Guide to the Esther Smith Scrapbooks of a Bus Tour of the American West MS.M.051
Audrey Pearson; machine-readable finding aid created by Audrey Pearson; inventory
added by Zoe MacLeod, 2020
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
(cc) 2020
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine
Libraries
Title: Esther Smith scrapbooks of a bus tour of the American West
Creator:
Smith, Esther
Identifier/Call Number: MS.M.051
Physical Description:
0.8 Linear Feet
(2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1935
Abstract: This collection comprises three
scrapbooks and a manuscript journal of Esther Smith, a 23-year-old high school teacher,
documenting her three-month bus tour of the American West in 1935. The scrapbooks contain 62
pamphlets, 76 photographs (many with descriptive captions), and 85 postcards, as well as
other items such as newspaper clippings, dried flowers, tokens, and tickets. The California
portion of the tour included stops in San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles, and San Juan
Capistrano.
Language of Material:
English .
The collection is open for research.
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by
the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish,
please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Esther Smith Scrapbooks of a Bus Tour of the American West. MS-S028. Special Collections
and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information
about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder
descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquired, 2005.
Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2008.
In the summer of 1935, Esther Smith, a 23-year-old high school teacher, was a member of a
group of young, professional, single women on a bus tour of the American West. The tour was
offered by the summer travel program, "University of Tours." The group was chaperoned by a
male college professor, a principal driver, and a back-up driver. The University of Tours
was described as "an educational institution on wheels." The California portion of the tour
included stops in San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles, and San Juan Capistrano.
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises three scrapbooks and a manuscript journal of Esther Smith, a
23-year-old high school teacher, documenting a three-month bus tour of the American West in
1935. The scrapbooks contain 62 pamphlets, 76 photographs (many with descriptive captions),
and 85 postcards, as well as other items such as newspaper clippings, dried flowers, tokens,
and tickets. The 56-page journal recounts the trip in daily entries and includes
descriptions of towns and interactions with Native Americans.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
California -- Description and travel
Los Angeles (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Ephemera -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Postcards -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Promotional materials -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Diaries -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Scrapbooks -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
San Francisco (Calif.) -- Description and travel
Indians of North America -- West (U.S.) -- Anecdotes
West (U.S.) -- Description and travel
Tickets -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Bus travel -- United States -- History -- 20th century --
Sources
Tokens -- West (U.S.) -- 20th century.
Yosemite National Park (Calif.) -- Archives
Smith, Esther -- Archives
box 1
Box 1 1935
box 2
Box 2 1935