The William T. Coleman Story - 1880s British Columbia Promotions
In 1884 William T. Coleman officially became a megalomaniac. That was the year that he hired Forbes Litho Company in Boston to produce for him a thirty-page, 10" X 14," full color promotional book, with which he could take over the coastal canning and packing industry from San Francisco to Alaska. So, everyone could see his grand scheme - it was out in the open.Coleman had been a successful produce broker in Southern California in earlier years, but after a stint in dubious law enforcement in San Francisco he embarked on the huge project which is presented in this lithographic marvel concerning West Coast markets and food delivery. He advertised offices in New York and Chicago. And the maps and advertisements from British Columbia are among the earliest promotions known from the Province. The only towns listed in BC are Victoria and New Westminster. Vancouver is no where to be seen. The only city in Oregon recorded was Portland, and no town appears on the Washington Territory coast, not even Seattle.The expense that Coleman went to produce this magazine was huge. His dream was never realized, we know that. But we don't know much else. We do know, from a small article published in the New York Times on May 13, 1888 with the headline "A Canning Factory Fails." The article states that Coleman helped re-finance the factory in Alameda County, which was owned by J. Lusk. But by 1888 the debts had mounted too high. Mr. Coleman dreamed big, and ended small.Here is a review of some of the most memorable of the large pages in Coleman's magazine:Page 23Is this the finest ad for canned salmon ever? Best in my memory. The scotsmen are a nice touch.
Page 22Coleman's "Bank" is featured in the top scene, as it appeared, in reality or fantasy, at Flavel's Wharf in Astoria, Oregon. And below is a fabulous panoramic ad from Washington Territory for Bear Brand Salmon.
Page 27This is the earliest British Columbia Salmon ad in color I have seen. The factory in the mountains was a part of Coleman's plans for borax mining, with his factory working away in the hills of Utah.
Page 18The lovely packaged raisin page.
Page 11Coleman's map of his take-over of Pacific coast canning and packing. Notice how few towns are shown and that all but Sacramento are on the ocean. Notice also that above British Columbia is not the Northern Territories of today, but a place called Stekin.
The Back Cover featured at the beginning of this blog was most eye-popping of all - and the best for label aficionados. Forbes printed a layout of Coleman's labels - probably never produced - in a lovely full page design. Here you will find labels for peaches, pears, apricots, raspberries, and of course, for salmon.