Lewis R. Freeman Papers mssFreeman papers
Finding aid prepared by Katrina Denman.
The Huntington Library
© 2013
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Finding aid last updated on March 11, 2024 by Kelly Kress.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Lewis R. Freeman papers
Identifier/Call Number: mssFreeman papers
Physical Description:
7.5 Linear Feet
(15 boxes)
Date (inclusive): Approximately 1913-1953
Abstract: This collection focuses on the travel writings of American journalist and explorer Lewis Freeman (1878-1960), from the early
1900s through the 1950s. The collection also includes some personal and professional correspondence and manuscripts, photographs,
and diaries including those of trips to Alaska (1898-1900) and the Canadian Rockies (1916). Much of the correspondence consists
of responses from various publications in response to Freeman's proposed books and articles and, overall, the collection includes
items reflecting on Freeman's extensive travel experiences and writings about trips to India, the South Pacific, South America,
Canada, Cuba, along the Mississippi River, Samoa, Hawaii, China, French Polynesia, and Indonesia.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more
information.
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material,
nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and
obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
[Identification of item]. Lewis R. Freeman Papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Margaret D. Traylor, July 1963.
Related Materials in the Huntington Library
- Lewis R. Freeman Photograph Collection (photCL 422)
Lewis Ransome Freeman (1878-1960) was born in Genoa Junction, Wisconsin, and moved to Pasadena, California, as a child. After
graduating from Stanford University he spent many of the years between 1899 and 1912 traveling in North and South America,
Asia, Africa, and the Pacific Islands. In addition to his extensive travels, Freeman was also an accomplished athlete, lettering
in football, baseball, tennis, and track while attending Stanford. He coached the University of Southern California football
team in 1897, and in 1903 won the single and doubles titles at the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament.
Freeman worked as a war correspondent during the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, and during World War I served as correspondent
with the British, French, and Italian armies. He was also a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve from 1917-1918,
and was on the staff of the Inter-Allied Naval Armistance Commission that traveled to Germany in 1918. He had previously traveled
to China with the Pacific Coast Chamber of Commerce in 1910. In the years following World War I, Freeman continued to travel,
serving as a special correspondent for the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet on a cruise to Australasia in 1925 and during fleet maneuvers
in 1929, 1932, and 1935. He also became an active photographer, working on a U.S. Geological Survey expedition to the Grand
Canyon in 1923 and providing the photographs for a special edition of "The Feet of the Young Men" by Rudyard Kipling.
In the 1930s Freeman's interest turned to boating and airplane expeditions. In 1930 he joined an expedition to Central and
South America, and in 1933 began a series of exploratory flights over South America. After returning to the United States,
Freeman embarked on a bicycle trip that ultimately took him from Los Angeles to Vancouver to Montreal, finally ending in New
York City in 1935. The next year he returned to South America and participated in cruises to the Juan Fernandez Islands and
Tierra del Fuego. Later travels from 1936-1941 took him to the headwaters of the Amazon River, Ecuador, Mexico, Guatemala,
the Galapagos Islands, Colombia, Bolivia, Peru, and Brazil.
Freeman was the author of over 20 books, many of them focusing on his travel experiences. His works include Stories of the
Ships (1919), To Kiel in the Hercules (1919), In the Tracks of the Trades: The Account of a Fourteen Thousand Mile Yachting
Cruise to the Hawaiis, Marquesas, Societies, Samoas and Fijis (1920), When Cassi Blooms (1922), By Waterways to Gotham (1926),
Afloat and Aflight in the Caribbean (1932), Marquesan Nocturne (1936), Discovering South America (1937), and Many Rivers (1937).
He retired to Pasadena, California, in 1955 and died in 1960.
The collection focuses on Lewis Freeman's travel writings from the early 1900s through the 1950s, and includes unpublished
book and article manuscripts, published articles in printed journals, and correspondence with various agents and publishers
regarding Freeman's writing submissions. The collection also includes some personal manuscripts, photographs, and diaries.
The correspondence includes personal letters from British Military Secretary Sir Douglas Brownrigg (1919-1921); a letter
from L.A. Huffman regarding ordering photographs (1922); a letter from photo artist Byron Harmon regarding Freeman's travel
photographs (1925); and reviews and fan mail from various correspondents regarding Freeman's published books and articles.
Navy correspondence includes a letter from the Lords Commissioners of the British Admiralty granting Freeman the rank of Temporary
Honorary Lieutenant RNVR aboard the H.M.S. President (1917); a letter from Richard W. Gruelick of the U.S. Office of Naval
Intelligence regarding Freeman's joining of a fleet sailing from Hawaii for an Australia-New Zealand Cruise (1925); a letter
from R.S. Berkey of the U.S.S. California inviting Freeman to come aboard by favor of Admiral Pratt (1929); a letter from
H.V. Butler of the U.S.S. Texas passing on edits made by Admiral Wiley to one of Freeman's forthcoming articles (1929); a
letter from N.W. Camanole of the U.S. War Department asking for Freeman's cooperation in supplying his knowledge as an "authority
of the Far East"; and a letter from S.C. Godfrey of the War Department's Mississippi River Commission, which includes 8 photographs
taken on the U.S. tender boat Willow. Also included is correspondence and maps from the Hillman-Long Company regarding Freeman's
oil leases in Orange County, California (1936-1937). There are a few pieces of correspondence written by Freeman, including
two extensive letters to the Secretary of the Explorers Club (1946). Much of the correspondence consists of responses – both
of acceptance and rejection – from various publications in response to Freeman's proposed books and articles. Correspondents
include The Authors' League of America, Bus Transportation , The Daily Telegraph, Dodd, Mead and Company, Fox Film Corporation,
The Hudson's Bay Company, The Illustrated London News, the Italy America Society, the League of American Pen Women, The Livingston
Enterprise, the London Joint City and Midland Bank Limited, The London Times, National Geographic, Popular Mechanics, and
Sunset Magazine.
The miscellaneous manuscripts and ephemera include personal items such as Freeman's passport (1916-1917), Colombian identity
card (1930), and various song lyrics and poems; naval dispatches sent by Freeman during his time aboard the U.S.S. California,
the U.S. Submarine Holland, the U.S. Destroyer Litchfield, and the U.S.S. Saratoga (c.1929); a group of destroyer reports
from the British Admiralty (1916-1918); sheet music composed by Freeman and Helen Lurens Gaut (1924); excerpts from various
publications; a copy of the introduction to Freeman's photographs for "The Feet of the Young Men"; and 46 pieces of newspaper
clippings and printed ephemera.
The photographs in Box 2 include those for Freeman's articles "Amazon Navigation" and "Rubber," one of a tree at Cedar Breaks
National Park in Utah, a scene of an Indian village at Walpi on the Colorado River, a portrait photograph of Freeman by G.
Maillard-Kesslere, a posed portrait of the Delta Phi Club (1895), navy photographs of Freeman and Commander Ramsoy, and a
photograph of Freeman on an unidentified tundra.
The diaries include those of Freeman's trips to Alaska (1898-1900) and the Canadian Rockies (1916), as well as undated accounts
of travels to Colombia and throughout South America, to the Marquesas and the South Seas, along the Missouri and Mississippi
Rivers, and brief accounts of trips to Wisconsin and Grand Rapids.
The essays and articles consist of typed copies of Freeman's stories, many of which were later published. Some of the articles
are accompanied by photographs, several of which were also used in later publications. The articles focus on Freeman's extensive
travel experiences, including his trips to India, the South Pacific, South America, Canada, Cuba, along the Mississippi River,
Samoa, Hawaii, China, French Polynesia, and Indonesia. Other topics covered in the articles include Rudyard Kipling, World
War I (including the British Red Cross in Italy and battles over Serbia), naval events, new forms of electricity, the Guayaquil
and Quinto Railway, the conditions of Chinese immigrants in ship steerage, the Shanghai Plague Riot, hunting in British East
Africa, and the use of whale meat.
The unidentified book notes include manuscript pages and notebooks containing fragments of writings apparently to be used
in constructing book texts. The pencil manuscript for When Kalu Blooms contains original drafts for portions of the book,
although significant sections (including chapters 6-13) are not included. The typed book manuscripts consist of annotated
typescripts and galley proofs for portions of Afloat and Aflight in the Caribbean, Boating Arctic Rivers, Caribbean Jungle
Jaunts, Discovering South America, Dogs and Dog-Fights, Many Rivers, Marquesan Nocturne (2 versions of the complete manuscript),
Waterways of Western Wandering, and When Kalu Blooms.
The publications include articles that appeared in printed journals and other publications. Some of the many and widely
varied topics the articles explore are bus travel, boating American rivers, railroads in Asia, Africa, and South America,
hydro-electricity, industrialization in Italy, polo and tennis in California, World War I, the future of Jerusalem, business
opportunities in the Philippines, Turkey's relationship to Asia, and flight exploration. While most of the articles were written
by Freeman, there are also a few pieces by other authors, including R.J. Bjierstedt, Arthur James, Angus McGregor, Moacir
Simardi, and Gino Speranza, as well as an interview with Freeman that appeared in Andean Air Mail and Peruvian Times (1942).
Some of the publications include The Atlantic Monthly, World Today, Motor Boating, Bus Transportation, The American Review
of Reviews, Outing Magazine, The Outlook, The Los Angeles Times, The Pacific Monthly, Popular Mechanics Magazine, Overland
Monthly, The Sportsman, Andean Air Mail and Peruvian Times, and The Sportsman Pilot.
The collection is organized in 15 boxes. Items are arranged alphabetically by author or title.
The boxes are arranged as follows:
- 1) Correspondence
- 2) Miscellaneous personal manuscripts, ephemera, and photographs
- 3) Diaries; 4-6) Essays and articles (manuscripts)
- 7) Unidentified book notes
- 8)Pencil manuscript: When Kalu Blooms
- 9-10) Typed book manuscripts
- 11-13) Publications
- 14) Negatives
- 15) Oversize box containing cover proofs for Trails Magazine & one rolled diploma
Aside from one series of photographs in Box 2 and a set of 8 photographs accompanying a letter in Box 1 (folder 22), all photographs
in the collection are included with the article manuscripts they were intended to be published with (as noted in the container
list).
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Airplanes -- History
Air travel -- History
Boats and boating
Bus travel
Explorers and exploration
Photojournalists
Railroads -- History
Water-power -- History
World War, 1914-1918 -- History
Alaska -- Description and travel
Australia -- Description and travel
Canada -- Description and travel
Canadian Rockies (B.C. and Alta.) -- Description and travel
Caribbean Area -- Description and travel
Caribbean Area -- History -- 1810-1945.
Caribbean Area -- Social life and customs
China -- History -- 20th century
Colombia -- Description and travel
Cuba -- Description and travel
Cuba -- History -- 1895-
French Polynesia -- Description and travel
French Polynesia -- History
French Polynesia -- Social life and customs
Great Britain -- History-- 20th century
Hawaii -- History -- 1900-1959
Hiva Oa (French Polynesia)
India -- Description and travel
India -- History -- 20th century
India -- Social life and customs
Indonesia -- Description and travel
Indonesia -- History -- 1798-1942
Italy -- History -- 20th century
Jerusalem -- History- -- 20th century
Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia)--Description and travel
Mississippi River -- Description and travel
Missouri River -- Description and travel
Oceanea -- Description and travel
Oceania -- Discovery and exploration
Oceania -- History
Oceania -- Social life and customs
Philippines -- History -- 1898-1946
Samoan Islands -- History
Serbia -- History
South America -- Description and travel
South America -- History -- 20th century
South America -- Social conditions -- 20th century
Turkey -- History -- 20th century
West Indies -- Description and travel
West Indies -- History -- 20th century
Diaries -- Canada -- 20th century
Diaries -- French Polynesia -- 20th century
Diaries -- South America -- 20th century
Diaries -- United States -- 20th century
Ephemera -- 20th century
Essays -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence)--Great Britain -- 20th century
Letters (correspondence)--United States -- 20th century
Publications -- South America -- 20th century
Publications -- United States -- 20th century
Photographs- -- 20th century
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- History
United States. Navy -- History
Correspondence
Box 1
Correspondence
Box 1, Folder 1
Box 1, Folder 2
Box 1, Folder 3
Box 1, Folder 4
Box 1, Folder 5
Box 1, Folder 6
Box 1, Folder 7
Box 1, Folder 8
Box 1, Folder 9
Box 1, Folder 10
Box 1, Folder 11
Box 1, Folder 12
Box 1, Folder 13
Box 1, Folder 14
Box 1, Folder 15
Box 1, Folder 17
Box 1, Folder 18
Box 1, Folder 19
Box 1, Folder 20
Box 1, Folder 21
Box 1, Folder 22
Box 1, Folder 23
Box 1, Folder 24
Box 1, Folder 25
Box 1, Folder 26
Box 1, Folder 27
Box 1, Folder 28
Box 1, Folder 29
Box 1, Folder 30
Box 1, Folder 31
Box 1, Folder 32
Box 1, Folder 33
Box 1, Folder 34
Box 1, Folder 35
Box 1, Folder 36
Box 1, Folder 37
Box 1, Folder 38
Box 1, Folder 39
Box 1, Folder 40
Box 1, Folder 41
Box 1, Folder 42
Box 1, Folder 43
Box 1, Folder 44
Box 1, Folder 45
Box 1, Folder 46
Box 1, Folder 47
Box 1, Folder 48
Box 1, Folder 49
Box 1, Folder 50
Box 1, Folder 51
Box 1, Folder 52
Box 1, Folder 53
Box 1, Folder 54
Box 1, Folder 55
Box 1, Folder 56
Box 1, Folder 57
Box 1, Folder 58
Box 1, Folder 59
Box 1, Folder 60
Box 1, Folder 61
Box 1, Folder 63
Box 1, Folder 64
Box 1, Folder 65
Box 1, Folder 66
Box 1, Folder 67
Box 1, Folder 68
Box 1, Folder 69
Box 1, Folder 70
Box 1, Folder 71
Box 1, Folder 72
Box 1, Folder 73
Box 1, Folder 74
Box 1, Folder 75
Box 1, Folder 76
Box 1, Folder 77
Box 1, Folder 78
Box 1, Folder 79
Box 2
Miscellaneous manuscripts, ephemera, and photographs
Box 2, Folder 1
Box 2, Folder 2
Box 2, Folder 3
Box 2, Folder 5
Box 2, Folder 6
Box 2, Folder 7
Box 2, Folder 8
Box 2, Folder 10
Box 2, Folder 12
Box 2, Folder 13
Box 2, Folder 14
Box 2, Folder 15
Box 2, Folder 16
Box 2, Folder 17
Box 2, Folder 20
Box 2, Folder 21
Box 2, Folder 22
Box 2, Folder 23
Box 3
Diaries
Box 3, Folder 1
Box 3, Folder 2
Box 3, Folder 3
Box 3, Folder 4
Box 3, Folder 5
Box 3, Folder 6
Box 3, Folder 7
Box 3, Folder 8
Box 3, Folder 9
Box 4
Essays and articles: Titles beginning with A-H
Box 4, Folder 1
Box 4, Folder 2
Box 4, Folder 3
Box 4, Folder 5
Box 4, Folder 7
Box 4, Folder 8
Box 4, Folder 9
Box 4, Folder 10
Box 4, Folder 12
Box 4, Folder 13
Box 4, Folder 14
Box 4, Folder 15
Box 4, Folder 18
Box 4, Folder 19
Box 4, Folder 20
Box 4, Folder 21
Box 4, Folder 23
Box 4, Folder 24
Box 4, Folder 25
Box 4, Folder 26
Box 4, Folder 27
Box 4, Folder 28
Box 4, Folder 29
Box 4, Folder 30
Box 4, Folder 31
Box 4, Folder 32
Box 4, Folder 33
Box 4, Folder 36
Box 4, Folder 37
Box 4, Folder 39
Box 4, Folder 40
Box 4, Folder 41
Box 4, Folder 42
Box 4, Folder 43
Box 4, Folder 44
Box 4, Folder 45
Box 4, Folder 46
Box 4, Folder 47
Box 4, Folder 48
Box 4, Folder 50
Box 5
Essays and articles: Titles beginning with I-R
Box 5, Folder 1
Box 5, Folder 2
Box 5, Folder 3
Box 5, Folder 4
Box 5, Folder 5
Box 5, Folder 7
Box 5, Folder 8
Box 5, Folder 9
Box 5, Folder 11
Box 5, Folder 12
Box 5, Folder 13
Box 5, Folder 14
Box 5, Folder 15
Box 5, Folder 16
Box 5, Folder 17
Box 5, Folder 22
Box 5, Folder 23
Box 5, Folder 25
Box 5, Folder 26
Box 5, Folder 27
Box 5, Folder 30
Box 5, Folder 31
Box 5, Folder 32
Box 5, Folder 34
Box 5, Folder 35
Box 5, Folder 36
Box 6
Essays and articles: Titles beginning with S-Y
Box 6, Folder 1
Box 6, Folder 2
Box 6, Folder 3
Box 6, Folder 4
Box 6, Folder 5
Box 6, Folder 6
Box 6, Folder 8
Box 6, Folder 10
Box 6, Folder 11
Box 6, Folder 12
Box 6, Folder 13a
Box 6, Folder 13b
Box 6, Folder 16
Box 6, Folder 17
Box 6, Folder 19
Box 6, Folder 20
Box 6, Folder 21
Box 6, Folder 22
Box 6, Folder 23
Box 6, Folder 25
Box 6, Folder 26
Box 6, Folder 27
Box 6, Folder 28
Box 6, Folder 30
Box 6, Folder 31
Box 6, Folder 32
Box 6, Folder 33
Box 6, Folder 34
Box 6, Folder 36
Box 6, Folder 37
Box 6, Folder 38
Box 6, Folder 39
Box 6, Folder 40
Box 7
Unidentified Book Notes
Box 7, Folder 1
Box 7, Folder 2
Box 7, Folder 3
Box 7, Folder 4
Box 7, Folder 5
Box 8
Pencil manuscript: When Kalu Blooms
Box 8, Folder 1
Box 8, Folder 2
Box 8, Folder 3
Box 8, Folder 4
Box 8, Folder 5
Box 8, Folder 6
Box 8, Folder 7
Box 8, Folder 8
Box 8, Folder 9
Box 9
Typed Book Manuscripts: Afloat and Aflight - Many Rivers.
Box 9, Folder 1
Box 9, Folder 2
Box 9, Folder 3
Box 9, Folder 4
Box 9, Folder 5
Box 9, Folder 6
Box 9, Folder 7
Box 9, Folder 8
Box 9, Folder 9
Box 9, Folder 10
Box 9, Folder 11
Box 9, Folder 12
Box 9, Folder 13
Box 9, Folder 14
Box 9, Folder 15
Box 9, Folder 16
Box 9, Folder 17
Box 9, Folder 18
Box 9, Folder 19
Box 10
Typed Book Manuscripts: Marquesan Nocturne - When Kalu Blooms.
Box 10, Folder 1
Box 10, Folder 2
Box 10, Folder 3
Box 10, Folder 4
Box 10, Folder 5
Box 10, Folder 6
Box 10, Folder 7
Box 10, Folder 8
Box 11
Publications: Bjierstedt - Freeman (A-N)
Box 11, Folder 1
Box 11, Folder 2
Box 11, Folder 3
Box 11, Folder 4
Box 11, Folder 5
Box 11, Folder 6
Box 11, Folder 7
Box 11, Folder 8
Box 11, Folder 9
Box 11, Folder 10
Box 11, Folder 11
Box 11, Folder 12
Box 11, Folder 13
Box 11, Folder 14
Box 11, Folder 15
Box 11, Folder 16
Box 11, Folder 17
Box 11, Folder 18
Box 11, Folder 19
Box 11, Folder 20
Box 11, Folder 21
Box 11, Folder 22
Box 11, Folder 23
Box 11, Folder 24
Box 11, Folder 25
Box 11, Folder 26
Box 11, Folder 27
Box 11, Folder 28
Box 11, Folder 29
Box 11, Folder 30
Box 11, Folder 31
Box 11, Folder 32
Box 11, Folder 33
Box 11, Folder 34
Box 11, Folder 35
Box 11, Folder 36
Box 11, Folder 37
Box 11, Folder 38
Box 11, Folder 39
Box 11, Folder 40
Box 11, Folder 41
Box 11, Folder 42
Box 11, Folder 43
Box 11, Folder 44
Box 11, Folder 45
Box 12
Publications: Freeman (P-U)
Box 12, Folder 1
Box 12, Folder 2
Box 12, Folder 3
Box 12, Folder 4
Box 12, Folder 5
Box 12, Folder 6
Box 12, Folder 7
Box 12, Folder 8
Box 12, Folder 9
Box 12, Folder 10
Box 12, Folder 11
Box 12, Folder 12
Box 12, Folder 13
Box 12, Folder 14
Box 12, Folder 15
Box 12, Folder 16
Box 12, Folder 17
Box 12, Folder 18
Box 12, Folder 19
Box 12, Folder 20
Box 12, Folder 21
Box 12, Folder 22
Box 12, Folder 23
Box 12, Folder 24
Box 12, Folder 25
Box 12, Folder 26
Box 12, Folder 27
Box 13
Publications: Freeman (V-W) - Speranza and miscellaneous
Box 13, Folder 1
Box 13, Folder 2
Box 13, Folder 3
Box 13, Folder 4
Box 13, Folder 5
Box 13, Folder 6
Box 13, Folder 7
Box 13, Folder 8
Box 13, Folder 9
Box 13, Folder 10
Box 13, Folder 11
Box 13, Folder 12
Box 13, Folder 13
Box 13, Folder 14
Box 13, Folder 15
Box 13, Folder 16
Box 13, Folder 17
Box 13, Folder 18
Box 13, Folder 19
Box 13, Folder 20
Box 13, Folder 26
Box 14
Box 14, Folder 1
Box 14, Folder 2
Box 14, Folder 3
Box 14, Folder 4
Box 14, Folder 5
Box 14, Folder 7
Box 15
Proof covers of Trails Magazine
Diploma