Collection context
Summary
- Creators:
- Kit Carson Ranch (Riverside Calif.)
- Abstract:
- The Kit Carson Ranch was operated by the Shade family in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The collection contains papers and photographs that document the history of the Ranch and the Shade family.
- Extent:
- 2.08 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder# or item name], Kit Carson Ranch Records, Collection no. 0038, W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, Special Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
The collection includes printed materials and photographs that document the activities of the Kit Carson Ranch and the Shade family that owned and operated it.
- Biographical / historical:
-
The Kit Carson Ranch was operated by the Shade family in Riverside, California during the early 20th century. The family consisted of Mrs. Nell Burdell Shade and her seven children: Carson, Autumn, Audrey, Merle, Meredith, Morris, and Earl. Carson, the eldest, was nicknamed "Kit" after the frontiersman Kit Carson (1808-1868) and the Shade family used the same name for the ranch. The Shades built the ranch on land they had obtained during the Great Depression and they boarded and supplied stock horses for Boy Scout camps in the San Bernardino Mountains. They also organized annual trail rides for the Scouts.
Along with providing horses for trail rides, the Kit Carson Ranch was a popular gathering place for Hollywood stars and military personnel. It was used as a wedding venue, the site of an event known as the "Shade Party," and hosted an annual Girl Scout Horse Show. The horse show was organized by Autumn Shade in partnership with Girl Scout Director Miss Ray Womer. The show included exhibition jumping and a relay race and drew crowds of more than 150 people.
The ranch was also connected to the nearby Ed Wright's Training Stables through Autumn, who had her first job there. Ed Wright owned the Arabian stallion Raynas, who was bred at the W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Ranch in Pomona.
The ranch ceased operation after the United States became involved in World War II and all seven Shade children enlisted in the military. Mrs. Nell Burdell Shade later moved to a farmhouse known as La Colina Ranch in Riverside. There, she boarded Royal Air Force pilots who had been brought from Great Britain to March Air Force Base in Riverside county to train American pilots. Members of the Shade family continued to live at La Colina Ranch after the war.
- Acquisition information:
- The collection was donated to California State Polytechnic University, Pomona by Autumn Shade's daughter Franci Allen in 2017.
- Processing information:
-
The collection was processed by Jose Quirarte under the supervision of Alexis Adkins in 2020.
- Arrangement:
-
The collection is organized into the following series: Series 1. Printed Materials and Series 2. Photographs.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
Advance notice required for access.
- Terms of access:
-
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder# or item name], Kit Carson Ranch Records, Collection no. 0038, W.K. Kellogg Arabian Horse Library, Special Collections and Archives, University Library, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
- Location of this collection:
-
3801 West Temple Ave.Pomona, CA 91768, US
- Contact:
- (909) 869-3775