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Contributing Institution:
Museum of Ventura County
Title: Villa Caliente Enterprise records
Identifier/Call Number: MVC067
Physical Description:
1.65 Cubic Feet
2 boxes
Date (inclusive): 1969-2000
Date (bulk): 1969-1979
Abstract: The collection contains the records for Villa Caliente Enterprises of La Jolla, California. The Business was started in 1968
to celebrate San Diego's 200th anniversary and the California Bicentennial. The business was the proprietorship of Virginia
"Chris" Borgen, who handled the day to day duties. The business sold commemorative memorabilia, focusing primarily on miniature
replica El Camino Real bells. After the bicentennial, the bells were generally marketed to appeal to California history and
were sold in gift shops along California's famous stretch of highway. The collection contains financial records, business
correspondence, advertising/promotional materials, and historical reference information pertaining to El Camino Real history.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior
to your visit.
Language of Material:
English
.
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the
Research Library staff.
Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained
by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue
the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where the museum does not hold the copyright.
[Identification of item], Camino Real Bell records, (Collection MVC067), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura,
California
Provenance/Source of acquisition
Virginia Borgen; gift; 1993
Processed by Sean McCaskill under the supervision of Krystell Jimenez, 2021
Our collections are being processed using MPLP so that we may prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities
for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended
in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org.
Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.
Virginia Borgen, aka "Chris," formed Villa Caliente Enterprises in 1968 to sell memorabilia commemorating San Diego's 200th
anniversary and California's bicentennial, shifting into souvenir production in subsequent years. The business' main product
was miniature replica El Camino Real bells, which were manufactured in Mexico and shipped to its headquarters in La Jolla,
California. Borgen corresponded with gift shops and stores all along California's famous stretch of highway and marketed the
bells in connection to California's history. Villa Caliente Enterprises went out of business in 1979.
Villa Caliente Enterprises is representative of Borgen's entrepreneurial ambition. Borgen handled business correspondence,
selected and created the advertisement and promotional materials, kept detailed financial records, collected historical references
material that pertained to her merchandise, and organized the international shipping of her product from Mexico to several
California sites.
The collection consists of Ms. Borgen's business records for Villa Caliente Enterprises. This includes receipts and bills
for most of the years the business was in operation, as well as a list of buyers. Additionally, the collection contains various
correspondences pertaining to its day-to-day operations, including manufacturing, shipping, and customer relations. Promotional
correspondences and advertisement materials, such as ad mock-ups, historical reference material, photos, and original ink
sketches/photographs by artist Richard McConagy, are also included. Finally, the collection contains supplemental research
on the Camino Real's history from Max Kurillo, a local historian.
Ms. Borgen's collection was donated with the assistance of local historian Max Kurillo. At the time of donation, Mr. Kurillo
included miscellaneous documents from his own collection that pertained to El Camino Real history. These documents include
much of his own research and correspondence with Ventura County Museum of History and Art's librarian Charles Johnson. The
material is compiled into two folders at the end of the collection. It does not have any direct connection to Villa Caliente
Enterprises or Ms. Borgen.
This collection has been arranged in the following series:
- Series 1: Bills and Related Correspondences, 1969-1977
- Series 2: Advertising and Promotional Material, 1969-1972
- Series 3: Company Reference Material, 1969-1979
- Series 4: Max Kurillo Material, 1990-2000
Original order of materials has been maintained.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Advertising
El Camino Real (Calif.)--History
Bells--California--El Camino Real