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Conservative Water Company Records: Finding Aid
mssConservative Water records
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Table of contents
Title: Conservative Water Company Records
Dates (inclusive): 1900-1967
Collection Number: mssConservative Water records
Creator:
Conservative Water Company.
Extent: 310 items in 2 boxes + an oversize folder
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: This collection includes correspondence, reports and ephemera of the Conservative Water Company in
the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, dating from 1900-1967. Many of the letters deal with the company’s public
health, financial, and legal
issues.
Language: English.
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to
quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such
activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is
one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Conservative Water Company Records, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Purchased from Elliot Mittler, November 20, 2009; several maps were a gift of
Elliot Mittler, April 26, 2010.
The Conservative Water Company was a water supply company in the neighborhood of
Watts, within Los Angeles, California. Originally named Conservative Realty Company,
this company was founded by W.C. Elderton and it served the Watts community selling
land on the Burkhard home tract. In 1904, the company got into the water supply
business; supplying water at a rate of 75 cents with 5000 gallons as the maximum
water used. In 1910, the company raised its rate to $1.25 with maximum limit of 8000
gallons of water. By 1913, the company wanted to raise its rate again, but the
California State Railroad Commission denied the company the ability to do so. The
California Public Utilities Act of 1912 gave the State Railroad Commission the power
to regulate all public utilities, including water companies, telephone companies,
and railroads. This law basically stunted the company’s desire to continuously raise
its rates.
Wilmer W. Pedder became president of the company in the 1920s, and changed the name
of the company to the Conservative Water Company. Pedder died of heart disease in
1932 and Otto B. Frank became the new president. In 1933, an earthquake devastated
the company’s water supply, and according to the company records, it struggled to
stay afloat. Its water supply was constantly monitored by the California Department
of Public Health and the California State Board of Public Health. By the 1950s,
Elizabeth E. Pedder became president of the company with her brother, Theodore B.
Pedder, serving as secretary. The company continued to have problems and in August,
1967, the Department of Water and Power purchased the utilities company.
The collection includes correspondence, reports and ephemera.
The Correspondence series is primarily related to the Conservative Water Company.
Many of the letters deal with the company’s public health, financial and legal
issues. Though the letters are to or from the Conservative Water Company, many are
addressed to and signed by Elizabeth E. Pedder and Otto B. Frank. The company
corresponded with institutions like Bank of America, the California Department of
Public Health, Hellman Commercial Trust & Savings Bank, and Pacific-Southwest
Trust & Savings Bank. The series is arranged in alphabetical order by author and
then by addressee.
The Reports series is arranged in alphabetical order by author and then by
addressee. The reports are primarily about the company’s water supply. Moreover,
there are some reports about the company’s financial state. Many of the reports
contain financial information and correspondence inside. Lastly, the Ephemera series
includes newspaper clippings, financial documents, legal documents, maps, pamphlets,
empty envelopes and public health documents. There are also several maps. This
series is arranged in alphabetical order.
The Conservative Water Company Records are arranged in the following series: 1.
Correspondence (Box 1); 2. Reports (Box 2); and 3. Ephemera (Box 2).
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
Huntington Library's Online Catalog.
Conservative Water
Company.
Water utilities -- California -- History
-- 20th century -- Sources.
Los Angeles
(Calif.)
Watts (Los Angeles,
Calif.)
Business records -- California -- 20th
century.
Letters (correspondence) -- California
-- 20th century.
Maps -- California -- 20th century.
Reports -- California -- 20th century.
Bank of America.
California. Dept. of Public Health.
California. State Board of Public
Health.