries 2.3 Digital

Box 2 , Folder  7

Sacramento Plant DVD-R 1947-2013

Box 2 , Folder  8

Photo's & Presentation on USB Drive 1940-2012

 

Series 3. Other records

Physical Description: 0.20 linear feet

Series Scope and Content Summary

Contains a scrapbook made for employee Florence Harrell, food industry magazines, miscellaneous papers, and the last can manufactured at the plant.
 

Florence Harrell Scrapbook

Box 2 , Folder  26-28

Florence Harrell Scrapbook 1952, 1958

 

Campbell Soup Can

 

Campbell Soup Can 2013 January 30

 

Miscellaneous Papers

Box 2 , Folder  33

Miscellaneous Papers undated

 

Food Industry Magazines

Box 2 , Folder  1

Food Industry Magazines 1981-1988