This collection consists of business records pertaining to the Dan Murphy Company and the Dan Murphy Foundation from 1876-2005.

Daniel B. Murphy was born on September 21, 1855 in Hazelton, Pennsylvania. He spent his early years in the Oklahoma oil fields before arriving in California as an employee of the Southern Pacific railroad. In 1883, Murphy and his Irish-born partner, Frank Monaghan, began transforming Needles railroad station into a town. They built a general store, bank and utility plants for a population of 300 railroad men. Soon, they began to set up a business empire by securing water rights and setting up a chain of refrigeration and ice manufacturing plants for the Santa Fe railroad. Murphy also dabbled in the mining industry along the Colorado River. In 1894, Murphy provided financial support for the California Portland Cement Company in Colton, California. He served as its president for 35 years. Tempted by the oil industry again, he opened the Brea Canyon Oil Company, located in the Coyote Hills above Fullerton and in East Whittier. More than a decade later, he settled in El Segundo, which surrounded Standard Oil refinery, helping to create another company town. From his Los Angeles office, Murphy began promoting cement sales, which lured the influential to the blue-collared community of Colton. Murphy’s cement helped build Southwestern monuments, ranging from Union Station in Los Angeles to Hoover Dam and the All American Canal. He passed away on September 14, 1939. At the time of his death, Murphy was president of the California Portland Cement Company and Brea Canyon Oil Company.

24 boxes and 4 volumes

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