Description
This collection consists of letters and
documents belonging to John and Mary Sills Stephens, who settled in San Bernardino in
1874-1875. Mrs. Stephens preceded her husband by one year in coming to California from
Wisconsin and her letters to her husband during her cross-country journey by train contain
vivid descriptions, including a stopover in Salt Lake City to inspect the Mormon settlement
and talk with Ann Eliza, Brigham Young's wife. Two letters by John Stephens in 1883 (one of
them 82 pages in length) chronicle his early life in Wisconsin and the hardships encountered
during the depression of 1873, as well as his later life in San Bernardino, where he
witnessed the founding of Redlands and Riverside. Of particular interest is a letter to the
Democratic Free Press of Appleton, Wisconsin (October 16, 1856) expressing Stephens' views
on slavery.
Restrictions
Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the
creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please
contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.