Hi everyone. I came across your discussion a couple of years ago when doing some research on the Argo canned salmon advertising and "educational experiment" held by the Alaska Packers Association (APA) early in the 20th century. It was quite exciting to read how many people who grew up eating croquettes from the Argo How to Eat Canned Salmon Cookbook decades after this "experiment" had ended. As one of the writers mentioned, her Mom insisted the canned salmon be Argo and she could no longer find it. Alaska Packers stopped canning Argo canned salmon by 1910, but their recipe books, which were pocket sized, stayed in families for years. My interest in canned salmon came about due to a series of cookbooks published by the Alaska Packers that are now in the museum collection at San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park where I work. Recently I wrote an article for our web site describing the history of these cookbooks and the grand "experiment" the APA ran early last century. That experiment was conducted in parts of the South, Midwest, New England, and New York City - many of the places people on this thread or their parents came from. Anyone interested in a bit more information about why and how your parents came to use and serve canned salmon can read the Argo canned salmon story at http://www.nps.gov/safr/historyculture/how-to-eat-canned-salmon.htm. I've enjoyed reading your comments. hope you enjoy learning a bit more about those canned salmon croquettes and how they became your "family favorites."
