Jim Sleeper papers, 1858-2012

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Summary

Creators:

Abstract:

This collection contains the papers of Orange County, California historian James ("Jim") Doren Sleeper (1927-2012). Jim Sleeper specialized in Orange County history, especially the Irvine Ranch, Rancho Mission Viejo, and the O'Neill Ranch. The Sleeper papers are comprised of research files, clippings from local Orange County newspapers, manuscript and published versions of Sleeper's scholarly writings, annotated copies of books, maps, and ephemera. Also included is biographical material, such as school records, correspondence, and family photographs.

Extent:

122.3 Linear Feet (80 record cartons, 18 flat boxes, 13 rolled item boxes, 10 a/v boxes, 2 legal document boxes, 1 letter document box, 1 half letter document box)

Language:

English .

Preferred citation:

Jim Sleeper papers. MS-R173. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.

For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection contains the research files, manuscripts, and personal papers of Orange County, California historian Jim Sleeper. Sleeper's research files on Orange County include newspaper clippings, ephemera, photographs, maps, and notes. Also included in the collection is the extensive card index system Sleeper used for his research files, books, newspaper clippings, and artifacts. The collection also contains manuscript and published versions of Sleeper's scholarly writings. Also included are Sleeper's personal and family material, such as photographs, negatives, diaries, correspondence, and school work.

Biographical / historical:

James "Jim" Doren Sleeper (1927-2012) was a leading Orange County historian. A native of Santa Ana, his interest in local history began in the late 1930s. After graduation from Santa Ana High School and service in the Army Air Force in the last days of World War II, Sleeper worked as a newspaper reporter, teacher, forest ranger, and a public relations man before switching to history full time in the 1960s. He served as staff historian for The Irvine Company (1965-1969), and later filled a similar role for the Rancho Mission Viejo Company. He worked as a historical consultant on environmental impact reports, legal cases, for both the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times, and many other public and private projects.

His published work includes a wide variety of articles (some 2,000 by his count) and a number of important books. In "Turn the Rascals Out! The Life and Times of Orange County's Fighting Editor, Dan M. Baker" (1973), he used the biography of a Santa Ana newspaperman to trace the early history of Orange County. "A Boys' Book of Bear Stories (Not for Boys): A Grizzly Introduction to the Santa Ana Mountains" (1976) weaves together several stories. Sleeper writes about bears in the Santa Ana Mountains and also includes a general outline of human history in the hills, as well as thumbnail sketches of a host of mountain pioneers. "Great Movies Shot in Orange County that will Live Forever (or at least until 1934)" (1980) delves deeply into the minutia of local movie making. "Bears to Briquets, A History of Irvine Park" (1987) began as a small pamphlet published for the 70th anniversary of Irvine Park in 1967; the revised version brings in a great deal more mountain history and some surprising episodes from the park's past. Sleeper was perhaps best known for his almanacs – "Jim Sleeper's Orange County Almanac of Historical Oddities" – published in three editions (1971, 1974, and 1982). They include summaries of local agriculture, chronologies of local events, and even local weather superlatives.

Over the years, Sleeper developed the largest private research collection on the history of Orange County and was a friend and mentor to several generations of local historians. He was active in a number of local historical organizations, including the Orange County Historical Society, the Orange County Pioneer Association, the Old Courthouse Museum Society, and the Santa Ana Cultural Heritage Board.

Jim Sleeper Chronology
Date	Event
1927	Born April 16 in Santa Ana.
1942	Begins work as a copy boy for the Santa Ana Independent. Earns the rank of Eagle Scout.
1943-45	Publishes The Gold Quill, a local Boy Scout newspaper.
1944	Attends summer journalism workshop at Northwestern University.
1945	Publishes first book (a collection of fiction), Shocking Reports from the Electric Eel. Graduates from Santa Ana High School.
1945-46	Serves in Army Air Force.
1947	Editor, Orange County Farm Shopper. Enrolls at Occidental College; later serves as editor of the campus humor magazine, Fang.
1948	Purchases cabin in Holy Jim Canyon.
1951	Receives BA degree in Literature from Occidental College.
1953	Receives MA degree in English from Occidental College; receives teaching credential.
1953-54	Teaches English and journalism at Orange Coast College.
1954-61	Works seasonally for the U.S. Forest Service as a forest ranger and firefighter in the Santa Ana Mountains.
1950s-60s	Makes many extended trips to Mexico, Central, and South America.
1957	Hired to write scripts for Burritt Wheeler, KFI radio personality.
1960-61	Does post-graduate work at UCLA.
1961	Co-founder of the Canyon Wren newsletter for Santa Ana Mountains cabin owners; serves as editor and publisher, 1962-66.
1961-62	Works as a publicist for Forest Lawn.
1963-64	Teaches English at Fullerton Union High School.
1965	Marries fellow teacher Nola Fox.
1965-69	Serves as staff historian and public relations writer for The Irvine Company; develops a historical newsletter for the company, the Rancho San Joaquin Gazette.
1967	Publishes first edition of Bears to Briquets.
1969	Begins careers as a freelance historical researcher and writer.
1971	Publishes first Jim Sleeper's Almanac of Orange County Historical Oddities.
1973	Publishes Turn the Rascals Out!
1974	Publishes second Almanac.
1976	Publishes A Boys' Book of Bear Stories.
1979	Publishes Portrait from the Past, a history of the Old Orange County Courthouse.
1980	Publishes Great Movies Shot in Orange County.
1982	Publishes third Almanac.
1985	Hired as historical consultant for the Rancho Mission Viejo Company; works for them off and on until 2005.
1987	Publishes revised edition of Bears to Briquets.
2007	Sells cabin in Holy Jim Canyon.
2012	Dies, September 27, age 85.

Acquisition information:

Acquired, 2014.

Processing information:

Processed by Phil Brigandi, Kelly Spring, and Kimberly Gallon, 2016. Reprocessed by Zoe MacLeod, 2020.

Arrangement:

This collection is organized in the following four series:

Research files, 1859-2012.
Writings, 1945-1997.
Index cards, undated.
Biographical, 1858-2012.

Rules or conventions:

Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Indexed terms

Subjects:: Newspaper clippings.
Maps--California--Orange County--20th century.
Names:: Sleeper, Jim
Places:: Orange County (Calif.)--History.
Irvine (Calif.)--History.
Orange County (Calif.)--Photographs.

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

See the "r173_Index cards user guide" under "Collection Scope and Content Summary" for more information about Sleeper's research files.

Terms of access:

Property rights reside with the University of California. Copyrights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.