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Finding Aid to the Chester Versteeg Papers, 1910-1993 (bulk
1921-1960)
BANC MSS 96/31 c
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Table of contents
Collection Title: Chester Versteeg papers
Date (inclusive): 1910-1993
Date (bulk): 1921-1960
Collection Number: BANC MSS 96/31 c
Creator:
Versteeg, Chester
Extent:
5 cartons, 1 oversize folder, 1 oversize roll;
6.5 linear feet
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: The Chester Versteeg papers, 1910-1993 (bulk 1921-1960), include
materials produced and collected by Versteeg relating to the Sierra Nevada and, in a more
limited scope, other mountainous regions of North America.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite
and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these
materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Collection is open for research.
Materials in this collection may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17,
U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of
University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and
publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of
the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited
without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively
with the user.
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html .
[Identification of item], Chester Versteeg Papers, BANC MSS 96/31 c, The Bancroft
Library, University of California, Berkeley
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft
Library.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog
Farquhar, Francis Peloubet,
1887-1974--Correspondence
Matthes, François, 1874-1948
Versteeg, Chester,
1887-1963--Archives
Sierra Club
Sierra Club. Geographic
Committee
Mountaineering--California--Kings Canyon
National Park
Mountaineering--California--Sequoia National
Park
Mountaineering--California--Yosemite National
Park.
Mountaineering--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
Mountaineers--California
Names, Geographical--Sierra Nevada (Calif. and
Nev.)
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and Nev.)
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and
Nev.)--History
Sierra Nevada (Calif. and
Nev.)--Name
Clippings
The Chester Versteeg papers were given to The Bancroft Library by Janice Hampson and
Elizabeth Todd on July 19, 1995.
No additions are expected.
Processed by Josh Roselle in 2010.
Chester Versteeg (1887-1963) was a Los Angeles-based insurance broker, Sierra Club officer,
researcher, and author whose hobby was the Sierra Nevada. He was an avid hiker and mountain
climber; he first hiked the Sierra in 1909 and climbed over 250 peaks in the range,
including 40 first ascents. He served on the Sierra Club's editorial board and was
the first chairman of the Geographic Committee of the Sierra Club. In this capacity he was
involved in proposing names for Sierra Nevada features. He also organized the Desert Peaks
section of the Sierra Club. He was an amasser of information and collected historical data
including maps and photographs, and he conducted interviews with over 400 pioneers,
explorers, and settlers of the Sierra Nevada.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Chester Versteeg papers, 1910-1993 (bulk 1921-1960), include materials produced and
collected by Versteeg relating to the Sierra Nevada and, in a more limited scope, other
mountainous regions of North America. The collection consists primarily of correspondence,
raw and analyzed data, complied notes, and clippings. The majority of the collection relates
to books he hoped to write, including a history of saw mills in the Sierra, place names in
the Sierra, and interesting place names in the mountainous regions of North America. These
books are likely unpublished. Researchers may be interested in data collected on place names
and on accounts of Sierra experiences. This material was obtained by various methods,
including interviews and written requests for information. As Versteeg was chairman of the
Geographic Committee of the Sierra Club, this collection contains proposals and
correspondence regarding assigning names for previously unnamed geographic features in the
California Sierra Nevadas. Much of this correspondence is between Versteeg, representatives
of the Sierra Club, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture. There
is a small amount of correspondence with and from Francis Farquhar, president of the Sierra
Club.