John and Alan Blum Northwest Aviation Collection
Collection
Identifier: 2009-09-04
The John and Alan Blum Northwest Aviation Collection consists of visual and textual materials that highlight the personal lives of the Blum brothers and their work at Northwest Air Service, which John Blum founded in 1929. The collection consists of a photograph album and loose photographs, assorted ephemera, and a scrapbook related to the life and careers of the Blum brothers, dating to the 1920s-1940s.
At the beginning of the collection are five folders of assorted textual and ephemeral items relating to Alan Blum and Northwest Air Service, including pilot licenses, an issue of The Pennzoiler, and a log book. Please note that the materials in Folder 1 were found inside of the logbook. Additionally, there is a scrapbook comprised primarily of newspaper clippings, many regarding the Renton Airport and the Blums' work at Northwest Air Service. Other topics include aviation events, such as races and crashes. Additional materials include two issues ofTail Spins [a Pacific Northwest aviation newsletter] by Walt Bohrer, and event programs. There is also a clipping about the fatal crash of P. F. "Pop" Hotchkiss in 1938.
The bulk of the collection consists of approximately 800 black-and-white photographs, most of which are housed in the photograph album while the remaining images are loose. The photographs are a mix of personal and career-related, depicting vacations, people, aircraft, and aviation-related events. The photographs vary in size from 2x3" to 8x10" and are primarily casual snapshots and also include a small number of photographic holiday greeting cards. Album images are affixed to pages with very brief handwritten captions, which identify people (often by only first or last name), aircraft, dates, events, and locations. Some of the loose images include brief captions and/or stamps on the reverse of the image. Stamps include "Oliver R. Phillips" and "U.S. Army Air Service 91st Observation Squadron."
In general, the personal images in the collection show family and friends participating in a variety of leisure activities, such as camping, skiing, and flying. However, the majority of the images are aviation-related and include planes, events, locations, and people that the Blums were associated with. A small list of names includes Gene Meyring, Frances Winslow, Dorothy Hester Stenzel, William Boeing, and Wiley Post, among many others. There are also snapshots of the facilities where the Blums worked, including Renton Airport and Boeing Field. Additionally, an impressive array of aircraft are featured, many of which are at least partially identified. A very small sampling includes a Boeing Model 299, a Lockheed Vega, a Lockheed Electra, and others by aircraft manufacturers such as Sikorsky, Waco, Ford, Arrow, and Stinson.
Events featured include the 1930 Northwest Air Tour, the Seattle to Chicago Air Derby, and a 1937 "Trip Around Olympic Peninsula." Additionally, some pictures touch upon notable events in Pacific Northwest aviation history, such as the fatal flight of Wiley Post and Will Rogers, the crash landing of a Northwest Air Service plane on the roof of the Bon Marche department store building in Seattle, and activities at the then-newly founded Sand Point Naval Air Station, including a panoramic group portrait of U.S. Navy Air Squadrons based at the Sand Point Naval Air Station in 1929. On the front of the image, along the bottom of the image, are two captions, "[Asahel?] Curtiss 55391" and "VN Squadron R[D?] 13, Sand Point 1929."
Also depicted are scenic images of nature and outdoor activities in locations across the Pacific Northwest in the 1920s and 1930s, including various locales and cities in Alaska, Oregon, Washington (state, and Canada. There is also one aerial image accompanied by a clipping from an unidentified publication. The photograph features Mount Blum [formerly Bald Mountain] while the clipping discusses how the name was changed to honor John Blum and his forestry service work after his fatal aircraft crash.
At the beginning of the collection are five folders of assorted textual and ephemeral items relating to Alan Blum and Northwest Air Service, including pilot licenses, an issue of The Pennzoiler, and a log book. Please note that the materials in Folder 1 were found inside of the logbook. Additionally, there is a scrapbook comprised primarily of newspaper clippings, many regarding the Renton Airport and the Blums' work at Northwest Air Service. Other topics include aviation events, such as races and crashes. Additional materials include two issues ofTail Spins [a Pacific Northwest aviation newsletter] by Walt Bohrer, and event programs. There is also a clipping about the fatal crash of P. F. "Pop" Hotchkiss in 1938.
The bulk of the collection consists of approximately 800 black-and-white photographs, most of which are housed in the photograph album while the remaining images are loose. The photographs are a mix of personal and career-related, depicting vacations, people, aircraft, and aviation-related events. The photographs vary in size from 2x3" to 8x10" and are primarily casual snapshots and also include a small number of photographic holiday greeting cards. Album images are affixed to pages with very brief handwritten captions, which identify people (often by only first or last name), aircraft, dates, events, and locations. Some of the loose images include brief captions and/or stamps on the reverse of the image. Stamps include "Oliver R. Phillips" and "U.S. Army Air Service 91st Observation Squadron."
In general, the personal images in the collection show family and friends participating in a variety of leisure activities, such as camping, skiing, and flying. However, the majority of the images are aviation-related and include planes, events, locations, and people that the Blums were associated with. A small list of names includes Gene Meyring, Frances Winslow, Dorothy Hester Stenzel, William Boeing, and Wiley Post, among many others. There are also snapshots of the facilities where the Blums worked, including Renton Airport and Boeing Field. Additionally, an impressive array of aircraft are featured, many of which are at least partially identified. A very small sampling includes a Boeing Model 299, a Lockheed Vega, a Lockheed Electra, and others by aircraft manufacturers such as Sikorsky, Waco, Ford, Arrow, and Stinson.
Events featured include the 1930 Northwest Air Tour, the Seattle to Chicago Air Derby, and a 1937 "Trip Around Olympic Peninsula." Additionally, some pictures touch upon notable events in Pacific Northwest aviation history, such as the fatal flight of Wiley Post and Will Rogers, the crash landing of a Northwest Air Service plane on the roof of the Bon Marche department store building in Seattle, and activities at the then-newly founded Sand Point Naval Air Station, including a panoramic group portrait of U.S. Navy Air Squadrons based at the Sand Point Naval Air Station in 1929. On the front of the image, along the bottom of the image, are two captions, "[Asahel?] Curtiss 55391" and "VN Squadron R[D?] 13, Sand Point 1929."
Also depicted are scenic images of nature and outdoor activities in locations across the Pacific Northwest in the 1920s and 1930s, including various locales and cities in Alaska, Oregon, Washington (state, and Canada. There is also one aerial image accompanied by a clipping from an unidentified publication. The photograph features Mount Blum [formerly Bald Mountain] while the clipping discusses how the name was changed to honor John Blum and his forestry service work after his fatal aircraft crash.
Dates
- 1921-1945
Creator
- Blum, Alan L., 1907-1994 (Creator, Person)
Language of Materials
All materials are in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.
Conditions Governing Use
The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.
Extent
1 Cubic Feet (1 full-width letter size document box, 1 oversize box, and 1 oversize folder)
Abstract
The John and Alan Blum Northwest Aviation Collection consists of visual and textual materials related to the lives and careers of John and Alan Blum. John founded the Northwest Air Service Company and Alan served as President after his brother died in a plane crash in 1931.
Historical Note: Northwest Air Service
Northwest Air Service was founded in 1929 by John R. Blum. His investors included:
William Strain (a Renton coal mining operator), Vice President
Melville Monheimer (an attorney in Seattle), Secretary
Elden Pollock, Treasurer and Technical Director
Robert E. Ellis, Asst. Secretary and Chief of Field Operations
Biographical Note: Alan L. Blum
Alan L. Blum was born on April 2, 1907. He attended the University of Washington for two years but did not graduate. Blum served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and Army Air Force, including in the Strategic Air Command from 1941-1967. Blum ultimately retired as a Lieutenant Colonel.
Before his Army career, Blum took over as President of Northwest Air Service Co. at the death of his brother, John. He served as President from 1931 to 1945, whereupon new ownership took over the company. Alan L. Blum died in Newport Beach, California in 1994.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.
Before his Army career, Blum took over as President of Northwest Air Service Co. at the death of his brother, John. He served as President from 1931 to 1945, whereupon new ownership took over the company. Alan L. Blum died in Newport Beach, California in 1994.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.
Biographical Note: John R. Blum
John R. Blum was born in 1905 in Valdez, Alaska and grew up in both Alaska and Seattle, Washington with his family, including his brother Alan, and sister Elizabeth. His father, Sam Blum, was a Seattleite who made and lost a fortune as a merchant and banker in Juneau, Cordova, Valdez, and Chitina, Alaska. Blum graduated from the University of Washington and was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. He also attended the Naval Reserve Training School and was an Ensign in the U.S. Navy.
Blum had a varied career in the aviation industry; he bought, sold, and maintained airplanes, flew air mail, and worked in fire reconnaissance. Blum founded Northwest Air Service Company in 1929, and served as President until his death in a plane accident in 1931.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.
Blum had a varied career in the aviation industry; he bought, sold, and maintained airplanes, flew air mail, and worked in fire reconnaissance. Blum founded Northwest Air Service Company in 1929, and served as President until his death in a plane accident in 1931.
Source:
Biography derived from collection materials and donor information.
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.
Processing Information
The item in Folder 11 was removed from its original frame for preservation reasons. All of the paper items held within the frame were preserved and kept with the photograph to preserve context.
- Aeromarine Klemm
- Air pilots -- Licenses -- United States
- Aircraft accidents
- Alaska
- Alaska-Washington Airways
- American Aeronautical S-55
- American Aeronautical S-62
- Arrow (NE) Sport Model 66
- Baker, Mount (Wash.)
- Blum, Alan L., 1907-1994
- Blum, Elizabeth
- Blum, John R., 1905-1931
- Blum, Mount (Wash.)
- Boeing B-1 (Model 6)
- Boeing B-17 Model 299 Flying Fortress ("XB-17")
- Boeing Model 200 Monomail
- Boeing Model 80A
- Boeing Model 95
- Boeing P-12 Family
- Boeing, William Edward, 1881-1956
- Bohrer, Walt
- Bowman, Marti
- Bryn Mawr Air Service
- Buroker, Herb, 1895-1973
- Clayton Scott Field (Renton, Wash.)
- Consolidated Fleetster Family
- Curtiss Falcon Family
- Curtiss SOC Seagull Family
- Fairbanks (Alaska)
- Fairchild 21 (FT-1)
- Fairchild 22-C7 (Kreider-Reisner C7)
- Fairchild 51
- Fairchild 71
- Fleetwings Sea Bird Family
- Foltz, Edith, 1902-1956
- Fort Lewis (Wash.)
- Glass Flying Service (Alaska)
- Glass, Donald A., 1904-1943
- Hotchkiss, Perry F. "Pop", 1893 circa-1938
- Irving, Wilbur
- Juneau (Alaska)
- Keystone Bomber Family
- King County International Airport
- Lincoln (Aircraft) Sport Plane
- Lockheed Model 1/2/5 Vega Family
- Lockheed Model 10 Electra Family
- Lockheed Model 8 Sirius/Altair Family
- Lockheed Vega "The Chichigof"
- Meyring, Gene, 1904-1975
- Mirow Air Service
- Munter Aircraft Charter Service
- Munter Special (1913)
- Munter, Herbert, 1895-1970
- National Aeronautic Association (U.S.)
- Naval Station Puget Sound (Wash.)
- Neah Bay (Wash.)
- Nicholas-Beazley (Barling) NB-3
- Northwest Air Service
- Northwest, Pacific
- O'Donnell, Gladys
- Oregon
- Pacific Alaska Airways
- Pennzoil Company
- Phillips, Oliver R.
- Point Hope (Alaska)
- Post, Wiley, 1898-1935
- Puget Sound (Wash.)
- Rainier, Mount (Wash.)
- Rankin, John Gilbert "Tex", 1894-1947
- Renton (Wash.)
- Rogers, Will, 1879-1935
- Ryan B.7 Brougham
- Savoia-Marchetti S.55 Family
- Savoia-Marchetti S.56
- Seaplanes
- Stearman-Hammond Model Y-1S
- Stenzel, Dorothy (Hester), 1910-1991
- Stinson (Aircraft) SM-2AC Junior
- Stinson (Aircraft) SR-7B Reliant
- Stinson, Thomas D., 1929-1949
- United States. Army. Air Service
- United States. Army. Air Service. Aero Squadron, 91st
- United States. Navy
- Vancouver (Wash.)
- Victoria (B.C.)
- Vought UO-1 (UF-1)
- Waco (OH) BSO (Waco 165) (J-6-5-Powered Waco 10) (ATC #168)
- Waco (OH) CSO (Waco 225) (J-6-7-Powered Waco 10) (ATC #240)
- Waco (OH) INF (ATC #345)
- Waco (OH) QCF-2 (ATC #416)
- Waco (OH) QDC (ATC #412)
- Waco (OH) RNF (ATC #311)
- Washington (State)
- Wien, Noel, 1899-1977
- Winslow, Frances
- business cards
- clippings (information artifacts)
- de Havilland D.H.80A Puss Moth
- de Havilland D.H.89 Dragon Rapide Family
- greeting cards
- logs (records)
- newsletters
- photograph albums
- photographic postcards
- photographic prints
- printed ephemera
- scrapbooks
Creator
- Blum, Alan L., 1907-1994 (Creator, Person)
- Blum, John R., 1905-1931 (Creator, Person)
- Title
- Guide to the John and Alan Blum Northwest Aviation Collection
- Status
- Completed - Level 3
- Author
- L. Zaborowski, J. Parent
- Date
- 2010
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Edition statement
- 4th Edition
Revision Statements
- 2014, 2018: This finding aid has been revised to reflect updated DACS and Museum of Flight standards.
- November 2018: Finding aid migrated to ArchivesSpace.
- September 2022: Updated collection title
Repository Details
Part of the The Museum of Flight Archives Repository
Contact:
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org
9404 East Marginal Way South
Seattle Washington 98108-4097
206-764-7874
curator@museumofflight.org