Guide to the H.C. Shaw Company Collection

2015 San Joaquin County Historical Society

11793 North Micke Grove Road

Lodi, CA 95241

Phone: (209) 331-2055

Fax: (209) 331-2057

URL: http://www.sanjoaquinhistory.org/

H.C. Shaw Company Collection, 1900-1969

Collection number: MS27

San Joaquin County Historical Society

Processed by:: Matthew Keeling
Date Completed:: 2015
Encoded by:: Leigh Johnsen

2015

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