Finding Aid for the Los Angeles Historical Society Records, 1925-1955

Processed by Manuscripts Division staff; machine-readable finding aid created by Caroline Cubé and edited by Josh Fiala.
UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections
Manuscripts Division
Room A1713, Charles E. Young Research Library
Box 951575
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1575
Email: spec-coll@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/special/scweb/
© 2004
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Los Angeles Historical Society Records,
Date (inclusive): 1925-1955
Collection number: 1129
Creator: Los Angeles Historical Society
Extent: 6 boxes (3 linear ft.)
Abstract: The Los Angeles Historical Society was founded in 1924 and disbanded in 1956. The society was formed for the purpose of gathering and preserving materials relating exclusively to the history of Los Angeles, rather than to undertake historical research itself. The collection consists of books and subject files on Los Angeles history. Subject files include gold discovery centennial, military highway project, and Spanish names of streets. The collection also includes articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, lists of contributors, correspondence, manuscripts, and the constitution, by-laws and correspondence of the Southern California chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation.
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Department of Special Collections.
Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections Reference Desk for paging information.

Administrative Information

Restrictions on Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Advance notice required for access.

Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

Property rights to the physical object belong to the UCLA Library, Department of Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

  • Gift of Estate of Grace Somerby, 1972.
  • Most of the materials were collected by Edward A. Dickson and maintained by his secretary, Grace Somerby.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Los Angeles Historical Society Records (Collection 1129). Department of Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 2221047 

Biography

The Los Angeles Historical Society was founded in 1924 and disbanded in 1956; it was formed for the purpose of gathering and preserving materials relating exclusively to the history of Los Angeles, rather than to undertake historical research itself.

Scope and Content

Collection consists of books and subject files on Los Angeles history kept by the Los Angeles Historical Society during its existence from 1924-56. Subject files include gold discovery centennial, military highway project, and Spanish names of streets. Also includes articles of incorporation, minutes of meetings, lists of contributors, correspondence, and some manuscripts relating to Hill Street, Andreas Pico, and the 1934 state primary. Also contains the constitution, by-laws and correspondence of the Southern California chapter of the American-Scandinavian Foundation.

Organization and Arrangement

Arranged in the following series:
  1. Books (Boxes 1-4).
  2. Files (Boxes 5-6).

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Los Angeles Historical Society--Archives.
American-Scandinavian Foundation. Southern California Chapter--Archives.
Los Angeles (Calif.)--History--Archival resources.


 

Books

Box 1

Six Horses. Century Company, 1930.

Creator/Collector: Banning, Captain William and George Hugh
Box 1

Barker Brothers, 1800-1995. [Barker Brothers 75th Anniversary pamphlet], ca. 1955.

Box 1

Beautiful Highlands of Los Angeles. Comprising Boyle Heights, Brooklyn Heights and Euclid Heights. ca. 1939.

Box 1

On The Old West Coast: Being further reminiscences of a ranger, Major Horace Bell. William Morrow Company, 1930.

Creator/Collector: Bartlett, Lanier, ed.
Box 1

Reminiscences of a Ranger or Early times in Southern California. Yarnell, Caystile, and Mathes Printers, 1881.

Creator/Collector: Bell, Major Horace
Box 1

California. Los Angeles City and County. Chamber of Commerce. Klondike Edition, Kingley Barnes & Neuner Company. Los Angeles, 1897.

Creator/Collector: Brook, Harry Ellington
Box 1

California, 1826-1926.

Box 1

California Literary Centennial 1850-1950. Presented by the California Centennial Commision sponsored by the Historical Society of Southern California, 1950.

Physical Description: [3 copies]
Box 1

California of the Southland, A history of the University of California at Los Angeles. Published by University of California at Los Angeles Alumni Association, 1937.

Box 1

The City of Los Angeles: The First 100 Years 1850-1950; Year Book 1949. 1949.

Box 1

History of California: The American Period. MacMillan Company, 1922.

Creator/Collector: Cleland, Robert Glass
Box 1

Cornerstones of California.

Physical Description: [2 copies]
Box 2

A Daughter of the Snows. The story of the Great San Fernando Valley. Written by the publicity department, Lankershim Branch Security Trust and Savings Bank.

Box 2

“Bancroft's Lost Letter.” Historical Society of Southern California (pp.213-220), n.d.

Creator/Collector: Dickson, Edward A.
Box 2

Directory of Los Angeles for 1875.

Box 2

The Bank and the Community, A history of Security Trust and Savings Bank, 1889-1929. Los Angeles, 1929.

Creator/Collector: Douglas, J.R.
Box 2

La Fiesta de Los Angeles. April 15-20, 1895.

Scope and Content Note

Official program for 1895.
Box 2

The Five Friendly Valleys, the story of Highland Park. Publicity department of Highland Park Branch of Security First and Savings Bank, 1923.

Box 2

California Missions and Landmarks, El Camino Real. 1925.

Creator/Collector: Forbes, Mrs. A.S.C.
Box 2

Mission Tales in the Days of the Dons. Gem Publishing Company, 1926.

Creator/Collector: Forbes, Mrs. A.S.C.
Box 2

Historic Facts and Fancies (California). History and landmarks Section of Caliofnia federated Women's clubs, ca. 1907.

Box 2

The Expedition of the Donner Party and its Tragic Fate. A.C. McClurg & Company, 1911.

Creator/Collector: Houghton, Eliza P. Donner
Box 2

Pioneer Notes from the diaries of Judge Benjamin Hayes. 1929.

Creator/Collector: Hayes, Judge Benjamin
Box 2

Across The Plains. Broadway Publishing Company, 1906.

Creator/Collector: Hewitt, Randall H.
Box 2

Historical Records and Souvenir of the Pioneer Society of Los Angeles County. Times Mirror Press, 1923.

Box 3

An Historical Sketch of Los Angeles County, California. Louis Lewin and Company, 1896.

Box 3

Arthur Letts: A Biography. Young and McCallister, Incorporated, Los Angeles, 1927.

Creator/Collector: Kilner, William H.B.
Box 3

“The Lincoln-Roosevelt League, its origins and accomplishments.” September 1943.

Creator/Collector: Layne, J. Gregg

Scope and Content Note

Reprints from the Quarterly of the Historical Society of Southern California.
Box 3

Los Angeles California, The City Beautiful. 1909.

Creator/Collector: William Porter

Scope and Content Note

Report of the Municipal Art Commission for the City of Los Angeles.
Box 3

Los Angeles City and County, California, 1902.

Box 3

Los Angeles, A Guide Book. National Education Association, 1907.

Box 3

“Father of the Los Angeles Municipal Water System.” Published by the Department of Water and Power, City of Los Angeles, n.d.

Creator/Collector: Mulholland, William
Box 3

In the Footsteps of the Padres. Los Angeles, April 1930.

Creator/Collector: Moore, C.I.D.
Box 3

Oceanside thriving and coastal city. Published by the Union title Insurance and Trust Company, 1934.

Box 3

Cornelius Cole, California Pioneer and United States Senator. San Francisco: printed by John Henry Nash, 1929.

Creator/Collector: Phillips, Catherine Coffin
Box 3

“Beanfields, builders and books.” December 1954.

Creator/Collector: Powell, Lawrence Clark

Scope and Content Note

Reprint from The Historical society of Southern California Quarterly.
Box 3

Poems of the California Missions. 1923.

Creator/Collector: Probst, Leetha Journey
Box 3

La Reina, Los Angeles in three centuries. 4th edition, 1931.

Scope and Content Note

Originally published to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the former Security Trust and Savings Bank of Los Angeles, February 11, 1889.
Box 4

A Short History of Los Angeles. n.d.

Creator/Collector: Scripps, Ellen Browning, 1836-1926
Box 4

Six Collegiate Decades: the growth of Higher Education in Southern California. Published by Security First National Bank, 1929.

Box 4

Speeches of Hon. Horatio Seymour at the conventions held at Albany, January 31, 1861 and September 10, 1862.

Box 4

Souvenir from Los Angeles and Southern California.

Box 4

Sunset. N.E.A. June special: Los Angeles Edition, 1899.

Scope and Content Note

A vistor's souvenir guide to California presented by the Southern Pacific Company.
Box 4

Semi Troipical California. A.L. Bancroft & Company, 1874.

Creator/Collector: Truman, Maj. Ben C.
Box 4

Where To Go In California. Compliments, Rand McNally and Company, 1899.

Box 4

Who's Who in Los Angeles, County. Charles Lang publishers, 1927-1928.

Box 4

Wild Flowers in Southern California. Richfield Oil Company of California, 1934 and 1936.

Box 4

California of Today.

Scope and Content Note

Publishers dummy.
Box 4

Beautiful Highlands of Los Angeles. n.p., n.d.

Box 4

The Land of Sunshine, A magazine of California and the Southwest. Land of Sunshine Publishing Company, 1895.

 

Files

Box 5, Folder 1

Articles of incorporation.

Box 5, Folder 2

Minutes, March 2, 1928.

Box 5, Folders 3-4

List of contributors.

Box 5, Folder 5

Western Fed. News Correspondence.

Scope and Content Note

re Newsletter historical articles.
Box 5, Folder 6

Historical society brochure, forms, etc.

Box 5, Folder 7

Book price lists.

Box 5, Folder 8

Briggs, Lloyd Vernon, correspondence, etc., 1891-1923.

Box 5, Folder 9

Manuscript: “Hill St.”

Box 5, Folder 10

Manuscript: “Los Angeles 100 Years Ago.”

Box 5, Folder 11

Manuscript: “Pico, Andreas.”

Box 5, Folder 12

Manuscript: “Politics--1934 State Primary.”

Box 5, Folder 13

Manuscript fragments.

Box 5, Folder 14

Files: Anthony, Susan B.

Box 5, Folder 15

Files: Art exhibit cats.

Box 5, Folder 16

Files: Downey, John G.

Box 5, Folder 17

Files: Gold discovery centenniel.

Box 5, Folder 18

Files: Markham, Edwin.

Box 5, Folder 19

Files: Military highway project.

Box 5, Folder 20

Newspapers (clippings about).

Box 5, Folder 21

Politics: election of Governor Stephens -- newsletter.

Box 5, Folder 22

Portola trek, 1948.

Box 5, Folder 23

Portola trek, California Mission trails.

Box 5, Folder 24

Presidents (U.S.).

Box 5, Folder 25

Files: Shakespeare.

Box 5, Folder 26

Files: Spanish names of streets.

Box 5, Folder 27

Files: Theater programs, etc., (opera).

Box 5, Folder 28

Twain, Mark.

Box 5, Folder 29

Maps, early Los Angeles.

Box 5, Folder 30

Photos.

Box 5, Folder 31

Pictures.

Box 5, Folder 32

Ephemera & memorabilia.

Box 6, Folder 1

All-city high school track championships--programs.

Box 6, Folder 2

Los Angeles Evening Express Year Book, 1929-1931.

Box 6, Folder 3

Miscellaneous printed items.

Box 6, Folder 4

Clippings, Los Angeles history.

Box 6, Folder 5

Clippings, presidents' wives.

Box 6, Folder 6

Clippings.

Box 6, Folder 7

American-Scandinavian Foundation, constitution & by-laws of Southern California chapter.

Box 6, Folder 8

Correspondence re American-Scandinavian Foundation.

Box 6, Folder 9

Printed memorabilia.