Merrill Carr Allyn, born in 1904, moved to Upper Ojai with his family when he was four years old. After graduating from Ventura High School in 1922, he developed a lifelong interest in boating and sea life. He started working as a deckhand for a local boater and eventually opened a boat-building business. He also served as commissioner of the Ventura Port District several times in the 1950s and 1960s. Allyn was an amateur photographer and this collection consists entirely of his negatives. The images include boats, the Ventura Pier and its environs, trips to the Channel Islands and along the California coast, marine life, fishing catches, and friends and family of Allyn.

Merrill Carr Allyn was born in Los Angeles on August 4, 1904. When he was four years old, his family moved to a ranch in the upper Santa Ana Valley, now more commonly known as Upper Ojai. He graduated from Ventura High School in 1922. He soon began to work as a deckhand for H. Bay Webster, a seaman who had a business offering tourists excursions to the Channel Islands. He also ran a sport fishing boat for a while.

1.46 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org.

Open for research. Advance requests can be made to Research Library staff via email.