Opening Hours
Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
Rare Books
Opinion on title to the "Rancho Suey" lying in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, California
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Rare Books
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Daily: 10 A.M.–5 P.M.
Closed on Tuesdays
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108
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Manuscripts
The collection contains letters, documents, including 190,000 reports, 1200 maps, 500 photographs, and 8200 pieces of printed material related to the life and career of Ralph Arnold. Subjects represented in the collection include: mining, petroleum, and seismology in the Western United States as well as Canada, Mexico, Cuba, and South America; political papers from 1914 to 1956, mostly concerning the campaign of Herbert Hoover for president; family and personal papers from 1836 to 1961 of Arnold and his father, Delos Arnold, containing source material on Pasadena and Southern California local history. The collection also contains Arnold's field books, including those made at Stanford University with the U.S. Geological Survey from 1900 to 1909.
mssArnold
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Rare Books
42406
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Manuscripts
The documents demonstrate the range of legal, financial, and real estate-related transactions initiated by or concerning the Oreña Family and their associates. Included in this series are title deeds, land claims, and land grants pertaining to the family's properties in Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Ventura and Los Angeles Counties. Also included are receipts and invoices. The manuscripts include four works pertaining to the Oreña Family as well as other early California families, namely the de la Guerra family. The series also contains two typewritten manuscripts: the first is Occurrences in California, as reported by Angustias de la Guerra Ord and the second is Carlota Koch's "La Guipuzcoana," which chronicles the lives of Gaspar Orena, Cesareo Lataillade, Maria Antonia de la Guerra, and those of their acquaintances. The correspondence includes personal and business letters to and by the Oreña Family members and their associates. Among the authors is Alfred Robinson (b. 1806-d.1895), author of Life in California (1891). Four photographs of the Columbus Library in Seville, Spain comprise the fourth series. These black-and-white photos were taken in September 1955. The photographer, who included only his/her initials of "AK," indicated that the images are not available for publication. Finally, three items comprise ephemera. These include two 1891 arguments issued by the Supreme Court of the State of California relating to the case of C.E. Lataillade, Plaintiff and Appellant, vs. Gaspar Oreña, Defendant and Respondent. The final item in this series is an autographed note written on a fragment of an ANP-ANETA News Bulletin, dated April 23, 1951.
HM 70916
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Manuscripts
Includes Adelaida Quadrangle; Piedras Blancas Quadrangle; Pozo Quadrangle; San Luis Quadrangle; and San Simeon Quadrangle.
mssVanGundy
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Visual Materials
A collection of photographs and maps compiled by American geologist and petroleum engineer Ralph Arnold (1875-1961), documenting his pioneering work in oil and mineral exploration, chiefly in the Western United States, Mexico and Venezuela, from 1900 to 1954. The collection centers on 64 photograph albums that span 50 years of Arnold's life and work. Photographs are accompanied by Arnold's typed captions identifying geological features; oil and mining activities; technical data; and dates and locations, i.e. often an oil or mining "district" or "field," such as "Sunset Field" (California). Subject matter includes geological and topographical features such as rock formations, faults and schisms, mountain structure, geothermal activity, and open land with potential drilling or mining spots. Earthquake faults are seen and described in many of Arnold's California investigations. There are also views of small and large-scale oil operations (by individuals and by organized companies); details of oil flow and reservoirs; asphalt; drilling equipment; workers and fields of oil wells. Arnold's work took him all over the Western United States, particularly California oil fields, but also Texas, Wyoming, Arizona, Alaska and other states. From 1911-1916 he was primarily in South America, and in the 1920s-1940s, mostly in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Mining operations are the focus of some albums, showing investigations for tin, gold and other minerals; mines and ore processing, all with detailed descriptions. Arnold also often photographed people: colleagues and business associates, oil lease owners on their properties; workers (particularly Black and Asian workers in Venezuela); and friends and family. Personal photographs are throughout the album, such as of his wife, Winninette, and their two daughters; Stokes family members (Winninette's family) in South Pasadena; and alumni of Pasadena High School and Stanford University. Arnold was an avid gardener and the albums contain detail views of cactus and tropical plants, and scenes of Arnold collecting wild orchids in Trinidad, Venezuela and Mexico. The maps date from 1880-1948 and include U.S.G.S. and geological maps, California oil fields and well locations; layouts of mines, and various tract maps showing oil company-owned land.
photCL 311