F. E. Brown photograph collection of Bear Valley Dam, 1880s-1890s

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Summary

Creators:
Brown, F. E. (Frank Elwood), 1856-1914
Abstract:
A collection of photographs, 1880s-1890s, of construction of Bear Valley Dam and surveys of the Whitewater River, San Bernardino County, California.
Extent:
1.17 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. F. E. Brown photograph collection of Bear Valley Dam, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A collection of 46 photographs and a few pieces of ephemera related to the building of Bear Valley Dam, 1884, and surveys of the Whitewater River, San Bernardino County, California, 1890s. The photographs belonged to F. E. (Frank Elwood) Brown, who was the chief engineer of the dam, which was built to provide irrigation to citrus growers in San Bernardino County. It is unclear who took the photographs, which are prints of various sizes, many with handwritten identifications. The building of the dam created Big Bear Lake, and images show the valley before and after the lake's creation. Other images depict: the granite dam being built; a long flume crossing a creek; engineers at camp; and one image of Brown and fellow Redlands founder Edward G. Judson, approximately 1886. There are also several survey photographs of Whitewater River in San Bernardino County, and a few cabinet card photographs by early regional photographers Rudolph J. Philippi, Charles T. Collier, and D. Ford of Redlands. Ephemera includes a printed map of the Lake View Tract, Riverside County, California, bearing the letterhead of the Sierra Vista Orange Land Company, F. E. Brown, President. Additionally, there are two newspaper clippings from 1897 about Brown, and a fold-out case with portrait photographs of Brown and his wife, Jessie Fremont Smith.

Biographical / historical:

F. E. (Frank Elwood) Brown (1856-1914) was the chief engineer of Bear Valley Dam, built in 1884 to supply water to parts of San Bernardino County, California. He was also the co-founder of Redlands, California, and a founder of the Bear Valley Land and Water Company. In the early 1890s, Brown formed the Bear Valley Irrigation Company to survey the Whitewater River (between the San Bernardino Mountains and the Coachella Valley) to prepare for pipeline construction to the Alessandro irrigation district, San Bernardino County.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Mrs. Paul W. Brown, 1962.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library staff, circa mid-20th century. In 2020, Suzanne Oatey created a finding aid derived from a collection file.

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]. F. E. Brown photograph collection of Bear Valley Dam, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2129
reference@huntington.org
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