Wrightwood Papers

This collection contains 30 items dealing with the development of Wrightwood, California, in the San Gabriel Mountains, by Sumner B. Wright (1858-1944) and his business associates. The collection is divided into three main series, all arranged chronologically. All three sections deal with Wright's financially troubled years of the mid-late 1920s, when he and his business associates were taking steps to turn the cattle and apple operation into a vacation destination. The one exception is the first document in the container, which is the earliest and only document dating to 1922 and which deals with water-rights issues that affected the ranch's agricultural pursuits.

The first part of the collection is composed of correspondence between Sumner B. Wright and his business associates in the development of Wrightwood: Los Angeles banker A. J. (Arthur J.) Wheeler and San Francisco attorney James M. Oliver. Also included are letters from specialists hired as consultants to report on the history, climate, and geography of the area as part of the development's progress. Topics include: the environment and geography of the San Gabriel Mountains, water and riparian rights, bills and investments, business negotiations, the National Forest Service, and the development of roads.

The second part of the collection is composed of the legal and business documents or agreements made by and between Wright, Wheeler, and Oliver. These include acknowledgements of trusteeship, negotiation of investment-ownership in the land, and right to sell agreements.

The third part of the collection is composed of documents that describe or report on the Wright ranch, none of which appear to have been published. Some are the reports filed by the specialists and consultants on the meteorological, geological, and environmental conditions of the Wright ranch land, including reports by Ford A. Carpenter and Southern California Edison Company; others are documents that broadly survey and describe the ranch's history, location, water rights, and development potential - usually in a favorable light. One of these reports contains photographs of the landscape and environment.