Manuscripts
Eleanor F. Bennett diaries
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Harriet Hale Rix diaries
Manuscripts
The two diaries, which Harriet kept in 1882 and 1884, detail her life as a young single woman in San Francisco. She describes her social activities including parties, family camping trips, visits to the theater and her frequent trips to the library (she keeps lists of the books she reads in the back of the diaries); she also talks a lot about school and her family; she often mentions her sister Annie, who is away from home much of the time working as a teacher. Harriet often discusses the current political issues of the time including Chinese immigrants in California.
mssHM 66246-66247
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Martha Ellen Read Putnam diary
Manuscripts
Putnam begins the diary with her memories of her childhood and early life in Georgia and Arkansas. The daily entries begin in 1881, a few years after Putnam and her family moved to Pinal County, Arizona. Although the family owned a ranch and several mines, they were often in debt and moved back and forth between their ranch outside of Tucson, and the city of Tucson itself. While in Arizona, Putnam discusses in detail her personal and daily activities and the hardships she faced as the lone white woman in the area, as well as her contact with the Indians of the San Carlos Indian Reservation, including the Chiricahua, the Pima, and the Western Apaches. She mentions her fear of Indian raiding parties being lead by Chief Eskimizin. After the death of her husband in 1888, the family moved to Beaumont, California where her oldest son found a job with a railroad company. Putnam continued to travel to Tucson several times a year and finally moved to Los Angeles in 1894 where she was living when the diary ended in 1904
mssHM 64597
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Margaret Jane Cooper diary
Manuscripts
Cooper's diary begins January 1, 1862 while she was living in Pennsylvania. In March 1862, her husband Adam left for the mining town Lincoln City, Colorado. In 1863, she joined him in Colorado. She talks about Denver and mining some. She specifically talks about Indians possibly attacking Denver and martial law being enacted in February 1865. In 1867, she talks about her family's trip back to Pennsylvania (although it seems they later returned to Colorado). She also talks about Lincoln's assassination and funeral. Throughout the whole diary she talks chiefly about her personal life: visits with family and friends; the weather; church going; etc. The diary ends in April 1873. With the diary are six loose pages of writing by Cooper. These include information about her family and some diary entries. There is also a program for "Centennial Federal Reception" in 1876 as well as a letter by J. F. Lewis, MD, to Adam Cooper, also from 1876.
mssHM 80588
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Maria F. Watts letter to "Mrs. Foster,"
Manuscripts
Maria Watts thanks the otherwise unidentified Mrs. Foster for her visit, and offers advice for her possible move to the California town of Oakland, including details concerning the purchase of property. She advises Mrs. Foster not to delay, for she believes the price of land will increase sharply in the very near future.
mssHM 31265
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Carrie B. Call diary
Manuscripts
Diary kept during a journey by covered wagon from Salt Lake City, UT, to Los Angeles, CA, by Carrie B. Call, who traveled with her husband Jimmie, her niece Katie and her infant son Leslie. The Calls left Salt Lake City on October 24, 1886 and reached Los Angeles December 5, 1886. While on their journey they passed through several cities and sites including Provo and Santa Clara, Utah; the Las Vegas Mormon Fort and Rancho, Nevada; and Ivanpah and Pomona, California. The diary gives a day-by-day story of their trip. She details the people, scenery and hardships her family encountered on their trek, such as, the family sharing a campsite with a man chasing a horse thief and getting lost in the desert and having their horses run off. Being from Salt Lake City, she makes several comments regarding the Mormon families she met along the travel route. One of the first things the Call family did in California was visit the beach at Santa Monica. Call made several comments regarding California's perfect climate. The diary is illustrated by hand-drawn and hand-colored sketches done by the author
mssHM 60317
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West coast travel diary of a woman
Manuscripts
A western train trip diary of a young woman as she traveled from Chicago to the west coast in 1915. On the front page it is written "For Neva from Carrie." On the cover of the leather diaries, "My Travels" is lettered in gold gilt. The author traveled from Chicago to southern California with a stopover at the Grand Canyon, Los Angeles and San Diego where she celebrated her 32nd birthday. Then it was up the coast to Santa Cruz, San Francisco, Yosemite National Park, Oregon and Washington, and then it was over to Yellowstone National Park and back home to Salina, Kansas. There is a photo which accompanies the diary of a young woman in a hammock, which could be either Carrie or Neva. Also at the rear of the diary are a number of people listed with their addresses.
mssHM 83415