Inventory of the Sutter Basin Company Records
D-491
Liz Phillips
University of California, Davis General Library, Dept. of Special Collections
2016
1st Floor, Shields Library, University of California
100 North West Quad
Davis, CA 95616-5292
speccoll@ucdavis.edu
URL: http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/specol/
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
University of California, Davis General Library, Dept. of Special Collections
Title: Sutter Basin Company Records
Creator:
Sutter Basin Company
Identifier/Call Number: D-491
Physical Description:
215 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1910-1974
Abstract: The Sutter Basin Company Records document the draining of 45,000 acres of land along the Sacramento River near Robbins, California,
and the subsequent use of the land for farming. The collection includes letters and telegrams from Chicago to Sacramento on
all facets of the company, including financing, land sales data, crop data, test gardens, artifacts, maps, blueprints, and
ledgers. The collection also includes two boxes of realia.
Physical Location: Researchers should contact Special Collections to request collections, as many are stored offsite.
History
The Sutter Basin Company was founded in 1911 with the aim of developing 45,000 acres of land along the Sacramento River in
Sutter County. With funding from Chicago meat packer J. Ogden Armour, a group of businessmen in Sacramento lobbied the state
and federal governments to create Reclamation District #1500. The project raised levees on portions of the Sacramento river,
constructed the Sutter Bypass, and developmed irrigation canals to re-route the flood waters. Prospective buyers started arriving
in 1920 and the Sutter Basin Company continued selling parcels of land until 1946.
Source:
Unpublished history by Janet Alonso, Robbins, California
Scope and Content
The Sutter Basin Company Records document the draining of the Sacramento River flood plain near Robbins, California, and the
subsequent use of the land for farming. The collection includes letters and telegrams from Chicago to Sacramento on all facets
of the company, including financing, land sales data, crop data, test gardens, artifacts, maps, blueprints, and ledgers. The
collection also includes two boxes of realia.
Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is arranged in four series: 1. Records; 2. Ledgers; 3. Maps; 4. Realia.
Access
Collection is open for research.
Processing Information
Due to the size of the collection and the unclear original order of the records, this collection is arranged by material type
and chronologically by year. Manuscript Archivist Liz Phillips processed this collection and created and encoded the finding
aid with assistance from student employees Alex Dao and Kelley Liang.
Acquisition
Gift of Mohammad A. Gorsi, Janet Alonso, and Steven T. Butler, 2008.
Preferred Citation
Sutter Basin Company Records, D-491, Department of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis.
Publication Rights
Copyright is protected by the copyright law, chapter 17 of the U.S. Code. All requests for permission to publish or quote
from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publications is given on
behalf of Special Collections, General Library, University of California, Davis as the owner of the physical items and is
not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Reclamation of land -- California -- Sutter County.
Flood control -- California -- Sutter Bypass.
Floods -- California -- Sacramento River.
Agriculture -- California -- Sutter County
Sutter County (Calif.) -- History
Sacramento Valley (Calif.) -- History
Sutter Basin Company -- Archives
Series 1
Records
1910-1974
Scope and Contents
Letters, telegrams from Chicago to Sacramento, and clippings on all facets of the company: financing; land sales data; crop
data; test gardens; artifacts; maps; blueprints; and ledgers. Arranged chronologically by year: folders with multiple-year
date ranges are sorted by earliest year.
box 1
1910
Scope and Contents
Notes from UC Berkeley School of Agriculture courses.
box 13-18, 38-39, 166, 169
box 22-27, 41-42, 167-169
box 31-32, 35-37, 145, 169-170
box 46-47, 55, 117, 119-122, 130, 149
box 45, 48, 114-116, 128, 150
box 43, 111, 131, 150-151, 170
box 49, 109, 113, 124, 152
box 54, 108, 127, 152-153, 170
box 53, 110, 125, 153, 170
box 34, 52, 105, 107, 129, 154, 170
box 135, 144, 157-158, 170
Series 2
Ledgers
1916-1947
Scope and Contents
Company ledgers, mainly for Robbins site. Also includes one Chicago office ledger and one agent's voucher register. Arranged
alphabetically by ledger title and chronologically within each title grouping.
box 208, 210
Assessment Data #6
1928-1930
Scope and Contents
"Unsubdivided land on which SBCo. will make payments"
wrapped volume 34
Assessment List #3 - For Maintenance
1930
wrapped volume 35
Assessment List #3 - For Maintenance and Repair
1930
wrapped volume 30
Chicago Office Land Sales Records
1924-1929
Crop Cost Reports
1920-1943
box 82, 86
1927
Scope and Contents
Ledger in box 82 bound with Land Improvements; ledger in box 86 bound with Operating Reports
box 74, 79
1929
Scope and Contents
Ledger in box 74 bound with Operating Reports; ledger in box 79 bound with Land Improvements
box 75, 88
1930
Scope and Contents
Leger in box 75 bound with Operating Reports; ledger in box 88 bound with Land Improvements
box 87
1931
Scope and Contents
Bound with Operating Reports and Land Improvements
box 211
Distribution of Charges
1927
General Distribution
1940-1944
box 58-59
General Farming Ledger
1917-1928
box 57
General Reports
1922
Scope and Contents
Company Autos and Trucks; Rented Trucks, Tractors, and Harvesters; Crops, Hog Farm, and Meals
Land Improvements
1925-1928
Material and Equipment Inventory
1922-1944
box 77
1937
Scope and Contents
Labeled "1937 - Copy"
box 67, 78
1938
Scope and Contents
2 copies
box 68, 75
1939
Scope and Contents
2 copies
box 68, 72
1940
Scope and Contents
2 copies
box 72, 83
1941
Scope and Contents
2 copies
box 83, 93
1942
Scope and Contents
2 copies
box 99
Meal Cost Reports
1945-1947
box 211
Price Estimates
1943-1944
box 210
"Sutter Basin Miscellaneous" (Materials Index)
1912-1931
Timekeeper's Daily Reports
1940-1947
box 97
Transfer Ledger (Before 1921)
1916-1920
box 60
Vouchers
September-October 1925
wrapped volume 32
Voucher Register: Edward Schranz, Jr.
1928-1930
Series 3
Maps and Blueprints
1913-1940
Scope and Contents
Includes irrigation, parcel, crop, and drainage maps as well as blueprints, diagrams, and elevations for buildings and other
structures. Arranged alphabetically.
box 198
Castor Beans, Alfalfa, Laterals, Canal
undated
box 199
Crop Maps and Owners
1921-1928
box 175, 180-181, 184-185
Elevation Profiles
1915-1925
box 200
Housing Plans, Equipment Plans, Lateral Cross Section
undated
box 172
Irrigation
1919-1920
Scope and Contents
Laterals and ditches
box 189
Irrigation Bypass
undated
box 203
Lahontan Dam; Plat of Robbins; Gen’l Map
undated
box 191
Lateral Cross-Sections
undated
box 194
Lease Maps, Irrigated Lands, Nimbus Division Colored, Perdue Lake Drain
undated
box 197
Maddock Map, Landscape Plan, SBC Complex
undated
box 187
Office Building Layout
undated
box 177, 178, 179, 181, 184-187, 196
box 193
Parcel, Gen’l Maps (Owned by Chicago; 1913)
undated
box 187
Progress Map, District 1001
1913
box 180-181
Property Maps
ca. 1915-1925
box 180-181, 184, 187, 188
box 173-174, 182, 190, 192, 201
box 192
Sugar Beet Leases
undated
box 172, 180, 183-184
Topographical Maps
ca. 1920
box 204-205, 209, 212-215
General Maps
undated
Scope and Contents
Mixed parcel maps, irrigation maps, and blueprints. Box 209 also contains "No Trespassing" signs.
box 206-207
Series 4
Realia
circa 1915-1974
Physical Description:
2 linear feet
Scope and Contents
Card files, office brochures, address machine plates, meal tokens, share certificates, and vouchers for company store.