Guide to the Works Progress Administration collection on Orange County, California MS.R.010

Finding aid prepared by Laura Clark Brown, 1997; machine-readable finding aid created by Brooke Dykman Dockter, 1997.
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
(cc) 1997
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu

Note

Social Sciences --Anthropology--ArchaeologyHistory--History, California --History, Los Angeles AreaGeographical (by Place) --California --Los Angeles Area


Contributing Institution: Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Works Progress Administration collection on Orange County, California
Identifier/Call Number: MS.R.010
Physical Description: 15.75 Linear Feet (15 document boxes, 3 record cartons and 1 oversize folder)
Date (inclusive): 1935-1939
Abstract: The collection is comprised of reports from the historical and anthropological projects completed by the Works Progress Administration in Orange County, California from 1935 to 1939. The projects' reports reveal factual information on local history and anthropological research on Native Americans. Most reports are original or first carbon typescripts; they are illustrated with original photographs and sketches.
Language of Material: English .

Access

Collection is open for research

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with Rancho Santiago College. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.

Preferred Citation

Works Progress Administration Collection on Orange County, California. MS-R 10. Special Collections and Archives, The UCI Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Acquisition Information

Placed on permanent deposit by Rancho Santiago College in 1989.

Processing History

Processed by Laura Clark Brown in 1997.

Organizational History

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1935 as a part of his New Deal to curtail the Depression's effects on the United States. The WPA attempted to provide the unemployed with jobs that allowed individuals to preserve skills or talents.
The Federal Writers' Project (FWP), one branch of the WPA, provided work for over 6,600 unemployed writers, journalists, editors and researchers throughout the United States. Directed by Henry G. Alsberg in Washington, the FWP concentrated its efforts on the American Guide Series, comprised of travel guides for every state and for numerous municipalities and regions. The guides contained material on regional and state history, architecture, geography and commerce. Other FWP writers worked on smaller local projects, including ethnic studies, folklore collections, nature studies and local history.
California's FWP produced California: A Guide to the Golden State, as well as guides to San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey and Death Valley. In Orange County, the FWP created "A History of Orange County, California" (1936). Less than fifty years old at the time, Orange County had many living early settlers who contributed information to the historical compilation.
The WPA in Orange County also employed anthropologists and archeologists who excavated several sites and compiled reports and lists of artifacts related primarily to Native Americans in the region.
When the United States entered World War II, the Depression and with it the New Deal came to an end. The new war economy resulted in low unemployment and eliminated the time and money formerly available for the types of projects undertaken by the WPA.

Scope and Content

The collection is comprised of reports from the Historical and Anthropological projects completed by the Works Progress Administration in Orange County, California from 1935 to 1939. The projects' reports reveal factual information on local history and anthropological research on Native Americans. Most reports are original or first carbon typescripts; they illustrated with original photographs and sketches.
The collection is organized into three series: History of Orange County, Anthropological Project, and Duplicate Originals and Photocopies. Original reports are in the first two series, and duplicates and copies of these originals are in the third series.
The "History of Orange County, California" project attempted to document local history from 1769 to 1889 and emphasized the era before the County was formally established in 1889. The WPA produced 27 volumes of reports on such topics as historic adobe buildings, architecture, agriculture, water supply, irrigation, natural resources, commerce, transportation, cities and towns, government, notable lawsuits, education, religion, sports and recreation, biography, and the partition of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana (the Spanish land grant that now contains the communities of Orange, Villa Park, Santa Ana, Tustin, Costa Mesa, and part of Newport Beach). Many historical reports were based on secondary sources, but some writers used primary sources as well.
An indexed guide to the reports has been cataloged (SpCol Ref. F868.O8 U551936) and is available in Special Collections. The arrangement of the reports within the series is based on the index, which is a rough alphabetical order by title. The detailed index should be used together with this guide to navigate through the collection.
The Anthropology project consists of 23 volumes of reports on excavations of Orange County archaeological sites; it includes lists and sketches of artifacts and photographs of the excavations. It concludes with a summary monograph, A Study of Primitive Man in Orange County and Its Coastal Areas, by Gladys E. Ashby and John W. Winterbourne. The anthropological reports are organized into two subseries: Excavation Reports and Artifacts and Native Americans.

 

1. History of Orange County, California 1935-1936

Series Scope and Contents Summary

Series 1 is comprised of 27 reports on a variety of local history topics researched and written from 1935 to 1936. The reports focus on the period 1769 to 1889, prior to Orange County's formal establishment, and each report documents its subject in three named periods within that date range: the Indian Period (pre-1769), the Spanish-Mexican Period (ca. 1769-1848), and the American Period (ca. 1848-1889). The reports are typescripts with sketches, photographs and maps inserted within the text. The series also contains a chronological list of significant events in Orange County history. Reports are arranged in a loose alphabetical order by title based on the order in the cataloged index mentioned in the Scope and Content above.
box 1, folder 1-7

Adobes

box 1, folder 8-11

Architecture

box 1, folder 12-16

Biographies

box 1, folder 17-18

Broadcast

folder XOS 1

Blueprints and maps circa 1920s

box 2, folder 1-5

Cities and Towns

box 2, folder 6

Domestic Water Supply

box 2, folder 6

Don Juan Forster v. Pío Pico (court transcripts)

box 2, folder 7-9

Volume I

box 2, folder 10-12

Volume II

box 3, folder 1-2

Volume III

box 3, folder 3-4

Volume IV

box 3, folder 5-6

Dress and Costumes

box 3, folder 7-9

Early Education

box 3, folder 10

Food

box 3, folder 11-13

Government

box 4, folder 1-4

Historical and Unusual Trees

box 4, folder 5-8

Industry: Agriculture

box 4, folder 9-11

Industry: Commerce

box 4, folder 12-14

Industry: Manufacture

box 5, folder 1-3

Irrigation

box 5, folder 4

Life and Customs

box 5, folder 5

Mediums of Exchange

box 5, folder 6-9

Natural Resources

box 5, folder 10-12

Partition of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana

box 5, folder 13-14

People

box 5, folder 13-14

Pioneer Tales

box 6, folder 1-6

Volume I

box 6, folder 7-8

Volume II

box 6, folder 9-10

Religious Beliefs

box 6, folder 9-10

Special Subjects

box 6, folder 11

Cattle Industry

box 6, folder 12

Santa Ana Public Library History, to 1936

box 6, folder 12

Historic Flags of California, 1769-1847

box 6, folder 12

The Happy Hunting Ground

box 6, folder 12

Rise and Fall of the Grape Industry

box 7, folder 1

County Division and Organization

box 7, folder 1

Commission to Organize Orange County

box 7, folder 1

Geography

box 7, folder 1

Newspapers

box 7, folder 2

Formation of Early Oranges

box 7, folder 2

Great Real Estate Boom of the Eighties

box 7, folder 2

Squatters in Orange County

box 7, folder 2

Land Grants

box 7, folder 3-4

Sports and Recreation

box 7, folder 5-7

Transcript on Appeal, Anaheim Water Company v. Semi-Tropic Water Company

box 7, folder 8-9

Transportation

box 7, folder 10-11

Chronological Index of Important Events in Southern California with Special Reference to Orange County

 

2. Anthropological Project 1935-1939

Series Scope and Contents Summary

Series 2 is comprised of typescript reports dating from 1935 to 1939. They document anthropological and archeological work conducted in Orange County by the WPA and contain photographs and sketches of artifacts and excavation sites. Each report includes field notes, lists of artifacts gathered, and summary information based on the field research. The series is organized in two subseries, each arranged chronologically.
 

2.1. Excavation Reports

Scope and Contents Note

Arranged chronologically by excavation date, the reports include daily field notes and photographs of each Orange County excavation site.
box 8, folder 1

Site Reports 1935

box 8, folder 1

Limestone Canyon

box 8, folder 1

Sand Hill Camp

box 8, folder 1

Adams-Fairview

box 8, folder 1

Newland Hillside

box 8, folder 1

Banning Estate

box 8, folder 1

Banning

box 8, folder 2

1936

box 8, folder 3

1937

box 8, folder 4

1937-1938

box 8, folder 5

Black Star Canyon (1937)

box 8, folder 6

Bonita (1938)

box 8, folder 7

Griset (1938)

box 8, folder 7

Moro Canyon

box 8, folder 8

Site 1 (1936)

box 9, folder 1

Site 2 (1938)

box 9, folder 1

Newland (1937)

box 9, folder 2

Report

box 9, folder 3

Plates

box 9, folder 4

Rancherías: Bonita Mesa, San Joaquín Gun Club, and Corona del Mar (1938)

box 9, folder 4

Santiago Cave (1937)

box 9, folder 5

Report

box 9, folder 6

Plates

box 9, folder 7

Sketches

box 9, folder 8

San Joaquín Home Ranch (1938)

 

2.2. Artifacts and Native Americans

Scope and Contents Note

Arranged chronologically by the date of the report, these reports list and index artifacts recovered from the sites, provide sketches of those artifacts, survey Native American campsites, and summarize the project's research in A Study of Primitive Man in Orange County and Its Coastal Areas.
box 9, folder 8

2.2.1. Artifacts

box 10, folder 1

Material [artifacts] turned over from State Emergency Relief Administration (SERA) (1935)

box 10, folder 2

List of artifacts found in Moro Canyon (1937)

box 10, folder 3

Drawings of Indian Artifacts: Bone, Ceremonial, Decorative, Household, Hunting, and Indian Art (1937)

box 10, folder 4

Index to Artifacts (1937-1938)

box 10, folder 5

Surface Artifacts (1938)

box 10, folder 6

Asphalted (Tarred) Artifacts

box 10, folder 6

2.2.2. Other Reports

box 10, folder 7

Life, Customs and Peculiar Artifacts of the Southwest Coast Indians and Orange County Indians (1935)

box 10, folder 8

Preliminary Survey of Indian Camp Sites on Irvine Property (1935)

box 10, folder 9

Birds, Fish, Plants, Fruit and Shells (1936)

box 10, folder 10

Indian Campsites (1938)

box 10, folder 11

A Study of Primitive Man in Orange County and Its Coastal Areas (1939)

 

3. Duplicate Originals and Photocopies

Series Scope and Contents Summary

Duplicate originals and photocopies of some of the reports in Series 1 and 2 were also placed on deposit; there is no new information in the series. Duplicates and copies are housed separately, following the same arrangement as the original reports. Several of the duplicate originals are incomplete, primarily lacking the illustrated materials, and the quality of the photocopies is often poor, particularly in the illustrations. The reports in Series 1 and 2 are complete and have been prepared for researcher use, and there should be no need to use the duplicates in most cases.
 

3.1. Duplicate Originals

box 10, folder 11

History of Orange County, California

box 12, folder 1

Adobes (incomplete)

box 12, folder 2

Architecture

box 12, folder 3

Biographies

box 12, folder 4-5

Cities and Towns

box 12, folder 6

Domestic Water Supply

box 12, folder 7

Dress and Costume

box 12, folder 8

Education

box 12, folder 9

Food

box 12, folder 10-11

Government

box 12, folder 12-13

Industry: Agriculture

box 12, folder 14-15

Industry: Commerce

box 12, folder 16-17

Industry: Manufacturing

box 12, folder 18

Irrigation

box 12, folder 19

Mediums of Exchange

box 12, folder 20-21

Natural Resources

box 12, folder 22-23

Partition of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana

box 12, folder 24-25

People

box 12, folder 26-30

Pioneer Tales, Volumes I-II

box 12, folder 31-32

Religion

box 12, folder 33

Sports and Recreation

box 12, folder 34

Transportation

box 12, folder 34

Anthropological Project

box 12, folder 35

Bonita

box 12, folder 36

Griset

box 13, folder 1-3

Moro Canyon, Sites 1-2

box 13, folder 4-5

San Joaquin Home Ranch (2 copies)

box 14, folder 1-2

Drawings of Indian Artifacts

box 14, folder 3

Asphalted (Tarred) Artifacts

box 14, folder 4

List of artifacts found in Moro Canyon

box 14, folder 5

Surface Artifacts

box 14, folder 6

Birds, Fish, Plants, Fruit and Shells

box 14, folder 7-8

A Study of Primitive Man and Its Coastal Areas (2 copies)

box 11, folder 1-8

Photographs from Anthropological Project (unidentified)

 

3.2. Photocopies

box 11, folder 1-8

History of Orange County, California

box 15, folder 1-4

Adobes (2 copies)

box 15, folder 5

Biographies

box 15, folder 6

Domestic Water Supply

box 15, folder 7-9

Don Juan Forster v. Pio Pico (court transcripts), Volumes I-III

box 15, folder 10

Dress and Costume

box 15, folder 11-13

Education

box 15, folder 14

Food

box 15, folder 15

Historical and Unusual Trees

box 15, folder 16-19

Industry: Agriculture

box 15, folder 20-21

Industry: Commerce

box 15, folder 22-23

Industry: Manufacturing

box 15, folder 24-26

Irrigation (2 copies)

box 15, folder 27

Mediums of Exchange

box 16, folder 1-4

Natural Resources

box 16, folder 5-6

Partition of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana

box 16, folder 7-8

People

box 16, folder 9-15

Pioneer Tales, Volumes I-II

box 16, folder 16-17

Religion

box 16, folder 18

Special Subjects

box 16, folder 19-20

Sports and Recreation

box 16, folder 21

Transportation

box 16, folder 22

Chronological Index of Important Events in Southern California with Special Reference to Orange County

box 16, folder 22

Anthropological Project

box 16, folder 23

Site Reports 1935

box 16, folder 24-25

Banning (1937, 1938)

box 16, folder 26

Black Star Canyon

box 16, folder 27

Bonita

box 16, folder 28

Griset

box 16, folder 29-31

Moro Canyon, Sites 1-2

box 16, folder 32

Newland (1937)

box 17, folder 1-3

Three Coastal Rancherías (3 copies)

box 17, folder 4

Santiago Cave

box 17, folder 5-8

San Joaquin Home Ranch (2 copies)

box 18, folder 1

Material [artifacts] turned over from SERA

box 18, folder 2-3

List of artifacts found in Moro Canyon (2 copies)

box 18, folder 4

Drawings of Indian Artifacts: Bone, Ceremonial, Decorative, Household, Hunting, and Indian Art

box 18, folder 5

Surface Artifacts

box 18, folder 6

Asphalted (Tarred) Artifacts

box 18, folder 7

Life, Customs and Peculiar Artifacts of the S.W. Coast Indians and Orange County Indians

box 18, folder 8

Preliminary Survey of Indian Camp Sites on Irvine Property

box 18, folder 9

Birds, Fish, Plants, Fruit and Shells

box 18, folder 10

Indian Campsites

box 18, folder 11

A Study of Primitive Man and Its Coastal Areas