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Records of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce
2019_001  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Acquisition Information
  • Administrative History
  • Scope and Content of Collection
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Records of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce
    Dates: 1900-2003
    Collection Number: 2019_001
    Creator/Collector: Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce (Newport Beach, Calif.) Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce (Newport Beach, Calif.) Newport Harbor Area Chamber of Commerce (Newport Beach, Calif.)
    Extent: 64 archives boxes; 29 linear feet, 7 inches
    Repository: Sherman Library and Gardens
    Corona del Mar, California 92625
    Abstract: The records of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce document the organizations advocacy on behalf of local business interest. The collections includes materials on efforts to develop Newport Harbor, improve local transportation and water systems, promote tourism, and generally to promote Newport Beach.
    Language of Material: English

    Access

    Open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Property rights to the physical object belong to the Sherman Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The Sherman Library does not hold the copyright.

    Preferred Citation

    Records of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce. Sherman Library and Gardens

    Acquisition Information

    The collection was donated by Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce in 2015.

    Administrative History

    On March 12, 1907, sixteen charter members founded the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce, to promote the business and community interests of the newly incorporated City of Newport Beach. In the years 1907 to 1923, the Chamber's work primarily focused on promoting harbor development, improving and reducing the cost of Pacific Electric Railway (the Red Car) services to Newport Beach, advocating for the development of a coast highway, and promoting the city through advertising to entice new visitors, residents, and business. The Chamber also attended trade shows, such as the Pacific Land and Products Exhibition, the National Orange Show, and the Riverside County Fairs.
    In 1911 the Chamber of Commerce began a long campaign to develop a harbor in Newport Beach. The Chamber applied to the War Department to have Newport Bay surveyed and harbor lines drawn. When the survey was completed, the Chief of Engineers in Washington refused to approve the harbor lines. In 1916, however, Congress mandated the harbor lines. The Chamber of Commerce spearheaded support of a number of local and county bond issues, including: measures to improve roads in 1912, to build the first jetty at the entrance to Newport Bay in 1916, and to further develop the harbor in 1919.
    In April 1924 the Orange County Harbor Chamber of Commerce formed, and the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce dissolved, albeit briefly. The founders of the Orange County Harbor Chamber of Commerce hoped to build county-wide support for the development of a commercial harbor in Newport. To this end, they supported a bond measure on the December 14, 1926 ballot. Voters soundly rejected the measure. In response to the failed bond campaign, the Orange County Harbor Chamber of Commerce disbanded in January 1927.
    The Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce reorganized on October 24, 1924. Following the collapse of the Orange County Harbor Chamber of Commerce in early 1927, the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce joined with the Balboa Chamber of Commerce, which had been in existence since 1919, to form the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce. This new group continued to press for the development of Newport Harbor, even after the failed bond campaign of 1927.
    Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal opened the possibility of making Newport Harbor a public works project. In 1933, Newport Beach harbor boosters sent a delegation of three men to Washington, D. C. to secure the needed funds. The leader of the delegation was George Rogers, a businessman whose son died in the dangerous waters at the entrance to Newport Bay. Roger's was determine to make the harbor safe. The other members of the delegation were A. B. Rousselle, the vice president of the Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce, and R. L. Patterson, the Newport Beach city engineer. The group was able to secure half of the two million dollars needed from the Army Corp of Engineers and then convince the Public Works Administration to allocate an additional $360,000. The remaining $640,000 had to come from a bond issue. The Newport Harbor Chamber of Commerce played a leading role in supporting the bond proposal, which passed late in 1933. Newport Harbor officially opened in 1936.
    With the opening of Newport Harbor, the Chamber of Commerce increasingly emphasized marketing Newport Beach, advocating for local businesses, and developing the community. The Newport Chamber of Commerce was instrumental in organizing community events, such as the Tournament of Lights, Christmas Boat Parade, and Flight of the Snowbirds (Lasers). The Chamber was also active in promoting tourism, environmental issues, particularly regarding beach and harbor pollution, and economic development.

    Scope and Content of Collection

    This collection includes meeting minutes 1911-1922, subject files 1923-2002, scrapbooks 1954-197, publications, 1974-2009 and visual materials. The subject documented in the collection include efforts to develop Newport Harbor, improve local transportation and water systems, promote tourism, and generally to promote positive environment for businesses in Newport Beach.

    Arrangement

    1. Minutes, 1911-1922 (Box 1)
    2. Subject Files
      1. Numbered Subject Files, 923-1949 (Boxes 2-40)
      2. Alphabetical Subject Files, 1947-2002 (Bulk: 1970-1977) (Boxes 41-52)
    3. Scrapbooks, 1954-1974, 1984 (Boxes 53-57)
    4. Publications
      1. Membersip and Business Directories, 1986-2009 (Box 58)
      2. Lookout, 1969, 1974-2003 (Boxes 59-68)
    5. Visual Materials
      1. Slides
      2. Commodore's Club Portraits (Box 60)
      3. Prints
    6. Artifacts (Box 58)

    Indexing Terms

    California - Orange County - History - 20th century - Sources.
    California - Orange County - History - 20th century.
    Business records - California - Orange County - 20th century.
    Photographs – California – Orange County – 20th century.
    Development - Newport Harbor (Calif.)
    Tourism - Newport Beach (Calif.)
    Soiland, Albert
    Martin, Glenn
    Newport Beach (Calif.)
    Newport Harbor (Calif.)
    Photographs
    Correspondence
    Reports