This collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera that document several generations of the Baker family of Owens Valley, California.

The Bakers were residents of the Owens Valley in California. They were one of the Owens Valley's oldest pioneer families. Through various marriage arrangements, the Baker family became tied to other pioneer families, such as the Hines, the Bells, and the Whites. One of the first Bakers to reach California was William A Baker, who arrived to California in 1849. Originally from Richmond, Virginia, he travelled to the mining camps of San Francisco, California. He visited his sister Mary E. Bell in Independence, California in the early 1850s and decided to settle near Big Pine, California, where he homesteaded a ranch, now known as the Baker Ranch. In the spring of 1872, Fannie Fain White came to the area with her uncle John B. White from Knoxville, Tennessee. She met William A. Baker in Independence and they married in October 1872, settling in his ranch. Moreover, Mr. William A. Baker's neighbor, Andrew Neal Bell married Mr. Baker's sister, Mary Louise Baker (not Mary E. Baker) in 1870. She brought her sister, Sarah Baker with her to California, and Sarah Baker soon married John B. White, Mrs. Fannie F. Baker's uncle. Mr. and Mrs. William A. Baker had five children: George A., William F., Fannie, Elton P. and Walter Baker. Mr. William A. Baker died in 1885 and his son Walter Baker died in 1908. They were buried in Big Pine, California. George A. Baker, however, married Mary E. Baker (also referred to as May Baker), daughter of James F. Hines, and they settled in his father's ranch. They had two daughters, Irma Garner (also referred to as Irma Baker) and Alice Walters. In 1932, Mrs. Fannie F. Baker sold the Baker Ranch to the city and relocated her family to Fontana, California.

315 items in 6 boxes and 1 oversize folder

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