Manuscripts

Diary - Civilian Conservation Corps

Description: 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.
Type: Manuscripts(Opens in new tab)
Date: 1933
Call number: mssChester
Creator

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

Image not available

Mortimer Chester papers

Manuscripts

mssChester

Image not available

Photographs

Manuscripts

mssChester

Image not available

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

Image not available

Joe Wegener correspondence

Manuscripts

mssWegener

Image not available

Elias S. Ketcham diary

Manuscripts

Elias S. Ketcham of Rondout (Kingston), New York, kept this diary while living and working in the gold fields of California in 1853-54. He prospects for gold in Murphy's Camp, CA, but is not particularly successful in the mines. Ketcham often discusses his desire to return home to NY, his experiences as a miner, and his religious beliefs. The diary provides a colorful description of life in the mining camps: he describes his impressions of Indians, Mexicans, and Chinese and also discusses violent incidents in the mining communities

mssHM 58269

Diary - Civilian Conservation Corps

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Diary - California trips

Mortimer Chester papers

Photographs

Joe Wegener correspondence

Joe Wegener correspondence

Elias S. Ketcham diary