Descriptive Summary
Historical Background
Scope and Content
Access Points
Descriptive Summary
Title: H.C. Shaw Company Collection
Date: 1900-1969
Collection Number: MS27
Location:
Erickson Vault
Extent:
7 linear feet
Contributing Institution:
San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum
11793 North Micke Grove Road
Lodi, CA 95240
Language of Material: Records written in English
Abstract: The H.C. Shaw Company Collection consists of business-related material generated by a pioneering Stockton, California, agricultural
implement dealer and manufacturer best known for the invention, sales, and production of the celebrated Stockton Gang Plow,
a device noted for its role in facilitating cultivation of California's Central Valley.
Access Information
Collection is open for research by appointment.
Conditions of Use
The library can only claim physical ownership of the collection. Users are responsible for satisfying any claimants of literary
property.
Preferred citation: [Item name], H.C. Shaw Company Collection, MS27, San Joaquin County Historical Society and Museum, Lodi,
California.
Historical Background
Dating from 1867, the H.C. Shaw Company was one of the oldest and most venerated businesses of Stockton, California. Its founder,
Col. H. C. Shaw (d. 1904) is known mainly for his invention of the Stockton Gang Plow, a device that for the first time combined
several plow blades set parallel into one mechanism, thus facilitating cultivation of Central California's vast fields in
less time and with less labor than previously possible. In addition to making and selling gang plows, the company sold a variety
of agricultural goods and implements, including wagons, buggies, carriages, and carts.
Scope and Content
Material in the H.C. Shaw Company Collection dates from 1900 to 1969. The nature of its contents varies widely, from ledgers,
and insurance forms, to contracts, agent lists, lease agreements, receipts, and correspondence.
Access Points
Names and Subjects
Shaw, H. C. (d. 1904)
Plows--1860-1870
San Joaquin County (Calif.)--History
Stockton (Calif.)--History