O.A. Cooper Company (Humboldt, Neb.) [RG4106.AM]

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY MANUSCRIPT FINDING AID



RG4106.AM:  O.A. Cooper Company (Humboldt, Neb.)



Records:  1912-1980

Humboldt, Richardson County, Neb.:  Feed and flour mill

Size:  1 box



BACKGROUND NOTE



In 1879, Orrin Alonzo Cooper, J.L. Linn, and L.B. Brinson established a flour mill operation in Humboldt, Nebraska. The original building of this firm, known as Linn, Cooper, and Brinson, was located in the southern portion of town near the Burlington Missouri Depot and cost fifty thousand dollars to construct. A grain elevator also operated in conjunction with the mill. Within a year, Mr. Brinson sold his interest in the company to the other two partners. The new firm of Linn and Cooper remained intact until 1890 when the partnership dissolved. For the next three years, Cooper alone was in charge of the operation. C.M. Linn, son of former co-owner Linn, became Cooper’s new partner in 1893 and remained in that capacity for the next fourteen years. By 1918, O.A. Cooper Company had attained corporate status and within a decade had diversified into mixed feeds. Subsequent growth necessitated acquisition of a feed mill in Beatrice in 1942. Soon thereafter, a new, larger plant and feed mill was constructed in Humboldt in 1944. A feed mill in Cozad was constructed in 1960.



By this time, the O.A. Cooper Company included the following as part of its operations: grain storage, feed and flour milling, and retail sales of various farm and petroleum products. Continued diversification and the need for increased production led to the construction of a more automated mill in South Sioux City in 1967. Two years later, Hammond Mills, Inc. of Oklahoma City became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Cooper Company. The latter sixth and final feed mill was constructed in 1973-1974 at Abilene, Kansas. During this period, the company further expanded by building liquid feed plants at the Humboldt and Oklahoma City locations. By the late 1970s, the O.A. Cooper Company employed approximately 200 people and distributed its products throughout a ten-state area including Nebraska, Texas and South Dakota. In the summer of 1980, the O.A. Cooper Company fell victim to a takeover bid by the Central Soya Company, Inc. of Indiana.



SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE



This collection consists of the records of the O.A. Cooper Company, Humboldt, Nebraska, and is arranged in two series: 1) Reports, 1923-1979; and 2) Miscellany, 1912-1980. The first series 1) Reports, 1923-1979, is further divided into three subseries: 1) Annual Reports, 1960-1978; 2) Company Audit Reports, 1923-1979; and 3) Miscellaneous Audit Reports, 1923-1976.



The bulk of this collection contains manuscript materials pertaining to the ongoing business activities of the O.A. Cooper Company. The collection is predominately composed of a variety of business reports, mostly audits. These audit reports illustrate the company’s financial status from 1923 to 1979 (some years missing) and comprise the first subseries in Series 1, Reports. Another subseries in the first series is Annual Reports, 1960-1978 (some years missing). These printed documents, issued to stockholders and others, outline the company’s yearly progress within the business community. Another important series in the collection is Series 2, Miscellany, 1912-1980. This series is comprised of promotional materials, as well as listings of Cooper retail outlets, salesmen, and stockholders. Also included is a small amount of Cooper family correspondence, a small diary, a company newsletter (1979), and a prospectus of Central Soya Company’s stock exchange offer in 1980.



DESCRIPTION



Series 1 – Reports, 1923-1979

Subseries 1: Annual Reports, 1960-1978



Box 1

Volume




    1. 1960

    1. 1961

    1. 1962

    1. 1963

    1. 1964

    1. 1965

    1. 1966

    1. 1968

    1. 1969

    1. 1970

    1. 1971

    1. 1972

    1. 1973

    1. 1974

    1. 1975

    1. 1976

    1. 1977

    1. 1978



Subseries 2: Company Audit Reports, 1923-1979



Volume




    1. 1923

    1. 1928

    1. 1942

    1. 1943

    1. 1944

    1. 1945

    1. 1946

    1. 1947

    1. 1949

    1. 1950

    1. 1951

    1. 1952

    1. 1953

    1. 1954

    1. 1955

    1. 1956

    1. 1960

    1. 1961

    1. 1962

    1. 1963

    1. 1964

    1. 1965

    1. 1966

    1. 1967

    1. 1968

    1. 1969

    1. 1970

    1. 1971

    1. 1972

    1. 1973

    1. 1975

    1. 1976

    1. 1978

    1. 1979



Subseries 3: Miscellaneous Audit Reports, 1923-1976



Volume




    1. O.A. Cooper Estate, 1923-1925

    1. Cooper Estate, 1925

    1. Hammond Mills, Inc., 1971

    1. Hammond Mills, Inc., 1976



Series 2 – Miscellany, 1912-1980



Folder




    1. Includes advertising, salesmen and stockholder lists, stock exchange offer information, 1912-1980

    1. Chart: Flour mill plansifter arrangement used by Lester Davis, a miller at O.A. Cooper Mill for 42 years (see OB063)



 



ADDED ENTRIES:



Beatrice (Neb.) — Businesses

Cooper, Guy Lester, Jr.

Cooper, Guy Lester, Sr.

Cooper, Orrin Alonzo, 1849-1923

Cozad (Neb.) — Businesses

Grain trade

Humboldt (Neb.) — Businesses

Mills and mill work

O.A. Cooper Company (Humboldt, Neb.)

Richardson County (Neb.) — History

South Sioux City (Neb.) — Businesses



 



Revised 10-29-2007   TMM

Become a Member!

Our members make history happen.

Join Now

You May Also Enjoy

Portraits of Omaha’s 1898 Indian Congress

Portraits of Omaha’s 1898 Indian Congress

Marker Monday: Shell Creek Pawnee Settlements

Marker Monday: Shell Creek Pawnee Settlements

The Huskers wore blue jerseys for Memorial Stadium’s first game

The Huskers wore blue jerseys for Memorial Stadium’s first game

About History Nebraska
History Nebraska was founded in 1878 as the Nebraska State Historical Society by citizens who recognized Nebraska was going through great changes and they sought to record the stories of both indigenous and immigrant peoples. It was designated a state institution and began receiving funds from the legislature in 1883. Legislation in 1994 changed History Nebraska from a state institution to a state agency. The division is headed by Interim Director and CEO Jill Dolberg. They are assisted by an administrative staff responsible for financial and personnel functions, museum store services, security, and facilities maintenance for History Nebraska.
Explore Nebraska
Discover the real places and people of our past at these History Nebraska sites.

Upcoming Events

View our new and upcoming events to see how you can get involved.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.

Latest Hall of Fame Inductee

The Nebraska Hall of Fame was established in 1961 to officially recognize prominent Nebraskans.

Become a Member

The work we do to discover, preserve, and share Nebraska's history wouldn't be possible without the support of History Nebraska members.
Nebraska Collections

History Nebraska's mission is to collect, preserve, and open our shared history to all Nebraskans.

Our YouTube Video Collection

Get a closer look at Nebraska's history through your own eyes, with our extensive video collections.

Additional Research Resources

History Nebraska Research and Reference Services help connect you to the material we collect and preserve.

Support History Nebraska
Make a cash donation to help us acquire, preserve, and interpret Nebraska’s history. Gifts to History Nebraska help leave a legacy and may help your taxes, too! Support the work of History Nebraska by donating to the History Nebraska Foundation today.

Volunteers are the heroes of History Nebraska. So much history, so little time! Your work helps us share access to Nebraska’s stories at our museums and sites, the reference room, and online.