George O. Bauwens and Arthur J. Babcock cabin in Eaton Canyon collection photCL 186
Suzanne Oatey
The Huntington Library
June 2020
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
reference@huntington.org
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington LibraryPhoto Archives
Title: George O. Bauwens and Arthur J. Babcock cabin in Eaton Canyon
collection
Identifier/Call Number: photCL 186
Physical Description:
1.42 Linear Feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1915-1975
Abstract: A collection of photographs, a diary,
and other materials chiefly documenting life in a cabin in Eaton Canyon, in the San Gabriel
Mountains, California, 1921-1975. Also includes hydroelectric power project photographs,
1915-1919.
Language of Material: Materials are in
English.
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
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[Identification of item]. George O. Bauwens and Arthur J. Babcock cabin in Eaton Canyon
collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Emilie C. Bauwens, 1967, and Arthur J. Babcock, November 1982.
George O. Bauwens (1887-1955) was a civil and hydraulic engineer and a professor in the
Engineering Department, University of Southern California. Bauwens was also the leader of
the Sierra Club's ski mountaineering section, 1938-1939.
A collection of photographs, a diary, and other documents related to a cabin built
1921-1922 by engineer George O. Bauwens in Eaton Canyon, in the San Gabriel Mountains,
California. Bauwens built the cabin on lot no. 27, which he leased from the Angeles National
Forest in Eaton Canyon Tract, Los Angeles County. Bauwens and his wife, Emilie, lived
seasonally in the cabin, which he called "Dschinnistan," and Bauwens kept a diary and took
photographs of constructing the cabin, camp life, and mountain scenery. After Bauwens died,
the cabin was sold to Arthur J. Babcock in 1957, who held it until 1975, when it was
released to the U.S. Forestry Service. Babcock continued the diary entries of life in the
mountain cabin, which includes descriptions of repairs made, visitors, and wildlife. The
collection includes the cabin's lease permits and correspondence from the Forestry Service
and detailed maps of the cabin's location. The diary lists names of guests, and sometimes
their own comments, and includes bookseller Muir Dawson who visited a few times in the
1930s. In addition to the cabin-related materials, there are also approximately 75
photographs of George Bauwens' hydraulic engineering projects, 1915-1919. The snapshots show
dam construction and power plants in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Marin County,
California, and in Spearfish Canyon, South Dakota.
Processed by Huntington Library staff, circa 1990s. In 2020, Suzanne Oatey created a
finding aid derived from a legacy summary report.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Hydraulic engineering -- California
Hydraulic engineering -- South Dakota
Outdoor recreation -- California
Vacation homes -- California
Angeles National Forest (Calif.) -- Recreational use
Eaton Canyon (Calif.)
San Gabriel Mountains
(Calif.)
Contracts -- California -- Los Angeles
Diaries
Photographs
Babcock, Arthur J.
Bauwens, George O., 1887-1955
Dawson, Muir
Box 1
George O. Bauwens and Arthur J. Babcock cabin in Eaton Canyon collection