D. M. Renton papers, 1916-1936

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Summary

Creators:
Renton, D. M., 1878-1947
Abstract:
A collection of correspondence between D. M. Renton and William Wrigley, Jr., concerning the development of Santa Catalina Island under Wrigley ownership.
Extent:
2.08 Linear Feet (5 boxes)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. D. M. Renton papers, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of correspondence and business records dealing with the history of Santa Catalina Island, California. The vast bulk of the collection consists of letters between D. M. Renton and William Wrigley concerning operations of Wrigley enterprises on Santa Catalina Island, including Renton's ongoing management of the multiple enterprises on the island. Renton's letters detail visitation, public services ranging from food to entertainment, development of new facilities from the Casino ballroom to an on-island hospital; the letters also describe construction work to improve access to clean potable water, and the mining operations for lead, silver and zinc, and the ongoing labor to extract them. The letters also describe the Hollywood studios using the island for filming and the use of the island for baseball training and games. The letters also include correspondence with Ferdinand Ellerman, Herbert Hoover, Lawrence Mott, Johnny Noble, Joseph H. Patrick, Hugh Rodman, John Wayne, Ada Elizabeth Wrigley, and Philip Wrigley. The business records include monthly expense and revenue reports for the island, meeting minutes and correspondence for the Santa Catalina Island Company. The correspondence includes telegrams, autograph, typewritten, and carbon copied letters; the D. M. Renton and William Wrigley correspondence also includes letters from other suppliers, businesses, and corporate partners. The business records include correspondence, meeting minutes, expense and revenue reports. The collection also includes an autobiography written by D. M. Renton upon his retirement from the Santa Catalina Island Company; newspaper clippings, business cards, and U. S. patent papers for a stone spreader. Some of the letters are incomplete, and a small number have sustained water damage. The letters and other material are between D. M. Renton and William Wrigley unless otherwise noted.

Biographical / historical:

David Malcolm Renton, known as D. M., was born on Prince Edward Island, Canada, on February 8, 1878; he was the son of John Renton, a house and ship builder, and Catherine (Nicholson) Renton. At the age of 16, D. M. Renton moved to Massachusetts to train as a carpenter and at the same time attended night school for his education. He moved to Southern California in 1902, to establish a building company. After this company disbanded, Renton went on to work as a general contractor; one of his first jobs was building an observation tower on Mt. Wilson. Renton also began to build Craftsman-style homes in Pasadena, California. Renton met William Wrigley, Jr., in 1919, when he was hired to build homes for Wrigley in Pasadena. That same year, Wrigley bought Santa Catalina Island and began, over the years, to improve the island by building public utilities, new steamships, a hotel, the Casino building, and extensive plantings of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Wrigley, who lived mainly in Chicago, hired Renton to oversee all the extensive building on the island and he also served as vice president of the Santa Catalina Island Company. Renton first married Elizabeth Blaisdell Ryder and they had two sons: Malcolm Joseph Renton and Arthur Lincoln Renton. Elizabeth died in 1935 and Renton married Isabel Blanche Cline in 1937. When Renton retired in 1936, he lived at a cattle ranch in Atascadero, California, "Rancho Santa Catalina," until he died in 1947.

Acquisition information:
Gift of David Renton, December 2020.
Processing information:

Processed by Gayle M. Richardson in February 2023. A large number of the letters contain penciled numbers in the bottom right corner of the page, these numbers were added by the Renton family before the material was donated to the Huntington; these numbers have not been noted on the folders or in the finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged chronologically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

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]. D. M. Renton 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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