The collection contains three series: Biographical\personal Information, Business Papers, and Hammond Estate Papers, primarily documenting John H. Hammond's land speculating, real estate, and commercial development activities in West Superior, Wisconsin, from 1879 until his death in 1890. Also documented is the management from 1890 to 1893 of Hammond's properties by his son Ogden Hammond and H. Knox Taylor, and Ogden's own real estate investments in West Superior.
Most significant of the BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL material is Hammond's autobiography which describes his early life, military career, extensive travels, and railroad, real estate, and development ventures up to 1885. It provides a vivid account of his efforts to convert timber and swamp lands into the townsite of West Superior. Hammond's obituary and a memorial tribute provide additional biographical information. Also important is an account book of John H. and Sophia Hammond. Initiated on the date of their marriage in 1864, the ledger contains detailed information on family income, assets, household and travel expenses, investments, and real estate transactions in both Chillicothe, Missouri and Clinton, Iowa where Hammond engaged in speculative activities. Entries end in 1872. Other personal material includes a group photograph showing General Hammond in uniform, numerous railroad passes, and an 1889 passport giving a physical description. A few copies of outgoing letters, circa 1876-1877 reflect Hammond's efforts to obtain the governorship of the Territory of Huron.
BUSINESS PAPERS, many of which are undated, primarily concern various railroads and the Land and River Improvement Company. Although he organized and directed a number of different railroads in the Midwest and South, the file here is incomplete and suggests rather than documents Hammond's activities. The exception are minutes of the Lake Superior Terminal and Transit Railway, circa 1882, which document Hammond's role in planning and organizing the company. Also of interest is a prospectus for the Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic, a line Hammond formed around 1879; by-laws of the Lake Superior and Southwestern which he organized in the late 1880s and handwritten articles of incorporation for the Wisconsin and Minnesota Railroad listing Hammond as a director. A few items pertain to the Northern Pacific Railway, including a lengthy inventory of the company's properties in West Superior and their values.
Papers related to the Land and River Improvement Company, 1879-1890, undated, include draft prospectuses, title abstracts, deeds, lists of property values, sectional maps, and scattered letters primarily regarding lots purchased, sold, or donated by Hammond or the company. Fragmentary evidence of one of the company's commercial developments, most likely the West Superior Hotel completed in 1889, is contained in building estimates and contracts. Draft petitions reflect the company's interest in improving streets by bringing in water and sewer lines. Several maps of West Superior, (1887-1894), printed by the Land and River Improvement Company and showing lots sold, are available in the Archives Reading Room.
HAMMOND ESTATE files consist mainly of letters to Ogden Hammond and H. Knox Taylor, managers of the estate based in St. Paul Minnesota. Topics include the collection of rents and mortgage payments, property insurance, sale of lots owned by the estate, and construction of the Hammond Block in 1891. Frequent correspondents include Carl Wirth, prominent Superior architect; John L. Lewis, head of the City Improvement Company; F. Baylis, a New York real estate and investment agent; Moulton, Moran 8 Company, a West Superior real estate, loan and investment company; and the Superior Loan and Debenture Company, a firm which collected rents and mortgage payments, managed properties, and made improvements.
