Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing History
Biography
Collection Scope and Content Summary
Collection Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: Archibald D. Shamel papers
Date (inclusive): 1882-1954, undated
Date (bulk): 1917-1943
Collection Number: UA 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.
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.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
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.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item]. Archibald D. Shamel papers, UA 039. University of
California, Riverside Libraries, Special Collections & Archives, University of
California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
Information unavailable.
Processing History
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).
Biography
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.
Chronology
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.
Collection Arrangement
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.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
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.
Genres and Forms of Materials
Clippings (information artifacts).
Correspondence.
Negatives (photographic).
Papers (document genres).
Photographs.
Publications.
Research notes.