Lomen Company
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Meatpacking, Livestock |
| Founded | 1914 in Territory of Alaska |
| Founder | Carl Lomen, Alfred Lomen |
| Fate | Herds transferred to Bureau of Indian Affairs under Reindeer Act in 1937 |
| Headquarters | Nome , United States (Territory of Alaska) |
| Products | Reindeer meat and hides |
Lomen Company was a prominent American meatpacking conglomerate originally established as Lomen Reindeer Corporation and subsequently renamed Northwestern Livestock Corporation. Its portfolio included subsidiaries such as Alaska Livestock and Packing Company, Nunivak Development Corporation, Lomen Commercial Company, and Arctic Transportation Company. The enterprise was founded in 1914 by siblings Carl and Alfred Lomen in what was then the Territory of Alaska.
History
Beginning in 1914, the Lomen brothers made significant investments in reindeer herding, and from 1920 to 1929, they built large-scale slaughter and processing operations. Their success was bolstered by pioneering crossbreeding efforts between caribou and reindeer. This enabled them to dominate the U.S. export market for reindeer meat and hides, surpassing Inuit small-scale producers. Over the period from 1914 to 1929, the company purchased 14,083 reindeer for a cumulative sum of US$236,156.
In 1926, Lomen collaborated with Macy's to implement a high-profile marketing initiative that featured Santa Claus riding a sleigh drawn by reindeer traveling through major cities such as Boston, San Francisco, Chicago, and Seattle. This campaign played a key role in popularizing the association of reindeer-pulled sleighs with American Christmas traditions.
Despite these achievements, the company encountered resistance from cattle industry lobbyists who influenced Congress to impose restrictions on the sale of reindeer meat. The economic downturn following the 1929 Wall Street Crash further diminished demand for Lomen’s products. A critical blow occurred on September 1, 1937, when the Reindeer Act transferred ownership of all Alaskan reindeer herds to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This legislation aimed to place control with Inuit communities, providing compensation to previous owners at rates between $3 and $4 per animal. The U.S. government acquired Lomen’s herds for roughly US$720,000.
It was not until 1997 that legal decisions once again allowed non-native individuals to possess reindeer herds in Alaska.