Scope and Content
The assembled notebook consists of appraisals submitted on two different dates-- Section 1 submitted on February 7, 1947,
and Section 2 submitted on March 7, 1947. Letters of transmittal are included with both sections-- letters to John A. Hennessey,
Supervising Park Lands Officer, signed by appraisers George L. Schmutz, Thomas F. Mason, and Eugene C. Curzon. A letter from
John A. Hennessey to Joseph R. Knowland, Chairman of the California State Park Commission (loosely inserted into the report)
contains the recommendation that all parcels included in the first report be approved for acquisition. There is not another
similar letter for the second section of parcels.
The appraisal for each parcel of land consists of the owner's name, the location of the property, the valuation, and a breakdown
of "elements of value" such as highway frontage, width of beach, cleanliness of beach and water, public utilities (domestic
water, sewer, electricity, gas, telephone), freedom from hazards (erosion, on-shore and off-shore rocks), mean high tide line,
and "others"-- scenic upland, private road, etc. Each element of value is assigned a number of "value units" out of a certain
number of "maximum" units. Some parcels which contain cabins for rent, such as Castlerock Beach, also include the rent per
month for each cabin site and the name of the lessee. For example, Castlerock Beach was home to 114 cabins, almost all of
which were rented for $15.00 a month. Some of the parcel appraisals, such as the aforementioned Castlerock Beach area, also
include a detailed map of the parcel showing roads, beaches, cabin numbers, etc.
Part of the total report includes a discussion of the methodology used to appraise the properties and how value units were
assigned for each element of value.