Inventory of the Andrae B. Nordskog Papers, 1903-1962 (bulk 1920-1961)
Processed by Water Resources Collections and Archives staff.
Water Resources Collections and Archives
Orbach Science Library, Room 118
PO Box 5900
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, CA 92517-5900
Phone: (951) 827-2934
Fax: (951) 827-6378
Email: waterarc@ucr.edu
URL: http://library.ucr.edu/wrca
© 2001
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Inventory of the Andrae B. Nordskog Papers, 1903-1962 (bulk 1920-1961)
Collection number: NORDSKOG
Water Resources Collections and Archives
University of California, Riverside
Riverside, California
Contact Information:
- Water Resources Collections and Archives
- Orbach Science Library, Room 118
- PO Box 5900
- University of California, Riverside
- Riverside, CA 92517-5900
- Phone: (951) 827-2934
- Fax: (951) 827-6378
- Email: waterarc@ucr.edu
- URL: http://library.ucr.edu/wrca
- Collection Processed By:
- Water Resources Collections and Archives staff
- Date Completed
-
March 1993
© 2001 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Andrae B. Nordskog Papers,
Date (inclusive): 1903-1962 (bulk 1920-1961)
Collection number: NORDSKOG
Creator: Andrae B. Nordskog, 1885-1962
Extent:
.5 linear ft. (1 box)
Repository:
Water Resources Collections and Archives
Shelf location: This collection is stored off-campus at NRLF. Please contact the Water Resources Collections and Archives staff for access
to the materials.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Provenance
Donated to the Water Resources Collections and Archives by Mrs. Gertrude Nordskog in 1962.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Water Resources Collections and Archives. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf
of the Water Resources Collections and Archives 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 reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Andrae B. Nordskog Papers,
NORDSKOG,
Water Resources Collections and Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Access Points
Southwest Water League.
Los Angeles County Flood Control District.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Boulder Canyon Project (U.S.)
Feather River Project (Calif.)
Water resources development--California, Southern.
Water-supply--California--Los Angeles.
Water rights--California--Owens River Valley.
Owens River Valley (Calif.)
Los Angeles Aqueduct (Calif.)
San Gabriel Dam (Calif.)
Colorado River (Colo.-Mexico)
Saline water conversion.
Jakobsen, B. F. (Bernhard F.)
Fox, Charles Kirby, 1883-
Biography
Andrae B. Nordskog (at first named Arne Andreas Nordskog) was born the son of Norwegian settlers in Story City, Iowa, in 1885. As a youth, he worked as a reporter for his home town
newspaper. He became an expert in telephony and electronics and established the first two wireless telegraph stations in Iowa
when he was 24 years old. He turned his inventive talent to the railroads moved west to Seattle to work on them, inventing
an improved block signal device, which he patented in Washington.
Nordskog was also an accomplished singer. He joined the Seattle Grand Opera Company in 1914 and two years later was the leading tenor with the Knickerbocker Light Opera Company in Los Angeles. In 1921, he became general manager of the recently inaugurated Hollywood Bowl. He soon allied music with his
other interests and, while running a lucrative voice training school, he was able to buy equipment from a free-lance recorder
and start the first phonograph recording factory on the West Coast. He opened branch offices of Nordskog Records in Santa Monica and Los Angeles.
Beginning in the spring of 1922, Nordskog Records produced New Orleans jazz records, which have since become collectors' items, including early recordings by Edward "Kid" Ory and his band. By 1923, Nordskog's catalogue included names like Cyclonic Eva Tanguay,Virginia Wald,Abe Lyman,Harry Green, and the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce Industrial Chorus.
In 1923, Nordskog fell victim to a crooked banker, lost his business, and turned his attention to civic and financial reform.
At first, he wrote articles for community newspapers, while still earning income as a voice instructor. His main targets were
the telephone companies, which were charging unfair rates. In late 1926 he began publishing the Los Angeles
Gridiron, a small weekly newspaper. The first issues focused on such reform efforts as reduction of telephone rates, paving of streets,
installation of storm drains, and development of city parks. He followed this newspaper with the publication of
The New America Magazine and
Our Nation Magazine.
In August 1931, Nordskog was invited by William Hope (Coin) Harvey to attend the formation of the Liberty Party at Monte Ne, Arkansas, which had for its main plank "honest coinage according
to the Constitution." Nordskog was nominated unanimously as the party's candidate for Vice-President of the United States,
and in that capacity he toured the nation giving public speeches for that party. In 1932, at the convention of six independent
political parties which were amalgamated into the Liberty Party, held in Kansas City, Missouri, Nordskog was again nominated
for that party's vice-presidential candidate.
Demands for his writings on the subject of "honest coinage" and "governmental finance" compelled Nordskog to author and self-publish
several books on these subjects, among which were
Spiking the Gold, or, Who Caused the Depression, ... and the Way Out (1932),
Spike the Bonds (1933), and
We Bankers vs. Four Financial Fascists (1936). He was also authorized by the California State Board of Education to teach the subjects of "The Science of Money" and "Governmental Finance" to adult classes in all high schools in the state.
In the late 1920s/early 1930s, Nordskog's chief interest was in the area of southwestern water issues. He was president of
the Southwest Water League and conducted public meetings in cities throughout Southern California. In 1927, he became interested in the escalating dispute
between the city of Los Angeles and the residents of the Owens Valley. He began publishing articles and editorials in the
Gridiron championing the valley's cause and criticizing the city. He obtained radio time on station KGEF and accused Los Angeles Department of Water and Power officials of corruption and incompetence.
In early 1928, Nordskog went to Washington, D.C. and visited the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation offices, where he obtained permission to transcribe documents and correspondence. Nordskog used this material to write a 540-page
manuscript entitled
Boulder Dam in the Light of the Owens Valley Fraud, which "linked the then pending construction of Boulder Dam with the Owens River Aqueduct as a seamless conspiratorial plot
dating back to 1904 (Hoffman, 1982)." Nordskog was unable to interest a major publisher in the manuscript and considered publishing
it himself. However, the Great Depression made it unfeasible. Then, in March 1931, a state senate committee began investigating
Los Angeles' role in Inyo County. Nordskog condensed his manuscript into a lengthy letter and submitted it to the committee.
Although it did not influence the committee's recommendations, it did impress the committee sufficiently to be ordered read
into the legislative journal and 1,500 copies printed as a 28-page pamphlet entitled,
Communication to the California Legislature Relating to the Owens Valley Water Situation. In 1955 he reworked the manuscript again, this time calling it
Water is Plentiful. Like its predecessor, this manuscript also was never published.
Andrae Nordskog died in 1962.
Biographical Sources:
Asman, James.
The Remarkable Andrae Nordskog.
Record and Show Mirror (London), April 16, 1960, p. 6.
Bentley, John, and Ralph W. Miller.
Andrae Nordskog.
Jazz Monthly (London), May 1959, p. 8.
Biographical Sketch of Andrae Nordskog. Unpublished manuscript, July 22, 1961.
Hoffman, Abraham.
Andrae Nordskog and the Conspiracy Viewpoint of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Water Controversy.
Biblio-Cal Notes, Vol. 12, no. 2, whole no. 35 (Summer 1982), p. 5-9.
Hoffman, Abraham.
Vision or Villainy: Origins of the Owens Valley-Los Angeles Water Controversy. College Station, Tex.: Texas A & M University Press, 1981.
Scope and Content
Correspondence, notes, news clippings, etc., related to Nordskog's water interests. Includes materials related to "water frauds"
in the Owens Valley (including notes and an outline for his unpublished manuscript on the Owens Valley controversy), the Los
Angeles Aqueduct, Boulder Dam, San Gabriel Dam, sea water conversion, California water problems, the Feather River Project,Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Colorado River, etc.
Related Collections
Andrae B. Nordskog Papers, 1906-1986.
California State University, Northridge.
15 lin. ft. (33 boxes).
Summary: Articles, booklets, correspondence, news clippings, statements, speeches, and writings related to Nordskog's interest
and activity on public utilities, music, transportation, California water issues, Federal Reserve Banks, and electoral college
reform.
Andrae B. Nordskog Papers, 1919-1964.
Minnesota Historical Society.
1.25 cu. ft. (2 boxes, and 1 v. shelved loose).
Summary: Correspondence, clippings, printed items, and miscellany reflecting Nordskog's varied career and interests, primarily
in California. There are data on his career as a concert artist and music instructor; the operation (1921-1960) of his Nordskog
Phonograph Recording Company, Los Angeles; plans to abolish the electoral college system in electing U.S. presidents (1931-1961);
Nordskog's candidacy for U.S. vice-president on the Liberty Party ticket (1931-1932); banking and monetary reform, especially
Nordskog's lawsuit (1933-1934) against the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco to release gold deposited there; telephone
rates and franchises in southern California (1925-1958); his service (1924-1926) as chairman of the Southern California Rate
and Traffic Commission; and provisions for an adequate water supply for Los Angeles (1928-1961) stemming from his presidency
of the Southwest Water League. Includes manuscripts
Boulder Dam in the Light of the Owens Valley Fraud and
Water is Plentiful.
Owens Valley, 1903-[1931?]
Box Box 1, Folder 1
Owens Valley correspondence, etc., 1920-1927.
Folder 2
"Form for The Great Battle for Water," [1931?].
Scope and Content Note
Outline with page references, for Nordskog's manuscript on the Owens Valley water controversy.
Folder 3
Raw notes and coding system of documentation, [1931?].
Folder 4
Copies of letters, etc., [1903-1931?].
Scope and Content Note
Holograph and typescript copies of letters concerning the U.S. Reclamation Service, Owens Valley, Los Angeles, and all the people involved.
Box Box 1, Folder 5
Boulder Dam, 1927.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence from E. C. LaRue, hydraulic engineer, and news clipping.
Land and Water Frauds, 1930-1949
Box Box 1, Folder 6
Land and water frauds, 1930.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Williamson S. Summers, etc.
Folder 7
Southwest Water League minutes, 1931 Oct. 6.
Scope and Content Note
Includes discussion of Fred C. Finkle's report on the H. A. Van Norman-Edison Company conspiracy.
Folder 8
Water frauds, 1935.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence with Koebig and Koebig, Consulting Engineers, transcripts of the Los Angeles County Grand Jury, etc.
Folder 9
Millard F. Peyton vs. City of Los Angeles, et al., 1937.
Scope and Content Note
Re water rates fixed by the Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power.
Folder 10
Water taxes, 1938.
Scope and Content Note
Fragment of a letter to Everett James, Feb. 15, 1938.
Folder 11
News clippings, 1931-1949.
Forks Site Project, San Gabriel River, 1927-1955
San Gabriel Dam, 1931-1940
Box Box 1, Folder 12
San Gabriel Dam, 1938.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence and Nordskog's testimony before the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
Folder 13
J. C. Williamson,Carl A. Shorb, and E. D. Martindale vs. Los Angeles County Flood Control District, 1931-1938.
Scope and Content Note
Legal documents, transcripts, correspondence, etc.
Folder 14
Los Angeles County Flood Control District vs. Fisher, et al., 1936-1940.
Scope and Content Note
Legal documents, transcripts, correspondence, etc.
Folder 15
News clippings, 1933-1939.
Bernhard F. Jakobsen,
1927-1955
Box Box 1, Folder 16
B. F. Jakobsen,
1927-1955.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, letters to the editor, articles, plays, etc., related to the expulsion of B. F. Jakobsen from the American Society of Civil Engineers over his role in the San Gabriel Dam scandal. Includes a copy of Jakobsen's
Ethics and the American Society of Civil Engineers (Los Angeles, Apr. 1955).
Sea Water Conversion, 1948-1961
Box Box 1, Folder 18
Sea water conversion, 1948-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, clippings, articles, radio addresses, etc. Includes materials related to Raymond V. Darby and Maxim Silencer Company of Hartford, Conn.
Folder 19
Reclamation of used water, 1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, clippings, etc.
Feather River Project,
1959-1961
Box Box 1, Folder 20
Feather River Project, 1959-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, etc., related to the Feather River Project, particularly related to the role of the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
California Water Problems, 1937-1962
Box Box 1, Folder 21
County-of-origin, 1959-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, etc., related to the "county-of-origin problem" and other various California water problems. Includes discussion
of Nordskog's "open letter" to William E. Warne, Director of the Dept. of Water Resources.
Folder 22
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the Colorado River, 1937-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, etc., related to the Colorado River Aqueduct, costs of Colorado River water, etc.
Folder 23
Four-year terms for MWD directors, 1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence related to Assembly Bill 1586, which would provide for a limit of 4 years for terms of directors of the Metropolitan Water District of California.
Folder 24
Charles Kirby Fox and the Colorado Delta, 1959-1962.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, news clipping, etc., related to the proposed publication of a book by Fox entitled
The Colorado River and Southwestern Water Studies. Includes a synopsis of the manuscript.
Box Box 1, Folder 25
Land, Wood & Water, by Sen. Robert S. Kerr, 1961.
Scope and Content Note
Letters to Ruth (Maxwell) Denny and Sen. Kerr, in which Nordskog details his involvement in the Owens Valley controversy and discusses his efforts to publish
his manuscript.
Folder 26
Santee County Water District,
1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, news clippings, etc.
Folder 27
William Mulholland,
1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, chiefly with William E. Warne, Director of the Dept. of Water Resources, regarding Mulholland's status as "one of the world's greatest engineers."
Folder 28
Biographical, 1959-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Miscellaneous correspondence, etc. Includes
Biographical Sketch of Andrae Nordskog, which Nordskog compiled and sent to William E. Warne. See also the WRCA Biography File on Nordskog.
Folder 29
Miscellaneous, 1960-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, news clippings, etc. Includes some non-water topics.
Folder 30
News clippings, 1957-1961.
Scope and Content Note
Miscellaneous clippings, many related to topics represented above (sea water conversion, water taxes, etc.).
