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Hammon papers, 1898-1968
MANUSCRIPT 2414-2438
Collection Overview
Title:
Hammon papers, 1898-1968Creator/Contributor:
Hammon, Wendell P., 1854-1939Creator/Contributor:
Hammon, Wendell C., 1890-1966Creator/Contributor:
Hammon, Wendell, 1918-Creator/Contributor:
Ellis, W. T. (William Turner), b. 1866Creator/Contributor:
Meeteer, Charles F.Abstract:
Business papers of three generations of the Hammon family, focusing primarily on the activities of Wendell P. (Philucius)
Hammon, 1854-1939, and his son, Wendell C. (Cooper) Hammon, 1890-1966. A grandson, Wendell Hammon, 1918- , was custodian of
the family papers and donated them to the California State Library. The collection is organized into seven series.
THE HAMMON FAMILY: Biographical information, misc. correspondence. DREDGING: Historical overview of the dredging industry
provided through manuscripts and journal articles.
DREDGING COMPANIES: Legal and financial documents, correspondence, maps, blueprints (engineering drawings), and photographs
from the following companies. Coverage is not uniform. Asnazu Gold Dredging Company, Capital Dredging Company, Emigrant Dredge
Company, Feather River Exploration Company, Goodnews Bay Mining Company, Hammon Consolidated Gold Fields, Indiana Gold Dredging
Company, La Grande Gold Dredging Company, Lancha Plana Gold Dredging Company, Lava Beds Dredging Company, Lincoln Gold Dredging
Company, Natomas Consolidated, Oroville Gold Dredging Company, Panob Gold Dredging Company, Powder River Gold Dredging Company,
Sawtooth Dredging Company, Shasta Dredging Company, Shovel Creek Gold Dredging Company, Siskiyou Dredging Company, Spanish
Ranch Company, Trinity Dredging Company, Yreka Gold Dredging Company, Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields, Yuba Gold Fields Inc.,
Yuba Natural Resources, misc. plot Maps
MANUFACTURING COMPANIES: Legal and financial documents, correspondence, blueprints (engineering drawings), and photographs
for the following companies. The bulk of the records for the Stockton Iron Works are arranged by the name of the dredge. Boston
Machine Shop, Yuba Construction Company, Yuba Manufacturing Company, Yuba Consolidated Industries, Stockton Iron Works: Becher,
California, Carson, Clear Lake, Delta #2, Holland, Monterey, Plutus, San Francisco, Skookum, Stockton, Sutter, Tulare Lake
Dredging Company, Tule King, Tule Queen.
GEOLOGICAL REPORTS: reports submitted to or prepared by Hammon Engineering, discussing the prospects of developing sites for
gold, tin, oil, and other minerals throughout the Pacific Region. PROSPECTING/FORMATION LOGS: Preprinted notebooks with data
obtained by drilling holes in placer deposits to sample the composition of the ground and its gold content.
PHOTOGRAPHS: Photographs not associated specifically with other series. Most relate to the dredging, manufacturing and mining
activities of the Hammon enterprises. Of particular note are photographs of the company town of Hammonton; these had been
mounted on boards and many appeared in Lottie Lathrop Walkman's "Hammonton, 'Dredger town', 1902-1957". Two photograph albums
feature dredges, dredging equipment and dredging operations. There are negatives for some photographs foldered separately;
not all negatives have been printed.
Date:
1898 (issued)Contents:
2414: Hammond Family -- 2415: Dredging -- 2416: Dredging Companies: A-F -- 2417: Dredging Companies: G-L -- 2418: Dredging
Companies: L-N -- 2419: Dredging Companies: O-T -- 2420: Dredging Companies: Y-Misc. -- 2421: Manufacturing Companies: Boston
Machine Shop, Yuba Construction, Yuba Manufacturing (Legal, Correspondence, Promotional) -- 2422: Manufacturing Companies:
Yuba Manufacturing (Promotional, Misc., Mechanical Drawings) -- 2423: Manufacturing Companies: Yuba Manufacturing (Mechanical
Drawings) -- 2424: Manufacturing Companies: Yuba Consolidated Industries -- 2425: Manufacturing Companies: Stockton Iron Works
(Dredges A-H) -- 2426: Manufacturing Companies, Stockton Iron Works (Dredges M-Tulare) -- 2427: Manufacturing Companies, Stockton
Iron Works (Dredges Tule, Correspondence, Misc.).
-- 2428: Geological Reports: California -- 2429: Geological Reports: Outside California -- 2430: Prospecting/Formation Logs:
California -- 2431: Logs: Oregon -- 2432: Logs: Alaska, Idaho, and British Columbia -- 2433: Logs: unknown states or territories
-- 2434: Photographs: Dredges and related mining activities -- 2435: Photographs: Manufacturing; misc. -- 2436: Photographs:
Hammonton and Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields -- 2437: Photographs: Hammonton; albums -- 2438: Photographs: Negatives.
Subject:
n-us-caHammon, Wendell P -- 1854-1939 -- Correspondence
Hammon, Wendell C -- 1890-1966 -- Correspondence
Hammon, Wendell -- 1918- -- Correspondence
Businessmen -- California -- Correspondence
Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields.
Yuba Construction Company.
Yuba Manufacturing Co. (San Francisco, Calif.)
Yuba Consolidated Industries.
Hammon Engineering Company.
Gold dredging -- California -- History
Gold mines and mining -- California -- History
Dredges
Gold dredging -- California -- Photographs
Dredges -- Photographs
Hammonton (Calif.) -- Photographs
Note:
In 1895, Wendell P. Hammon noted placer gold in the dirt from a well he was drilling near Biggs, Butte County, and became
interested in the potential of mining alluvial placer gold deposits with dredges. In partnership with Thomas Couch, he began
operating a dredge near the Feather River in 1898. He formed the Yuba Consolidated Gold Fields with eastern capital, and began
dredging operations adjacent to Yuba River in 1903. That company maintained a company town, Hammonton, near its dredging operation.
Over sixty-five years, this company used twenty-two dredges and obtained 138 million dollars in gold, establishing Hammon's
reputation as "The Dredge King". Hammon was also involved in the formation of the Hammonton Consolidated Gold Fields in Alaska
and the Natomas Consolidated Company near Folsom.
In addition to dredging operations, the Hammon enterprises engaged in the manufacture of dredges after purchasing the Western
Engineering Company and the Boston Machine Shop, and forming the Yuba Construction Company. The later firm evolved into the
Yuba Manufacturing Company, a major manufacturer of dredges, which became a subsidiary of Yuba Consolidated Industries, encompassing
Hammon's mining ventures. The family also had an interest in the Stockton Iron Works, which manufactured dredges used in reclamation,
and other equipment. Wendell P. was also active in citrus growing, packing, electricity, oil and real estate.
These businesses were carried on, in varying degrees, by his son, Wendell C. Hammon, and his grandson, Wendell Hammon. Wendell
C. Hammon was primarily associated with the Hammon Engineering Company, a geological and mining engineering firm. He also
served as vice president of the Yuba Manufacturing Company. Wendell Hammon was employed in the insurance industry, served
in World War II and Korea, and then obtained a degree in history from San Jose State University. In 1975 he established Hammon's
Archives and Artifacts in Old Town Sacramento, dealing in books, manuscripts, and ephemera. He was the source of the material
in this collection.
Hammon papers, 1898-1968
Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.
Type:
Photograph albums.Blueprints.
Engineering drawings.
Physical Description:
print
25 ms. boxes : ill., maps, plans
Language:
English
Identifier:
MANUSCRIPT 2414-2438
Origin:
CaliforniaCopyright Note:
Unrestricted. Please credit California State Library.