Inventory to the field notes of Frank Stephens at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley.
MVZA.MSS.0240
Finding aid prepared by Christina V. Fidler and Darren Lu
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
3101 Valley Life Sciences Building
University of California
Berkeley
mvzarchives@berkeley.edu
March 2013
Descriptive Summary
Title: Frank Stephens field notes
Identifier/Call Number: MVZA.MSS.0240
Contributing Institution:
Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
5.0 Volumes
Date (inclusive): 1886-1912
Creator:
Stephens, Frank, 1849-1936
Administrative Information
Conditions Governing Access note
The collection is open for research.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Inventory to the field notes of Frank Stephens at the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University
of California, Berkeley, MVZA.MSS.0240, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology Archives, University of California, Berkeley.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted to the Museum of Vertebrate
Zoology Archives in writing for approval. Please contact the Museum Archivist for further information.
Related Archival Materials Note
Biographical note
Frank Stephens was born in a log house on a farm in New York in 1849. His interests in natural history traces back to his
childhood and he completed his first lessons in taxidermy at the age of 22. Stephens married and moved to Kansas where he
became acquainted with and studied under Charles E. Aiken. Stephens and his wife settled in California but had a harrowing
journey to their new residence. Settlers were killed before and after their passage, they also had to contend with a depreciated
paper dollar in California. They had a hard time passing through the Colorado Desert but they eventually settled in in the
San Diego area. Stephens collected intermittently for the Biological Survey and focused his energies in publishing the first
book on
California mammals. He completed California Mammals in 1906. He and his second wife, Kate Brown, then accompanied Annie Alexander and Joseph
Dixon on an expedition to Alaska in 1907. Stephens also accompanied Joseph Grinnell’s 1910 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology’s
expedition on the Colorado River. He was not a prolific writer but he did pen 55 publications and collected well into his
early 80s. He was known as a cheerful camp companion and his camping skills were legendary to his students. Frank Stephens
died at the age of 89 on October 5, 1937.
Sources Consulted:
Stephens, Frank. "Frank Stephens: An Autobiography."
The Condor 20,5 (1918): 164-166. DOI: 10.2307/1362367.
Huey, Laurence M. "Frank Stephens, Pioneer.
The Condor 40,3 (1938):101-110. DOI: 10.2307/1363824
Scope and Contents note
The Frank Stephens field note collection consists of five bound volumes spanning the years 1886 to 1912. Frank Stephens created
the first listed field notebook and catalog during his 1907 expedition to Alaska. They are in their original binding. The
other three volumes are bound in the traditional Museum of Vertebrate Zoology binding.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Alaska--Expedition--1907
Biological specimens--Collection and preservation.
Biological specimens--Identification
Biology Fieldwork
Birds--California--Identification
Cataloging--Specimens.
University of California (1868-1952). Museum of Vertebrate Zoology
Box 1, Folder 1
Alaska field notes
1907
Language of Material:
English
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, Alaska
North America, United States, Alaska, Alexander Archipelago, Admiralty Island
North America, United States, Oregon, Baker County
North America, United States, Washington, King County
Box 1, Folder 2
Alaska catalogue
1907
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #11, #46 and #2914 These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Volume 1
Volume 1 1657
1886-1908
Language of Material:
English
Volume 1, Section 1
San Diego, Imperial, San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, California v1657_1
1886
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, Arizona, Yuma County
North America, United States, California, Imperial County
North America, United States, California, Riverside County
North America, United States, California, San Bernardino County
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 1, Section 2
San Diego County, California (Part 1) v1657_2
1908
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #19. These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 2, Section 1
San Diego County, California (Part 2) v1658_1
1908
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #19 and #139. These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 2, Section 2
San Diego and Imperial Counties, California (Part 1) v1658_2
1909
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #39, #77 and #187. These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, Imperial County
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 3, Section 1
San Diego and Imperial Counties, California (Part 2) v1659_1
1909
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, Imperial County
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 3, Section 2
Colorado River, California, and Arizona v1659_2
1910
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #163. These specimens can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, Arizona, La Paz County
North America, United States, Arizona, Mohave County
North America, United States, Arizona, Yuma County
North America, United States, California, Imperial County
North America, United States, California, Riverside County
North America, United States, California, San Bernardino County
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
Volume 3, Section 3
Humboldt County, California v1659_3
1910
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #172, #188, #209 and #216. These specimens can be found
in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, Humboldt County
Volume 3, Section 4
San Diego County, California v1659_4
1912
View field notes online.
Language of Material:
English
Related Materials Note
Specimens collected in this section belong to MVZ specimen accession #373, #409, #1177, #1191, #1308, and #2305. These specimens
can be found in
Arctos , the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology's specimen database.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
North America, United States, California, San Diego County
