El Cajon Horticultural Society Records, 1889 July 10-1909 November 13

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Summary

Title:
El Cajon Horticultural Society Records
Dates:
1889 July 10-1909 November 13
Creators:
El Cajon Horticultural Society.
Abstract:
The collection contains a ledger of the El Cajon Horticultural Society from July 10, 1889 through November 13, 1909.
Extent:
0.5 Linear feet (1 box)
Language:
Preferred citation:

El Cajon Horitcultural Society Records, MS 254, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

The ledger contains records of the El Cajon Horticultural Society from July 10, 1889 through November 13, 1909, including a constitution, by-laws, elected officers, members, and meeting minutes. The ledger records meeting minutes from July 10, 1889 to December 27, 1902, with no entries from 1903 through 1908; this 5 year hiatus is left unexplained. Meeting minutes record the date as a heading above the meeting notes and are signed at the end by the secretary or the secretary pro tem. In most cases, the meetings consist of a call to order, a reading of the last meeting minutes, reports of the officers and committee members, unfinished business, new business, open discussion, and meeting adjournment, though the detail of each record differs from meeting to meeting.

The meetings are concerned primarily with the discussion of different agriculture techniques and what can be done to improve conditions in the valley community. Horticultural methods like grafting and budding are discussed in detail. Society members debate specific cultivating methods of citrus trees, grapes, flowers, and fruit. Several of the meetings are primarily concerned with water development and what can be done to increase water efficiency in their farming endeavors. An entire meeting is devoted to the topic of fertilizer and another on the topic dairy farming. One meeting notes different methods for deterring rabbits and squirrels.

The Society also notes their concern regarding the well-being of their community as a whole. On occasion they divert from agriculture topics to societal issues, such as how to diminish the number of drinking and gambling establishments in town. It appears they desired to establish an agricultural library, which would have been the first of its kind in San Diego County. It is unclear if this library was ever actually established.

Biographical / historical:

The El Cajon Horticultural Society was formed in July of 1889. The original 18 members met in the El Cajon school house and were comprised of local ranchers and farmers. G.H. Bowers was the temporary secretary for the Society’s first meetings, with George M. Hawley adopting the role officially. W.H. Somers served as president, C.B. Richards as vice-president, and H. Culbertson as treasurer. The goal of the society was to unite the growing community of farmers to discuss agricultural topics and methods.

In the late 1800s, El Cajon was a thriving agrarian community, though like the rest of San Diego County, the city lacked a consistent water supply. In 1889, the San Diego Flume Company completed a 33.5 mile aqueduct that ran from the Cuyamaca Mountains down through the El Cajon Valley with the intent to help irrigate San Diego as a whole. The Horticultural Society took great interest in the construction of the irrigation system and even met with representatives from the San Diego Flume Co. to discuss the city’s interests and negotiate water rights. The society changed their name to the El Cajon Valley Improvement Association in 1909.

Processing information:

Collection processed by Lauren Rasmussen on February 2, 2012.

Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Arrangement:

Pages of bound ledger are arranged chronologically.

Physical / technical requirements:

Some pages are torn. Others are partially or completely detached from binding. Edge of ledger is warped.

Loose materials in ledger removed, but retained in the same folder with notations of original location for each item. (February 14, 2012)

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Finding aid prepared by Lauren Rasmussen
Sponsor:
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Date Prepared:
February 2, 2012
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2012-03-14T09:36-0700

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred citation:

El Cajon Horitcultural Society Records, MS 254, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Location of this collection:
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92101, US
Contact:
(619) 232-6203
Website