Caroline C. Briggs papers

Caroline Crane Briggs wrote the majority of the 47 letters to her children, Sophia Crane Ristine and Benjamin Crane. The first few letters (1878) give a detailed description of the Briggs' journey to California through New Mexico and Arizona; these letters include comments upon the New Mexico and Arizona deserts and the Pima Indians. Her other letters are chiefly about her life in the new-founded city of La Crescenta. She talks about her personal activities and her travels through the Los Angeles area including Pasadena and Long Beach. She also talks about her friends and neighbors as well as her husband's business and property dealings. There is one letter by Caroline Crane Briggs to her husband and one letter by him to her. Also included in the collection are two poems by Caroline Crane Briggs about life in southern California, an essay she wrote entitled "Thanksgiving Day 1888," and eight pieces of ephemera including an obituary for Dr. Benjamin B. Briggs.