The Sidney Stevens Implement Company was founded in Ogden,
Utah, in 1865 as hardware store. It grew with Ogden and Weber County and came, by
the mid-1880's, to concentrate on the sale of agricultural implements and the purchase
and resale of farm commodities.
In 1890 a branch store was opened in Logan at
65 West Center Street with E.Farley as first local manager. Incorporated under Utah
Laws in 1896, the company eventually established branch houses in Preston, Montpelier
and Downey, Idaho; and in Garland, Utah, as well as in smaller surrounding communities.
About 1920 the entire chain was purchased by Ogden-based Eccles family interest and
the name changed to Mountain States Implement Company, a company which continued
in operation until 1969.
The papers of the Sidney Stevens Implement Company in
the holdings of theSpecial Collections Department of the U. S. U. Library are those of the
Logan Branch from 1891 to 1915, virtually the entire life of the branch. While Logan
operated directly under Ogden headquarters, it would seem that the two other main
branches of the company, those at Montpelier and Preston, Idaho, were subordinate to
the Logan Office.
The collection was presented to Utah State University in 1967
by Mrs. NettieAnderson of Logan through the good office of Dr. S. George Ellsworth.
In housing and collection at U. S. U., the integrity of the original filing order and the
labeling thereof has been preserved. For ease of handling, the collection has been
divided into two parts: Manuscript
Boxes and Bound Ledgers and Journals.
It is
noted that there exist gaps in the collection. Not all parts have evidently survived to the
present.
Inventory:
Part I Manuscript Boxes
Boxes 1 through 8 contain "General Correspondence," a category
which includes inquires, carbons of collection notes, correspondence with wholesale houses, letters to and from the branch houses.
Box 1 Jan. 1892-July 16, 1895
Box 2 1895-1897
Box 3 1898-1902
Box 4 1902-1903
Box 5 1905 (1904 missing)
Box 6 1906-1907
Box 7 1908-1909
Box 8 1910-1911
Box 9 1896-1901, Box 9 contains "Collection Letters," carbons of letters asking payment and replies from purchasers regarding payment of debts to the Company. Similiar correspondence was earlier filed under the heading "General Correspondence."
Boxes 10 through 14 contain "Invoices and Receipts." As the designation implies these are invoices and receipts for purchases by the Logan Branch directly from wholesale suppliers and to and from the Ogden Office and the various branch stores. Als
o included are receipts for payments of local bills--electricity, telephone, etc.
Box 10 1890-Feb. 13, 1895
Box 11 Dec. 1895-1897
Box 12 1898-1899
Box 13 Sept. 1, 1903-Sept. 1, 1911
Box 14 March 30, 1912-Dec. 31, 1914
Box 15 1890-1891, Boxes 15 through 26 contain "Ogden Letters." These are usually letters of instruction or inquiry from the main office to the manager of the Logan Branch (and less often carbons of letters from Logan to Ogden). The early letters also contain shippi
ng lists of material sent from Ogden to Logan, a form later called "Ogden Transfer Invoices" (see also Book 25).
Box 16 1892-1895
Box 17 1895-1898 (incl. Transfer Invoices)
Box 18 Jan. to Nov. 1898 (incl. Transfer Invoices)
Box 19 1898-1899 (incl. llransfer Invoices)
Box 20 1899-1900
Box 21 1901, 1903 (1902 missing)
Box 22 1904-1905
Box 23 1906-March 1908
Box 24 April 1908-1909
Box 25 Jan. 1910-June 1911
Box 26 July-Dec. 1911, 1914 (incl. 1914 correspondence with branches)
Box 27 April 30-Dec. 30, 1908, Boxes 27 and 28 contain "Note Receipts." Receipts indicate Ogden numbers given to the Notes when forwarded to the Main Office by the Logan branch.
Box 29 1896-1898 including letters from agents E. T. Dobson (1892), Wilford Chatterton (1892-98), James Meikle (1895-1902),
Boxes 29 through 33 contain "Preston Letters," letters from
the Preston Branch to Logan, including Preston Transfer Invoices. Also included are letters from company agents who canvassed northern Cache Valley, Malad Valley, Marsh Valley, and Gentile Valley for Sidney Stevens Implement Company.
Box 30 1899-1900
Box 31 190l-1904
Box 32 1904-1911
Box 33 1911-1912 (incl. 1912 correspondence wtih Sidney Stevens Branches at Montpelier, Garland and Downey)
Box 34 1896-1911, Box 34 contains "Montpelier Letters," correspondence from the
Montpelier Branch with Logan. Also included are letters of William A. Norton (1898), resident agent at McCammon, and George H. Fisher (1905-1906), traveling agent in the Bear Lake, Bear River, and Cache Valleys.
Box 35 Jan. 1892-Feb. 13, 1895,
Boxes 35 through 43 contains "Ogden Transfer Invoices," shipping lists with prices and serial numbers of stock forwarded from Ogden headquarters to the Logan Branch (see also Book 25).
Box 36 Feb. 1895-Feb. 1898
Box 37 Dec. 1898-Dec. 1900
Box 38 Jan. l901-July 29, 1902
Box 39 April 30, 1903-Feb. 1, 1905
Box 40 Feb. 1, 1905-Feb. 1, 1907
Box 41 Feb. 1, 1907-Feb. 1, 1908
Box 42 Feb. 1, 1909-Feb. 1, 1911 (also incl. Preston and Montpelier Transfer Invoices)
Box 43 Feb. 1, 1911-1915
Box 44 contains (a) "Credit and Debit Momoranda" (a book showing of the profit and loss of the Logan Branch and its "accounts" at Ogden headquarters) and (b) "Ogden and Branch Collection
Reports."
Box 45 1900-Oct. 1912, Box 45 contains "Stock Orders," orders for material from the warehouses at the Ogden headquarters.
Boxes 46 and 47 contain "Logan Transfer Invoices," stock shipped from Logan to the other branches.
Box 46 Feb. 9, l911-Jan 31, 1913
Box 47 Aug. 1, 1913-Feb. 1, 1915 (also incl. "Miscellaneous Inventories and Memoranda," 1911-1912).
Boxes 48 throuqh 50 contain "Freight Bills," OSLRR charges on shipments sent from the Logan Branch.
Box 48 1894 - April 8, 1889 (incl. "Bills of Lading," Feb. 5, 1897 - April 8, 1898)
Box 52 contains (a) employees' "Time Reports" and branch office "Deposit Slips" and (b) a blank checkbook of Sidney Stevens Implement Company, Logan Branch.
Box 52 (a) Sept. 12, 1907-Mar. 1, 1913.
Part II Ledgers
Books 0 through 10 are "Letterbooks" containing copies of letters sent by the Logan Branch.
Book 0 Feb. 17, 1891-Jan. 22, 1892 (largely Logan to Ogden office, see also Book 22)
Book 1 Feb. 1, 1891-Jan. 22, 1892.
Book 2 July 1, 1893-Feb. 2, 1895
Book 3 Feb. 4, 1895-April 26, 1896
Book 4 does not exist
Book 5 Dec. 18, 1897-Oct. 28, 1898
Book 6 Oct. 29, 1898-Aug. 2, 1899
Book 7 Aug. 2, 1899-March 16, 1900
Book 8 March 17, 1900-June 9, 1900
Book 9 June 11, 1900-July 7, 1902
Book 10 July 22, 1901-Oct. 7, 1902
Books 11 throuqh 16 contain "Invoices" for items
sold by the Logan Branch including transfers to other branches.
Book 11 Fe. 28, 1892-June 23, 1893 (see also Book 25)
Book 12 Nov. 14, 1898-May 28, 1900
Book 13 March 18, 1901-June 20, 1902 (Invoices, June 8, 1900 to March 16, 1901 in Book 8)
Book 14 June 21, 1902-Aug. 14, 1903
Book 15 Aug. 15, 1903-Oct. 16, 1906
Book 16 Oct. 22, 1906-July 22, 1909
Books 17 and 18 contain "Transfer Invoices": Stock shipped from the Logan Branch to the other branches or to Ogden.
Book 17 March 2, 1905-Jan. 31, 1908
Book 18 Jan. 11, 1908-Feb. 28, 1911
Books 19 through 21 are ÒJournal Daybooks," daily income and expenses of the Logan Branch.
Book 19 April 1890-July 16, 1890
Book 19a October 1891-Nov. 10, 1892.
Book 20 Nov. 19, 1892-Oct. 9, 1894
Book 21 Oct. 10, 1894-May 31, 1895 (incl. letters, June 23-24, 1896)
Books 22 and 23 are labeled "Remittance Books," but they seem to have combined the functions of daybooks and letterbooks. The designation seems to come from the fact that they contain account totals forwarded from Logan to Ogden.
Book 22 Feb. 9, 1891-Nov. 22, 1892 (largely letters from Farley, manager at Logan, to Sidney Stevens in Ogden)
Book 23 June 25, 1896-Nov. 14, 1898.
Books 24 throuqh 29 are "Ledgers" or in "Ledger" format.
Book 24 Journal (Daybook) Jan. 1, 1891-May 31 1895 (posted to Ledger "B")
Book 25 Invoices Aug. 5, 1890-Nov.12, 1891 (largely original Ogden Transfer Invoices tipped in, see Box 35ff.)
Book 26 Ledger "A" 1890
Book 27 Ledger "B" 1891-1898 (with index in pocket)
Book 28 Ledger "C" 1893-1904
Book 28a Index to Ledger "C"
Book 29 Trial Balance (incl. annual statements, Logan Branch 1903ff.)
For more information: 435/797-2663; Manuscript Librarian.
Special Collections & Archives, Merrill Library, Utah State University Libraries, Utah State University 84322-3000
