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Guide to the Archibald D. Shamel papers
039
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Title: Archibald D. Shamel papers
Date (inclusive): 1882-1954, undated
Date (bulk): 1917-1943
Collection Number: 039
Creator:
Shamel, A.D. (Archibald Dixon)
Extent:
18.0 linear feet
(16 document boxes, 1 flat storage box, 17 glass plate negative boxes)
Repository: Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Abstract: This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career
of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Citrus Experiment
Station in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass
plate negatives documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused
on citrus, there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains
material about other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper
clippings, and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
Languages: The collection is in English.
This collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives. All
requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections
& Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Regents of the University of California as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by
the researcher.
[identification of item]. Archibald D. Shamel papers, Collection 039. University of California, Riverside Libraries, Special
Collections & Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Information unavailable.
Processed by Hollie Johnson, 2010.
Processing of the Archibald D. Shamel papers was generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and administered by
the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The University of California, Riverside was awarded a Cataloging
Hidden Special Collections and Archives grant from 2010-2012, "Uncovering California's Environmental Collections," in collaboration
with eight additional special collections and archival repositories throughout the state and the California Digital Library
(CDL). Grant objectives included processing of over 33 hidden collections related to the state's environment and environmental
history. The collections document an array of important sub-topics such as irrigation, mining, forestry, agriculture, industry,
land use, activism, and research. Together they form a multifaceted picture of the natural world and the way it was probed,
altered, exploited and protected in California over the twentieth century. Finding aids are made available through the Online
Archive of California (OAC).
Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15, 1877 in Taylorville, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois, Champaign
and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture in 1902. While attending university, he worked as an instructor of
farm crops. After graduation, he secured a position as a physiologist working for the United States Department of Agriculture
in the Bureau of Plant Industry. In 1903, his book
Manual of Corn Judging was published. In 1904 he invented a tobacco seed separating machine that improved the quality of tobacco plants by separating
seeds and preventing cross pollination. Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer in 1908 and they relocated to Riverside, California
around 1910. He continued working for the Department of Agriculture at the Citrus Experiment Station (CES). Much of Shamel's
work at the CES focused on the improvement of citrus crops. In 1917 he invented a citrus humidifying machine that was used
in citrus packing houses to improve storage conditions for the fruit. Shamel also had an interest in shade trees and was a
member of the Riverside Parks Planning Department and the Riverside Beautification Committee. In 1937 he published the book
Riverside’s Outstanding Trees. Towards the end of his professional career, Shamel continued to research unique and historic trees, writing articles for
newspapers and magazines. In 1950, the American Pomological Society awarded him the Wilder Medal for his work with citrus
and tropical fruits. Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8, 1956 in Riverside, California.
| 1877: | Archibald D. Shamel was born on October 15th in Taylorville, Illinois. |
| 1899: | Shamel became a charter member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, University of Illinois, Champaign. |
| 1902: | Shamel received a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Illinois. |
| 1902: | Shamel started work as a Physiologist for the Bureau of Plant Industry, U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
| 1903: | Shamel published the Manual of corn judging. |
| 1904: | Shamel invented the Shamel tobacco seed separator. |
| 1908: | Shamel married Agnes Fay Brewer on September 28th. |
| 1913: | Shamel traveled to Bahia Brazil with a research expedition that included former president Theodore Roosevelt. |
| 1917: | Shamel invented the Shamel humidifier, a machine to aid in citrus storage. |
| 1933: | Shamel published the Washington Navel Orange with Carl S. Pomeroy detailing the history of the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree. |
| 1937: | Shamel published the book Riverside’s outstanding trees. |
| 1950: | Shamel was awarded the Wilder Medal from the American Pomological Society for his work with f tropical & subtropical fruits, and mutations. |
| 1956: | Archibald D. Shamel died on April 8th in Riverside, California. |
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection contains correspondence, research notes, photographs, and other material regarding the professional career
of Archibald D. Shamel, a physiologist with the United States Department of Agriculture who worked at the Riverside Citrus
Experiment Station in the early 20th century. The collection includes a large group of photographs and glass plate negatives
documenting the citrus industry in Riverside and around the world. While the bulk of the collection is focused on citrus,
there are materials pertaining to other non-citrus crops such as tobacco and corn. The collection also contains material about
other areas of horticulture including shade trees, cacti, and flowers. Notable items include photographs, newspaper clippings,
and correspondence regarding local history and the Riverside Parent Navel Orange Tree.
This collection is arranged into the following five series:
- Series 1. Citrus research and industry, 1882-1954, undated.
- Series 2. Non-citrus crops, 1899-1947, undated.
- Series 3. Trees and flowers, 1911-1943, undated.
- Series 4. Local history, 1918-1954, undated.
- Series 5. Research trips, 1913-1941, undated.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Agriculture.
Citrus.
Horticulture.
Shamel, A.D. (Archibald Dixon)
Uncovering California's Environmental Collections Project.
University of California Riverside. Citrus Research Center and Agricultural Experiment Station.
Clippings (information artifacts).
Correspondence.
Negatives (photographic).
Papers (document genres).
Photographs.
Publications.
Research notes.