Journals of Sphinx Ranch
Finding aid prepared by Jennifer Martinez and Brooke M. Black.
Manuscripts Department
The Huntington Library
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
© 2000 and 2013
The Huntington Library. All rights reserved.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Journals of Sphinx Ranch
Dates: 1594-1926
Bulk dates: 1878-1918
Collection Call Number: mssSphinx ranch
Creator:
Sphinx Ranch (Altadena, Calif.)
Extent:
72 items, including 46 volumes
Repository:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens.
Manuscripts Department
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Phone: (626) 405-2191
Email: reference@huntington.org
URL: http://www.huntington.org
Abstract:
This collection chiefly contains ranch journals of the Sphinx Ranch, vineyard, and commercial winery in Altadena, California,
purchased
by William Allen in 1878, as well as some additional materials related to ranch and the Allen family. The journals primarily
document
the day-to-day activities of the ranch, from pruning to harvesting and irrigating the vineyards and citrus trees.
Language of Material: The records are in English.
Access
Open to qualified researchers by prior application through the Reader Services Department. For more information, contact Reader
Services.
Administrative Information
Publication Rights
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], Sphinx Ranch journals, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of David Allen, 2002.
The majority of the collection was put on loan at the
Huntington Library by Walter I. Allen in 1938. The family
gave it to the Library in 2002 along with some additional
items.
Biography
William Allen, a native of England, purchased a 502-acre
ranch in Altadena, California, in 1878 and brought his
family to Southern California the following year. Named
the Sphinx Ranch because Allen spent twenty-three years in
Egypt as a broker before coming to Southern California,
the ranch had a vineyard and small commercial winery at
the time Allen purchased it. Allen had additional acres of
grapes and citrus trees (mostly oranges) planted on the
property. After Allen's death in 1886, his wife and
children, including his son Walter I. Allen, continued to
operate the ranch. In 1911 a part of the ranch was
subdivided, and additional subdivisions followed in
subsequent years.
Scope and Content
This collection chiefly contains ranch journals of the Sphinx Ranch, vineyard, and commercial winery in Altadena, California,
purchased
by William Allen in 1878, as well as some additional materials related to ranch and the Allen family.
The first section of the collection consists of 43 volumes
: two William Allen diaries (1878-1879), one Harold Allen
diary (1884), and 40 ranch journals from 1879 to 1918. The
first volume, written by William Allen in 1878, begins in
Europe and continues in Southern California later in the
year. Subsequent volumes document primarily the day-to-day
activities of the ranch, from pruning to harvesting and
irrigating the vineyards and citrus trees. Some writing
indicates that there were Chinese laborers on the ranch,
and entries in later volumes may have been recorded by one
of William Allen's sons, Walter I. Allen, who ran the
ranch in later years.
The other items in this collection are: four miscellaneous
account/financial books (including one with the sales of
oranges, grapes, and lemons), a volume containing the By-
Laws, meeting minutes, etc., of the William Allen Estate
Company, two family diaries from the 16th and 17th
centuries, document with family genealogy information, one
indenture on vellum related to land in England,
"Bancroft's Map of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona"
(1873), and three pieces of ephemera related to wine
production in California (1894).
Cataloger's Note: The collection used to be called the Walter I. Allen Journals.
Arrangement
Volumes arranged chronologically.
Indexing Terms
Personal Names
Sphinx Ranch (Altadena, Calif.)
Subjects
Agriculture--California, Southern
Chinese--California--History--19th century--Sources
Citrus fruit industry--California, Southern
Pioneers--California--Altadena--Archive
Ranches--California--Altadena--Archives
Viticulture--California, Southern
Altadena (Calif.)--Agriculture--Citrus fruit
Altadena (Calif.)--History--Sources
Altadena (Calif.)--History--Sources
California, Southern--History--19th century--Sources
Allen, Walter I.
Allen, William, -1886
Genre
Journals (accounts)--California, Southern
Volume 1
Allen, William, -1886. Diary.
1878
Volume 2
Allen, William, -1886. Diary.
1879
Volume 8
Allen, Harold. Diary.
1884
Volume 44
William Allen Estate Company book.
1906-1926
Volume 46
Family Bible.
1605
Very fragile condition. Includes letter by William Fletcher to William Allen, -1886 (1870, June 8)
Account Sales of Oranges, Grapes, Lemons, etc.
1880-1897
Allen, William, -1886. Account Book: Union Bank of London.
1877-1886
2 items. Includes a letter from the Union Bank of London to William Allen, -1886 (1878, Jan. 19)
Allen, William, -1886. Bank Book.
1879-1884
18 items. Includes 17 checks
Bancroft's Map of California, Nevada, Utah and Arizona.
1873
Indenture: Absolute Assignment of Houses and Land in Rivington, Sharples and Little Bolton. James Isherwood and James Allen.
[Undated]
Page of Genealogy Notes.
[After 1791]
