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Riter Brothers Drug Company records

 Collection
Identifier: UUS_COLL MSS 224

Scope and Contents

Prescriptions filled by Riter Brothers Drug Company pasted in four large ledger books for the years 1903-1904, 1905-1907, 1913-1914, and 1915-1918. The prescriptions are arranged numerically according to a prescription number.

Dates

  • 1903-1918

Language of Materials

Material in English

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions on use, except: not available through interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances.

Permission to publish material from the Riter Brothers Drug Company records must be obtained from the Special Collections and Archives manuscript curator and/or the Special Collections and Archives department head.

Historical Note

The Riter Brothers Drug Company owned retail stores in Logan and Garland, Utah and in Franklin, Preston, and Montpelier, Idaho. The Logan store was located at 33 North Main. In addition, Riter Brothers did business as a wholesale distributor throughout northern Utah, southern Idaho, and western Wyoming.

The officers of the company were members of the Riter family. According to the 1904 Polk Directory for Logan, William W. Riter was president, Benjamin Franklin Riter was general manager, and Samuel W. Riter was secretary and treasurer.

The history of the company can be told in large part by tracing the career of Benjamin Franklin Riter (1859-1925). The son of Levi Evans and Rebecca Wollerton Riter, B. F. was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on August 31, 1859. After studying chemistry at the University of Utah, Riter started work in 1876 as a pharmacist for retail druggists Taggart and Son in Salt Lake City. In 1878, he worked for George W. Hoyt in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 1880 Riter formed a partnership with Dr. O. C. Ormsby and went into business in Logan, Utah as Ormsby & Riter. The company filled an important niche as it was the only drug store between Ogden, Utah and Helena, Montana. Finally, in 1891, Riter Brothers Drug Company was incorporated in Logan.

The Utah State Historical Society holds related records in the Franklin Riter Manuscript Collection. Franklin, as he preferred to be called, was Benjamin Franklin Jr. the son of Benjamin Franklin Riter. Although most of the collection documents Franklin's life, box one contains Riter Brothers Drug Company financial ledgers for 1882-1905.

Extent

4 books and 1 box (2.25 linear feet)

Abstract

Consists of prescriptions filled by Riter Brothers Drug Company, pasted in four large ledger books, letterheads, and price lists.

Arrangement

Arranged by chronological order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Riter Brothers Drug Company ledger books were donated by Darrin Smith in 1992. The letterheads and price list were purchased by USU Special Collections and Archives from Ken Sanders Rare Books in 2000.

The ledger book in box 1, folder 3 was purchased by USU Special Collections and Archives from Ken Saunders Rare Books in 2014.

Processing Information

Processed in February of 1998.

Title
Guide to the Riter Brothers Drug Company records 1903-1918
Author
Finding aid/Register created by John Powell
Date
©2011
Description rules
Finding Aid Based On Dacs (Describing Archives: A Content Standard)
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid encoded in English.

Revision Statements

  • 2009: Template information was updated to reflect Archives West best practice guidelines.
  • 2014 July 10: Box 1, containing the Riter Bros. Letterheads, business cards, and price lists, was added to the collection.

Repository Details

Part of the Utah State University, Merrill-Cazier Library, Special Collections & Archives Repository

Contact:
Merrill-Cazier Library
Utah State University
3000 Old Main Hill
Logan Utah 84322-3000 United States
435 797-8248
435 797-2880 (Fax)