Description
This collection contains the papers of American assayer and mining engineer Morris B. Parker (1871-1957), who wrote about
his experiences working for mining companies chiefly in Mexico and White Oaks, New Mexico. This collection consists of typescripts
of Parker's autobiographical writings, diaries, notebooks, and photographs.
The diaries give accounts of Parker's daily life from
high school to his travels and life while in Alaska, Mexico, and New Mexico. The
notebooks go into the minute details of his trips to various mines as a mining
consultant.
Background
Morris B. Parker (1871-1957) was born in 1871, the son of Erastus Wells and Emmeline
Brown Parker. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and spent his summers in Penn Yan,
New York. His father purchased the South Homestake located in White Oaks, New
Mexico, in 1879 and the family moved there in the summer of 1882. He went back to
New York for high school, where he studied chemistry and assaying. He then attended
Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1889-1892 as well as the
University of Missouri from 1892-1893 to study at the School of Mines and
Metallurgy. Once his studies were complete, Parker returned to White Oaks to begin
assaying. During that same year he married Olive Genevieve McCourt. Parker first
visited Mexico in 1895 and after staying in Nacozari, Mexico, until 1903, moved his
family to El Paso, Texas. Until 1932, much of Parker’s time was spent in Arizona,
Mexico, and New Mexico. In each place, he worked for various mining companies
assaying ore and predicting the prospects of mining claims. He retired in Hermosa
Beach, California, and with the help of his daughter, Lina Parker Matthews, was able
to write of his experiences in Mexico and White Oaks that were subsequently
published after his death in 1957.
Restrictions
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.