Mount Wilson Observatory Legal Papers: Finding Aid
Finding aid prepared by Steven Collicelli, April 22, 2011.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical
Gardens
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2011
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Overview of the Collection
Title: Mount Wilson Observatory Legal Papers
Dates (inclusive): 1903-1938
Collection Number: mssMount Wilson legal papers
Creator:
Mount Wilson Observatory.
Extent: 84 items in 1 box
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2129
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract: The Mount Wilson Observatory Legal Papers comprise one box of material relating to
the founding, construction, and operation of the institution dating from 1903 to
1939.
Language: English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services
Department. For more information, contact Reader Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
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]. Mount Wilson Observatory Legal Papers, The Huntington
Library, San Marino, California.
Provenance
Deposit, Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington Collection,
1988. Approximately fifty additional separate collections form the Mount Wilson
Papers of the Observatories of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and are
available for research in the Manuscripts Department of the Huntington
Library.
Historical Note
Founded in December 1904 by George Ellery Hale and funded by the Carnegie
Institution, the Mount Wilson Observatory quickly became one of the 20th century’s
major astronomical research centers. Located just north of Los Angeles high atop the
San Gabriel Mountains, the observatory took full advantage of Southern California’s
clear nights and uniquely steady air. The observatory’s 60” telescope completed in
1908 was the largest then in existence. In 1917, another Mount Wilson telescope,
100” in diameter, claimed that title.
Hale was joined at Mount Wilson by a gifted group of earlier astrophysicists. Walter
Adams, George Willis Ritchey, Francis Pease, Ferdinand Ellerman, and Edwin Hubble
studied at the observatory, making important discoveries concerning sunspots, the
composition of stars, and the architecture of the universe.
Scope and Content
The Mount Wilson Observatory Legal Papers comprise one box of material relating to
the founding, construction, and operation of the institution dating from 1903 to
1939. The bulk of the papers are legal documents: deeds, leases, utility contracts,
and permits. Two folders contain documents relating to legal actions taken against
Mount Wilson and the Carnegie Institution. Also included are three letters from John
D. Hooker, a Los Angeles industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of the
California Academy of Science, announcing his donation to fund the 100” telescope
that would bear his name. Other participants include George Ellery Hale, Walter S.
Adams and Francis G. Pease.
Arrangement
The papers are arranged alphabetically according to the
person, company, or institution that created them.
Indexing: Added Entries
Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney), 1876-1956.
- Author in George Ellery Hale, 1868-1938 and Evelina C. Hale items to
Mount Wilson Observatory. Box 1 (8).
Pease, F. G. (Francis Gladheim), b. 1881
- Author in Mount Wilson Observatory letter to Strong & Dickenson. Box
1 (15).
Indexing Terms
Subjects
Carnegie Institution of
Washington.
Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Mount Wilson
Observatory -- History -- Sources.
Astronomical observatories -- California
-- Wilson, Mount (Mountain)
Astronomy -- United States -- History
-- 20th century -- Sources.
Telescopes -- Design and construction
-- History -- Sources.
Los Angeles (Calif.) --
History -- 20th century -- Sources.
Forms/Genres
Legal documents -- United States --
20th century.
Letters (correspondence) -- United
States -- 20th century.
Additional Contributors
Adams, Walter S. (Walter Sydney),
1876-1956.
Hale, George Ellery, 1868-1938.
Hooker, John D. (John Daggett),
1838-1911.
Pease, F. G. (Francis Gladheim), b.
1881.
Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Documents and correspondence
Folder 1
Baker Iron Works. 2 items (1926, July 27) to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 2
California Highway Commission. 4 items (1923) to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 3
Carnegie Institution of Washington. 4 right-of-way agreements
(1906-1912).
Folder 4
Carnegie Institution of Washington. 2 items (1909-1910)
concerning an insurance settlement.
Folder 5
Carnegie Institution of Washington. 1 letter (1911, Oct. 30) to
Anderson & Johnson.
Folder 6
County of Los Angeles. 1 item (1933, Feb. 15) to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 7
Edison Electric Company. 1 item (1909, May 22) to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 8
Hale, George Ellery, 1868-1938 and Evelina C. Hale. 2 items
(1904-1918) to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 9
Industrial Accident Commission of the State of California. 1 item
(1916, Apr. 7) to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 10
J.D. Hooker Company. 3 items (1906) to George Ellery Hale,
1868-1938.
Folder 11
Justice’s Court, Pasadena Township. 3 items (1906) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 12
Machinery and Electrical Company. 2 items (1913, Apr. 2) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 13
Miscellaneous. 13 land contracts, deeds, and leases (1905-1918)
to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 14
Monroe Calculating Machine Company, Inc. 2 items (1933-1939) to
Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 15
Mount Wilson Observatory. 1 letter (1925, Dec. 7) to Strong &
Dickenson.
Folder 16
Office of the Planning and Building Inspector, Pasadena. 1 item
(1911, Nov. 27) to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 17
Pacific Coast Elevator Company 2 items (1909, Jan.) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 18
Pasadena Home Telephone and Telegraph Co. 2 items (1910-1912) to
Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 19
Precipice Canyon Water Company. 6 items (1914-1923) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 20
Roberts, H.M. 1 item [undated] to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 21
Simons, Seward A. 2 letters (1909, Aug.) to P.J. McNally,
Esq.
Folder 22
“Solar Observatory of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.” 1
item (1905, Feb. 1) to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 23
Title Guarantee and Trust Company 5 item (1903-1919) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 24
United States Department of Agriculture, Weather Bureau. 1 item
(1932, May 27) to Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 25
United States Department of State. 3 items (1904, Apr. 28) to
Mount Wilson Observatory.
Folder 26
Western Casualty and Surety Company. 7 items (1910) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.
Folder 27
William R. Staats, Company. 11 items (1905-1909) to Mount Wilson
Observatory.
Folder 28
Los Angeles County Tax Collector. 1 item (1918, Dec. 2) to Mount
Wilson Observatory.