Morgan (William Rollin) Papers, 1852-1901

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Summary

Title:
William Rollin Morgan papers
Dates:
1852-1901
Abstract:
Letters of California pioneer and gold miner William Rollin Morgan.
Extent:
3 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. William Rollin Morgan papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains 198 items, including ephemera. It is mainly correspondence; however, it does contain some receipts and bills. The correspondence deals with Morgan's gold mining business, the Sierra Union Water and Mining Company, and family matters back in Bennington, Vermont. The mining materials describe day-to-day mining operations, hydraulic mining, conflicts and lawsuits between the Sierra Union and various residents in St. Louis and Marysville, California. Items pertaining to mining appear throughout the collection but are concentrated in the letters of George W. Cox, and Timothy Donohue. A few letters discuss California politics.

Biographical / historical:

William R. Morgan, born in Bennington, Vermont in 1832 or 1833, came to San Francisco in 1852 and settled in St. Louis, Sierra County, California. In the 1870s, he started a successful hydraulic enterprise with his friend Timothy Donohue. By 1880, George W. Cox had joined them, and their company became known as the Sierra Union Water and Mining Company. The company, in addition to working its own mines, contracted to provide water to other mines in the region. Forced to build debris dams to control wastes from the hydraulic process, Sierra Union was involved in litigation regarding the debris. Morgan moved back to Vermont in the 1890s but made several trips back to California to attend to business matters.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Dawson's Book Shop, December 1958.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff. In 2022, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-02-22 10:49:29 -0800 .

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]. William Rollin Morgan papers, 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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