Walter Millsap papers, circa 1860-1997, undated, bulk 1915-1980

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Summary

Creators:
Millsap, Walter, 1886-1971
Abstract:
The Walter Millsap papers contains professional and personal correspondence, contracts, financial documents, publications by Millsap, photographs, audiovisual materials, newspaper clippings, and other material regarding Walter Millsap and the Llano Del Rio colony, a utopian society created by Job Harriman that was utilized from 1916-1919. Materials also document the community activism and inventions of Millsap. Topics covered by the collection include philosophical thoughts and theories, patent forms and daily activities in the Llano community.
Extent:
9.67 linear feet (17 boxes)
Language:
The collection is in English .
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. Walter Millsap papers (MS 157). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains correspondence, documents, writings, and other material pertaining to American socialist Walter Millsap. Materials document Millsap's professional life and personal interests covering a wide range of topics that include philosophical thoughts and theories, inventions, and expansion of the Llano colony. A substantial amount of both professional and personal correspondence is present in the collection between Millsap and governmental entities, professional colleagues, business industries, and friends. Of additional significance are numerous publications and articles pertaining to cooperative colonies, Millsap's personal life, photographs documenting the Llano colony, and various audiovisual materials relating to the Llano Del Rio colony and Walter Millsap. Lastly, there is select material documenting Millsap's inventions through patents, contracts and financial documents, pamphlets and booklets regarding utopian colonies, books owned by Millsap, and maps of California.

Biographical / historical:

Walter Millsap was an active member of the Llano Del Rio colony from 1916 to 1919. This cooperative settlement was formed in 1914 by Job Harriman, a lawyer and politician from Los Angeles to provide an economic foundation to the ideas of socialism. Harriman appointed Walter Millsap as head of the Llano Co-Operative Association in 1916. In 1917, the colony experienced a major shortage in water; small rainfall, an insufficient reservoir, and limited rights to water from Big Rock Creek forced the colony to abandon the site and find a different location elsewhere. The colony relocated to Stables, Louisiana in 1917 and renamed the colony "New Llano". When Job Harriman died in 1925 in California, George Pickett stepped in to lead New Llano until it declared bankruptcy in 1936 and fell apart completely by 1938.

Acquisition information:
Purchased in 1984
Processing information:

Processed by Ena Hillery and Bianca Lisek, Student Processing Assistants, 2015.

Processing of the Walter Millsap papers was completed by undergraduate students from the University of California, Riverside as part of the Special Collections & University Archives Backlog Processing Project started in 2015. This project was funded by the UCR Library and administered by Bergis Jules, University and Political Papers Archivist, and Eric Milenkiewicz, Manuscripts Curator.

This collection went through a minor review process in late 2022 that resulted in some rehousing of materials for preservation concerns. This resulted in minor box and folder renumbering of the contents and moving of some materials to flat files.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into seven series as follows:

  • Series 1. Correspondence by name, 1904-1969, undated.
  • Series 2. Correspondence by date, 1910-1979, undated.
  • Series 3. Official documents and documents on the colony, 1905-1969, undated.
  • Series 4. Writings and other personal material by Walter Millsap, circa 1860-1967, undated.
  • Series 5. Newspaper clippings, pamphlets, and other material, 1908-1989, undated.
  • Series 6. Audiovisual materials, circa 1916-1997, undated.
  • Series 7. Publications, 1916-1969, undated.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [date if possible]. Walter Millsap papers (MS 157). Special Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Riverside - Special Collections and University Archives
P.O. Box 5900
Riverside, CA 92517-5900, US
Contact:
(951) 827-3233
specialcollections@ucr.edu
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