Virginia DeMarais Anza Borrego Region Collection, 1879-1994

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Summary

Creators:
DeMarais, Virginia
Abstract:
This collection consists of material collected by Virginia DeMarais pertaining to the history, development, and population of Borrego Springs and the Anza-Borrego region, as well as a small collection of her personal papers.
Extent:
7.75 Linear feet (13 boxes)
Language:
Preferred citation:

Virginia DeMarais Anza Borrego Region Collection, MS 228, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of material pertaining to the history, development, and population of Borrego Spring and the Anza-Borrego region, as well as a small collection of Virginia DeMarais’s personal papers.

Virginia’s personal papers consist of a personal diary, correspondence, club memberships, drafts for her “Do You Recall?” history column, and newspaper articles related to her hobbies. The majority of the collection is secondary source material; book excerpts, magazine and newspaper clippings, in addition to brochures and maps. Correspondence and business records are also included.

The history and environment of the Anza-Borrego region includes a selection of maps, published and unpublished histories, and a large collection of brochures and clippings about local wildlife, plant life, and weather conditions. The development of the Anza-Borrego region contains an assortment of administrative documents, meeting minutes, promotional material, correspondence, newsletters, and numerous newspaper articles on local organizations, including the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and Natural History Association; public institutions such as the post office, schools, police, and medical services; local businesses; and an assortment of local and international clubs. Additionally, this collection includes files on prominent local citizens, with varied amounts of correspondence, newspaper clippings, or personal items such as poetry books or art prints. Finally, there are subject folders for local festivals (consisting mainly of programs, flyers, and newspaper articles), and for places outside of Borrego Springs (primarily brochures, histories, and newspaper articles).

Biographical / historical:

Virginia DeMarais was born in Los Angeles on November 13, 1915, to Robert Harold Hart and Virginia C. Christie. She married Bill DeMarais in 1937, and in 1943 they had a son, Dennis DeMarais. The family moved to Borrego Springs after World War II and built a motel called Hacienda Borrego. They operated the motel for eight years, then sold it. Before and after their retirement, Virginia and Bill were heavily involved in local activities and organizations, helping the small town establish a post office, schools, and the Community Church.

Virginia was Borrego Springs’ first librarian in 1949, housing the library’s books in the lobby of Hacienda Borrego. She was the Borrego Elementary School secretary from 1952-1976. She was also involved in numerous clubs, including the Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association, Beta Sigma Phi sorority, Community Concert Association, Borrego Women’s Club, Soroptimist International Association, and the Parent-Teacher Club . She documented local history for over 40 years and authored the “Do You Recall?” history column for the Borrego Sun newspaper. In 1993 she was recognized by the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Diego as the official historian of Borrego Springs, California. Bill DeMarais died in 1982, and Virginia died in September of 1994.

The Anza-Borrego region was originally the homeland of the Cupeno, Luiseno, Cahuilla, Diegueno, and Chumash tribes. Their descendants were eventually moved to the Pala Indian Reservation. The area is named in part after Juan Bautista de Anza who in the 1770s led a party of 240 settlers from Tubac, Arizona to the San Gabriel Mission, opening a 2,000 mile trail to California via Yuma.

American settlers appeared in the Anza-Borrego desert as early as 1910. The first ranches were established in the 1920s, with land cheaply available through the terms of the 1862 Homestead Act. Farming in the region flourished when it was discovered that local grapes were the first of the season, and alfalfa growers could cut eight to ten crops per year.

During the Depression, rich residents bought up the surrounding land to help construct the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, now the largest state park in California. This effectively encapsulated the town of Borrego Springs at its center. In the 1940s the desert was used for Marine and Army training grounds. In the 1950s the construction of the Feather River Dam near Oroville brought a dependable water source to the Borrego region, supplementing discoveries of deep water reserves underground. Borrego Springs began to develop as a desert resort, with numerous hotels and country clubs built to lure visitors into the desert. By the 1990s Borrego Springs was a well-established winter retreat for thousands of “snowbirds” from Oregon, Washington, and Canada.

Acquisition information:
Accession number 950719.
Processing information:

Collection processed by Samantha Mills on July 26, 2012.

Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged by series:

Series I: Virginia DeMarais Personal Papers

Series II: Anza-Borrego Region: History

Series III: Anza-Borrego Region: Environment

Series IV: Anza-Borrego Region: People

Series V: Anza-Borrego Desert State Park

Series VI: Anza-Borrego Desert Natural History Association

Series VII: Borrego Springs: Development, Real Estate, Publicity

Series VIII: Borrego Springs: Institutions and Public Services

Series IX: Borrego Springs: Businesses

Series X: Borrego Springs: Organizations and Recreation

Series XI: Borrego Springs: Festivals and Events

Series XII: Southern California Miscellanea

Items in each series are arranged by subject or alphabetically.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.

Preferred citation:

Virginia DeMarais Anza Borrego Region Collection, MS 228, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.

Location of this collection:
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA 92101, US
Contact:
(619) 232-6203
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