Collection context
Summary
Background
- Scope and content:
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A digital collection of photographs from the Ferrell and Prado family. The Prados lived in Simons, a company town that formed out of the operation of Simons Brick Company’s plant number three. Genaro Romero Prado (Dec. 2, 1883-Sept. 12, 1958) was the town sheriff and foreman. The collection includes family portraits, snapshots, and portraits of the Simons band and orchestra. Several images provide glimpses at the surroundings of daily life and work. Also images of newspaper clippings from El Correo de Los Angeles; a stock certificate for the Montebello Land and Water Company, 1950. English and Spanish. ca. 1905-1950, undated
- Biographical / historical:
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Simons Brick Company had a well-publicized plant in present-day Montebello, California, from 1905 to 1952. Their common red bricks were used to construct many well-known extant structures, including the original 1913 building of the Natural History Museum and UCLA's Royce Hall. Known as plant number three, it operated as a company town, whereby workers and their families lived on site. The town, Simons, had a school, post office, stores, restaurants, and cultural outlets, such as musical groups.
Indexed terms
- Names:
- Simons Brick Company
- Places:
- Montebello (Calif.)
About this collection guide
- Date Prepared:
- 1905-1950
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using Record Express for OAC5 on July 14, 2025, 2:54 p.m.
Access and use
- Restrictions:
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Research is by appointment only
- Terms of access:
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Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder
- Preferred citation:
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Mercedes Prado Ferrell Photograph Collection. Seaver Center for Western History Research, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
- Location of this collection:
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900 Exposition BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90007-4057, US
- Contact:
- (213) 763-3359