Surveyor's Field Notebooks collection, 1892-1924

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Summary

Title:
Surveyor's Field Notebooks collection
Dates:
1892-1924
Creators:
Olmsted, Frank Henry, 1858-1939
Abstract:
A collection of surveyor's notebooks created by American civil engineer Frank Henry Olmsted, who was Los Angeles city engineer from 1898 to 1900.
Extent:
2.9 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Surveyor's field notebooks collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The 53 notebooks in this collection include notes, charts, calculations, measurements, drawings, and other observations recorded by Los Angeles city engineer, Frank Henry Olmsted, and other surveyors affiliated with the civil engineering firm Olmsted and Gillelen. The surveys include sewers, reservoirs, ditches, dams, and other water supply and sanitation structures that were located primarily in Los Angeles County; Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego and Ventura counties are also represented, as well as various regions in northern California and Arizona. The notebooks provide details relating to the design and construction of municipal water systems, and data concerning water distribution and consumption levels throughout southern California and Arizona during the early twentieth century. The notebooks are arranged in alphabetical order; titles are taken from the spines and front covers of the notebooks; many of the notebooks are undated. The majority of notebooks are in fragile condition and several contain loose items laid into the notebooks.

Biographical / historical:

Frank Henry Olmsted (1858-1939) was born in Ripon, Wisconsin. He attended Northwestern University in Illinois, where he received his education and training in civil engineering. In 1877, he moved to southern California and eventually served as a member of the construction-engineering firm, Olmsted and Gillelen, in Los Angeles. He was elected Los Angeles city engineer in 1898 and held office until 1900. Olmsted held numerous appointments during his long career in the engineering field. He was a chief draftsman for the Chicago Sanitary District, assistant hydrographer for the U.S. Geological Survey, and engineer for the United Sugar Companies of Los Moches in Sinaloa, Mexico. Olmsted was also a member of the United States Army engineers and provided flood control work for the Mississippi River in Louisiana. His projects included the Santa Fe, Santa Ana, and Newport railroads in California, the Coeur d'Alene Railroad in Idaho, and the Mexican Central Railway. Olmsted's civic activities included participation in the American Board of Foreign Missions in central and northern Mexico, the American Society of Civil Engineers in New York, and the student chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. Olmsted resided in Glendale, California and was active in civic affairs until his death in January 1939.

Acquisition information:
N. Kovach donated one volume ("San Antonio Protection District") as a gift in 1944; the remainder of the collection was purchased from N. Kovach in November 1945.
Processing information:

Processed by Margaret Phung in February 2014. In 2020, Gayle Richardson created the encoded finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Gayle Richardson
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-05-18 10:09:24 -0700 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

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.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Surveyor's field notebooks collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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