Manuscripts
Joe Wegener correspondence
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Joe Wegener correspondence
Manuscripts
The collection consists of 61 letters, 15 postcards, 7 pages from the Goldbrick Gossip, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) local newsletter of which Wegener was editor, and 1 newspaper clipping. All the letters and postcards, except two items, are from Wegener to Cecile Kingman, who lived in Alhambra, California. Writing from Camp Temescal and Mount Palomar, California, Wegener's letters offer a glimpse of life in the CCC. Wegener often writes about playing sports, typing reports, attending classes, playing the bugle, and his relationships with his fellow campers. After the CCC, Wegener writes about picking up odd jobs in Death Valley, California.
mssWegener
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Joe A.Y. letter to Harry
Manuscripts
Joe A.Y. addresses this letter to his friend "Harry" from Skagway, Alaska Territory on August 3, 1897. A.Y. provides details about the Klondike Gold Rush, with a focus on the possibilities for growth and prosperity awaiting Skagway. He informs Harry about Skagway's geographic setting, business conditions, commodity prices, labor costs, his estimation of how to succeed financially in Alaska, and his enthusiasm for the territory.
mssHM 83908
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Correspondence
Manuscripts
The Whitman correspondence begins on May 28, 1903 in Pasadena, California. Whitman writes to his mother about a potential automobile trip from San Francisco, California to New York and introduces her to his driving partner, E.I. Hammond. The duo will be trailing several hundred miles behind E.T. Fetch and M.C. Krarup, another pair on their way to New York. Whitman writes that he has more faith in his 4.5-horsepower Oldsmobile than the 1903 Packard, which Fetch is driving. Postcards and letters concerning his trip east are sent from various locations including Lovelock and Elko, Nevada, Ogden, Utah, Rawlins, Wyoming, and Elwood, Nebraska. On the road, Whitman and Hammond face mechanical issues, rugged roads, and harsh weather conditions. In one letter, Whitman writes about frightening a lone Indian to death when they approached him in their "machine." In another event, they recruited the help of two cowboys, who used "their lassos to pull us up a bank some 15ft high..." (July 20, 1903). When driving through the country side, the undeveloped roads prove to be difficult: "The country is all mud, terrible. We can make but little progress. This mud is the black adobe like lard and dries hard as flint" (Aug. 13, 1903). In Detroit, Michigan, Whitman meets Ransom E. Olds and appears to be an honored guest at an automobile race with 10,000 people in attendance. Whitman speaks too soon when he writes "I don't want any more endurance runs..." because he dashes across the continent again in 1904, 1906, and 1910 at record-setting rates, which include breaking Fetch's record. Whitman reflects that his automobile trip "helps to season and spice the short life we stay on this earth" (Oct. 18, 1903)
mssHM 81903-82022
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Correspondence
Manuscripts
The Whitman correspondence begins on May 28, 1903 in Pasadena, California. Whitman writes to his mother about a potential automobile trip from San Francisco, California to New York and introduces her to his driving partner, E.I. Hammond. The duo will be trailing several hundred miles behind E.T. Fetch and M.C. Krarup, another pair on their way to New York. Whitman writes that he has more faith in his 4.5-horsepower Oldsmobile than the 1903 Packard, which Fetch is driving. Postcards and letters concerning his trip east are sent from various locations including Lovelock and Elko, Nevada, Ogden, Utah, Rawlins, Wyoming, and Elwood, Nebraska. On the road, Whitman and Hammond face mechanical issues, rugged roads, and harsh weather conditions. In one letter, Whitman writes about frightening a lone Indian to death when they approached him in their "machine." In another event, they recruited the help of two cowboys, who used "their lassos to pull us up a bank some 15ft high..." (July 20, 1903). When driving through the country side, the undeveloped roads prove to be difficult: "The country is all mud, terrible. We can make but little progress. This mud is the black adobe like lard and dries hard as flint" (Aug. 13, 1903). In Detroit, Michigan, Whitman meets Ransom E. Olds and appears to be an honored guest at an automobile race with 10,000 people in attendance. Whitman speaks too soon when he writes "I don't want any more endurance runs..." because he dashes across the continent again in 1904, 1906, and 1910 at record-setting rates, which include breaking Fetch's record. Whitman reflects that his automobile trip "helps to season and spice the short life we stay on this earth" (Oct. 18, 1903)
mssHM 81903-82022
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Mortimer Chester papers
Manuscripts
Two diaries, one documenting Mortimer Chester's first trip to California in 1912 and his permanent move there in 1914, and another describing his experiences with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the Depression. His travel diary chronicles two cross country trips from Boston and demonstrates how he became convinced to move to California. Chester's account of the CCC camps describes camp operations, living conditions, and the character of the workers there. Photographs are undated but depict people and buildings, and some are labeled with locations, including Texas, Arizona, and Utah. Other photos are most likely of the CCC camps in the Sierra Nevadas, and depict snow removal and camp personnel, including a group of Black workers.
mssChester
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Diary - California trips
Manuscripts
Two diaries, one documenting Mortimer Chester's first trip to California in 1912 and his permanent move there in 1914, and another describing his experiences with the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the Sierra Nevada mountains during the Depression. His travel diary chronicles two cross country trips from Boston and demonstrates how he became convinced to move to California. Chester's account of the CCC camps describes camp operations, living conditions, and the character of the workers there. Photographs are undated but depict people and buildings, and some are labeled with locations, including Texas, Arizona, and Utah. Other photos are most likely of the CCC camps in the Sierra Nevadas, and depict snow removal and camp personnel, including a group of Black workers.
mssChester