William Henry Pettee papers

The collection consists primarily of letters, some of which were written by William Henry Pettee from California (Yuba and Feather River areas and San Francisco, 1870-71), from Colorado (South Park Topographical Expedition, 1869), and from Freiberg while studying at the Royal Academy of Mining (1865-68). The main subjects are the California State Geological Survey; Josiah Dwight Whitney; Colorado; and Freiberg.

A significant portion of the collection consists of correspondence addressed to Josiah Dwight Whitney from various persons (520 letters, including those from William Henry Pettee to Whitney).

Correspondents represented in the collection include: William Henry Brewer, William More Gabb, Wendell Phillips Garrison, Watson Andrews Goodyear, Leo Lesquereux, Josiah Dwight Whitney, and William Dwight Whitney.

The collection also contains some photographs of William Henry Pettee and other members of the Pettee family, members of the California State Geological Survey, and images of Europe during the years Pettee was studying in Freiberg.

The collection falls into four main groupings: Notable individuals represented by 4 or more letters include William Henry Brewer, William More Gabb, Wendell Phillips Garrison, Watson Andrews Goodyear, Leo Lesquereux, Josiah Dwight Whitney, and William Dwight Whitney.